College football

College football was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States. College football remains extremely popular today among students, alumni, and other fans of the sport.

The season schedule

Division 1A college football begins two to three weeks earlier than the NFL, towards the end of August. Until 2003, the regular season was officially ushered in by the Kickoff Classic, held in recent years in New Jersey (although other pre-season games such as the Eddie Robinson Classic and the Pigskin Classic have also been played), but recent NCAA policy changes have eliminated some of these games, and so the season now largely starts out with regular games. The regular season then continues through early December (generally ending with the annual Army-Navy Game and several conference championship games on the same weekend).

Related Topics:
2003 - Kickoff Classic - New Jersey - Eddie Robinson Classic - Pigskin Classic - Army-Navy Game

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The college post-season is ushered in by the annual presentation of the Heisman Trophy Award, considered the most prestigious award in all of college football, given to the top player of the year as determined by a panel consisting of media voters and former winners of the award. This is then followed by a series of bowl games that showcase (usually) the top college team in a particular conference, as well as the consensus "national champion", which is determined not by a true playoff, but by a controversial confederation of voters, broadcast networks, bowls and conferences known as the Bowl Championship Series. A series of all-star bowl games round out the season for the balance of January, including the East-West Shrine Game, the Senior Bowl, the Hula Bowl, and the Gridiron Classic (in recent years, the Hula and Gridiron have alternated as the final game of the season, but the Senior Bowl is currently the season finale, as it is traditionally scheduled for the week prior to the NFL's Super Bowl, which is now played in February).

Related Topics:
Heisman Trophy - Media - Bowl games - Bowl Championship Series - All-star - East-West Shrine Game - Senior Bowl - Hula Bowl - Gridiron Classic - NFL - Super Bowl

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The length of the season has gradually increased over the course of the game's history. In spring 2005, the NCAA ruled that teams could schedule 12 regular-season games (up from 11) beginning in the 2006 season. This decision was met with some criticism from those who claimed that expanding the season would overwork the atheletes.

Related Topics:
2005 - NCAA - 2006

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