NCAA Football History Explained
Learn All About NCAA Football History

NCAA football history and the history of college football in general in the United States is the same as the history of the entire sport. For it was in the college ranks that the sport we know now as American football came to be.

College football at the time was a hybrid between several sports, incorporating much similarity to the early rugby games played in England in the mid 1800s.

"The First Two College Football Games"

There are two important first games to take note of in regards to the history of American football, and ncaa football history specifically. In 1869, the two universities now known as Rutgers University and Princeton University (at the time, Rutgers College and College of New Jersey, respectively) played the inaugural game of college football. This game however, was not very reminiscent of what we would call college football today. It was largely a rugby game, although it was called football. Rutgers won the match 6-4.

The second NCAA football history game of note is the first game that had some forbearance of what American football would actually become. In 1875, Tufts University and Harvard University played a game in which each side had 11 members on the field, the ball had an oblong shape and play was stopped when the ball carrier was tackled or forced to the ground.

These rules and the style of this game mark it as the true direct ancestor to American football. In the years to follow, the goalposts were added once again changing NCAA football history.

The man known as the "Father of American Football", Walter Camp, then played a role in the continuing evolution and popularization of the game. He instituted rule changes that would make the game much more familiar to what we would know today.

He had the ideas of downs and distances in yards that had to be covered in order to get more downs. He also instituted the safety and the offensive formations that would remain in use for years to come.

"NCAA Football History
The Formation of the NCAA"

After those first games that truly started NCAA football history, more universities and colleges around the country began playing American college football. As time went on, rules were being adapted, such as plays starting from a scrimmage and other conventions that today's fans would recognize.

However, with some dangerous styles of play (the famous flying wedge formation which resulted in everybody bunched up and thousands of pounds of weight being thrown around, potentially crushing and stampeding others) and equipment, that even if any was worn, did nothing to protect an individual from harm, the sport was nearly banned.

President Teddy Roosevelt, a sporting man himself, was near banning the sport of college football from being played unless changes could be made to ensure the safety of those playing it.

This led to many colleges and universities banding together to change the rules and keep the game alive. The association they formed was the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, the IAAUS.

This was formed in 1906, and it officially became known as the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) just several years later in 1910. NCAA football history shows us that one of the first major changes instituted in 1906 by the IAAUS was that of the forward pass.

"NCAA Football History And
NCAA Football Today"

Today, NCAA football is one of the most popular sports in the country. This is despite the creation of the most popular sports league in the country, the NFL, which itself grew out of the college football game.

"NCAA Football History
The BCS"

The BCS – the Bowl Championship Series is the system now used in NCAA college football to determine the National Champion, as well as determine the teams that will play in the other major BCS Bowls. The teams involved in this system are called the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I. The other levels of NCAA football that do not use the BCS are as follows:

Division I-AA (Also known as the Football Championship Subdivision)
Division II
Division III

The level of play and the quality of athletes generally decrease down the list. This is due to the schools involved being smaller schools and also being focused on other areas besides athletics. The lower divisions have more regulations about how many college sports scholarships, if any scholarships, can be given to college football players.

Division I (Bowl Subdivision) football is an extremely lucrative business, with billions of dollars of television contracts and sponsorships at stake. To be a Division I program you have to meet other requirements such as stadium capacity.

The 6 major, traditional conferences are now also known as the BCS conferences. The winners of these conferences automatically receive entry into the BCS bowl systems, potentially playing for the National Championship. The 6 main conferences are the ACC, Big-10, Big-12, Big East, Pac-10 and SEC.

"Criticisms of NCAA Football"

The BCS has come under criticism for being too stuck in its ways, being too focused on money, having subjective rankings and rules and showing extreme favoritism to the major conferences. There is a strong movement amongst fans and the media to move to a NCAA football playoff system. The proponents of this feel that only true way to determine a National Champion is by playing for it on the field.

As opposed to having the subjectively number 1 and number 2 ranked teams playing for the National Championship with no playoff. The current BCS system has left smaller schools from other conferences at an extremely biased disadvantage, where even if they are undefeated and talented, they will likely not get the chance to play for the title.

Other criticisms of NCAA football include that recruiting has gone too far, starts too young, is too intensive and often includes bribes and under the table deals.

While these criticisms are important to keep in mind and certainly play a major role in the future of NCAA football, you can rest assured that it is a sport and institution that is here to stay.

NCAA football history is quite interesting and unique as college football spawned the entire sport of American football, which is by far the most popular sport in the country today.