Portal:College football
The College football Portal
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States.
Like gridiron football generally, college football is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at the highest levels of play, are members of the NCAA. In Canada, collegiate football competition is governed by U Sports for universities. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (for colleges) governs soccer and other sports but not gridiron football. Other countries, such as Mexico, Japan and South Korea, also host college football leagues with modest levels of support.
Unlike most other major sports in North America, no official minor league farm organizations exist for American football or Canadian football. Therefore, college football is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; ahead of high school competition, but below professional competition. In some parts of the United States, especially the South and Midwest, college football is more popular than professional football. For much of the 20th century, college football was generally considered to be more prestigious than professional football.
As the second highest tier of gridiron football competition in the United States, many college football players later play professionally in the NFL or other leagues. The NFL draft each spring sees 224 players selected and offered a contract to play in the league, with the vast majority coming from the NCAA. Other professional leagues, such as the CFL and XFL, additionally hold their own drafts each year which see many college players selected. Players who are not selected can still attempt to obtain a professional roster spot as an undrafted free agent. Despite these opportunities, only around 1.6% of NCAA college football players end up playing professionally in the NFL. (Full article...)
Selected article
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl was the inaugural edition of the post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Air Force Falcons at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, California on December 31, 2002. The game was the final contest of the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 20–13 victory for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech was selected for the inaugural edition of the San Francisco Bowl (since renamed the "Emerald Bowl") after a 9–4 record during the 2002 college football season. Tech defeated several nationally ranked teams, including No. 14 LSU and No. 19 Texas A&M. Tech's opponent, Air Force, received its bid following an 8–4 regular season. Air Force faced several BCS-conference opponents during the regular season, including California and Northwestern.
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl kicked off in clear, 69 °F (21 °C) weather, but the field was soggy after several days of rain. In the first seven minutes of the game, Air Force scored 10 consecutive unanswered points. The Tech defense eventually clamped down on the Falcons' offense, however, and only allowed three points for the remainder of the game. The Virginia Tech offense slowly climbed back from the initial 10-point deficit, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter and a field goal in the second. By halftime, the Hokies had equalized the score at 10–10.
In the second half, defense continued to dominate as Tech gradually built a lead. The Hokies scored the only points of a third quarter as running back Lee Suggs ran into the end zone from one yard out, allowing Tech to take a 17–10 lead into the fourth quarter. The Falcons didn't give up easily, however. Air Force kicker Joey Ashcroft cut into the Tech lead with a 21-yard field goal. Tech matched the score later in the quarter to restore the one-touchdown lead. As time ran down, Air Force had one final chance to tie the game and send it into overtime. Beginning at its own 18-yard line with 4:11 left to play, the Falcons drove deep into Tech territory. With seven seconds remaining, Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge tried to scramble into the end zone, but was stopped before the goal line by Tech cornerback Ronyell Whitaker. The defensive stop preserved the 20–13 Hokie victory, and Tech quarterback Bryan Randall was named the game's most valuable player.
Quotes
- We need a playoff. — Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida who supported creating a play-off for NCAA Division I-A
- I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault. — former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Jack Tatum, on the fierce quality of his play
- If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you. — University of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, on his motivational techniques
- When people used to see Wake Forest on the schedule, they used a pen to mark down a `W.' We're at the point now where we at least make them use a pencil. — Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe
Did you know...
- ... that the Harvard Crimson football team (home stadium pictured) has won 12 national championships and is the eighth winningest team in NCAA Division I football history?
- ... that American football running back Keith Elias graduated from Princeton University with 21 Princeton Tigers records and 4 National Collegiate Athletic Association I-AA records?
- ... that Vanderbilt's "Blonde Bear" supervised the ransacking of black households in the 1946 Columbia Race Riot?
- ... that Native American football player Peter Hauser has been credited with throwing the first spiral pass?
.jpg)
- ... that the Yale Bulldogs football team (mascot pictured) has won 27 national championships and ranks second in wins in college football history?
- ... that Michigan's All-American 60-minute man Tom Johnson was the second African-American player for the Green Bay Packers?
- ... that Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough played for Hall of Fame football coach John Gagliardi at Saint John's University?
- ... that the Wittenberg Tigers from Springfield, Ohio, have won more games than any other Division III college football team?
Selected image
Calendar
| Dec 9 | Army–Navy Game | Army vs Navy |
| Dec 29 | Cotton Bowl Classic | #7 Ohio State vs #9 Missouri |
| Dec 30 | Peach Bowl | #10 Penn State vs #11 Ole Miss |
| Orange Bowl | #5 Florida State vs #6 Georgia | |
| Jan 1 | Fiesta Bowl | #8 Oregon vs #23 Liberty |
| Rose Bowl | #1 Michigan vs #4 Alabama | |
| Sugar Bowl | #2 Washington vs #3 Texas | |
| Jan 8 | College Football National Championship | #1 Michigan vs #2 Washington |
| 2023 season: FBS (Bowl games) • FCS • D-II • D-III | ||
|---|---|---|
WikiProjects
Subcategories
College football topics
Sports portals
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
