College football facts for kids
Quick facts for kids College football |
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Fullback Adam Ballard (22) rushes while being pursued by defenders Cason Shrode (54) and Taylor Justice (42) during the 2005 Army–Navy Game, a college football rivalry in the U.S.
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Governing body |
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First played | 1869 |
Club competitions
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NCAA:
NAIA:
NJCAA:
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Audience records
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Single match | 156,990 (Tennessee 45–24 Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway), 10 Sep 2016 |
College football refers to American or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes. American football rules first gained popularity in the United States through college football play.
There are no official minor league farm organizations in American or Canadian football. College football is considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; one step ahead of high school competition, and one step below professional competition. In some areas of the US, especially the South and the Midwest, college football is more popular than professional football, and for much of the 20th century college football was seen as more prestigious.
They better a player performs in college football, the higher are his chances of playing professional football. Ffter three to four years of collegiate competition, the best collegiate players typically declare for the professional draft, which is held every spring by the NFL. 256 players are selected annually. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as an undrafted free agent.
American Football is variation of Rugby introduced by Walter Camp.
The very first match between two college teams using new "American" variation of Rugby was played between Princeton and Rutgers University in 1869. First season of college football had only two matches played. The game became popular quickly in coming years.
National championships
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS – The NCAA has never had an official championship for schools in the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision, or "FBS". Instead, several groups declare their own champions.
- NCAA Division I Football Championship – The official championship for schools in the second-level Football Championship Subdivision, or "FCS".
- NCAA Division I FCS Consensus Mid-Major football national championship
- NCAA Division II national football championship
- NCAA Division III national football championship
- NAIA national football championship
- NJCAA National football championship
College Football Playoff
In 2014 the College Football Playoff (CFP) was created. The CFP is a four-team tournament whose participants are chosen and seeded by a 13-member selection committee. The semifinals are hosted by two of a group of traditional bowl games known as the New Year's Six, with semifinal hosting rotating annually among three pairs of games in the following order: Rose/Sugar, Orange/Cotton, and Fiesta/Peach. The two semifinal winners then advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, whose host is determined by open bidding several years in advance.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been the sports dominant power in recent years, qualifying for all but one College Football Playoff.
Images for kids
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Plaque on College Avenue on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University identifying the place where the first college football game was played in 1869
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The McKill vs. Harvard football game in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1874
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Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football", pictured here in 1878 as the captain of the Yale Football team
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1902 football game between the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan
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An 1894 football game in Staunton, Virginia between VMI and Virginia Tech
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Tom Davies runs against undefeated and unscored upon Georgia Tech in the 1918 game at Forbes Field.
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Don Hutson in 1940.
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The Virginia Cavaliers (orange and blue home uniforms) play against the Penn State Nittany Lions (all-white away uniforms) in 2012 in Scott Stadium
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A night game between Harvard and Brown, September 25, 2009
See also
In Spanish: Fútbol americano universitario para niños