College Football

College football refers to American football. American universities, colleges, and military academies play this sport, which a widely popular game played throughout the United States.

History:
The modern form of American football has its roots in many other games. It is said to have emerged from football [soccer] that was played at public schools in England during the mid-1900s. Students at Rugby School in England, played a game during the 1840s, which involved picking up the ball and running with it. The sport developed further, and was called Rugby union or simply rugby. The game was then played in Canada by British soldiers who were stationed there. Next, it was introduced in Canadian colleges.

It is noted that the first ball game played between teams representing American colleges is not seen as an ancestor of today's college football. Instead, the game was played under rules modified from the English Football Association [1863 rules]. In 1869, a notable game was the one played between teams from Rutgers College (now known as Rutgers University) and the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University. This one was played at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey [on November 6, 1869]. Rutgers beat their opponents 6-4. There were other notable college matches that followed as well.
By 1873, representatives from Rutgers and Princeton, met in New York City along with Yale and Columbia [October 18, 1873]. Here they founded rules football. ‘The Father of American Football’, Walter Camp, changed the game. It is no longer considered to be a variation of rugby, and is accepted as a unique sport.

Subsequently, college football grew more popular in the latter part of the 1800s. However, the sport became more and more violent. The situations on the field were so severe [including fatal injuries] that in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt said that he would ban football. This led to the formation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This association set fourth rules that govern the sport. One important rule included introduction of the ‘forward pass’. ‘Mass momentum" plays were also banned from the sport.

Before the National Football League was formed, as well as some time after its formation, college football remained dominant. Particularly, it was in college football that innovations in strategy and style of play emerged. These spread to the professional version of the game gradually. Professional football began to be the predominant version of football after the Second World War. Regardless of this dominance today, college football still remains as the more popular form of football played today. One reason for this is due to the lack of opportunity that many college players face. Accessibility of professional football remains limited to major urban areas. This is particularly noted in the South where there is a lack professional football teams. College football is notably popular in the following states or areas: Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, northern Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, central Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

College football is often a source of revenue for universities that participate in a competition. However, players are not allowed salaries under NCAA guidelines. However, players may receive financial assistance or scholarships.

Season schedule:
The college football season commences 2 or 3 weeks before NFL. This is around the end of August, and it continues through early December. It culminates with the annual Army-Navy Game as well as other conference championship games.

Rules:
There are some rules governing high school, college, and NFL games that differ to an extent. The NCAA Football Rules Committee governs the playing rules for Division I-A, I-AA, II, and III games. Some of the rules that are worth mentioning are below:

While college football may rule a pass ‘complete’ when one of the receiver's feet is grounded when making a catch, NFL rules say that both feet must be grounded.
There is a difference in the referee declaring a ball ‘ready for play’. For college football it is 25 seconds, and for NFL games it is 40 seconds.
There is also a difference in restarting the clock when a touch down is made.
‘Overtime’ was brought into Division I-A in 1996, thus, eliminating ties.

Bowl games:
Bowl games are post-season college football games. The first one as held was in 1902 [the 1902 Rose Bowl]. This was played between Michigan and Stanford. It was called the ‘bowl’ because of the shape of the stadium in Pasadena, California.

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