Beginner’s Guide to the US College Football System

The US National Football League is known around the world despite the fact that American football is mostly popular within the US. Canada has its own Canadian Football League, which also caters to domestic fans.

Despite having a US-focused fanbase, the NFL is recognized by sports fans around the world. They’re also likely to have heard the words 'college football’ thrown around. For sports fans on the outside looking in, understanding the dynamics of college football can be difficult, if not baffling.

The NFL acts as the major league competition for American football but in terms of revenue and popularity, college football isn’t far behind. In fact, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) was founded in 1906, almost half a century before the NFL’s two factions joined together.

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The NCAA oversees collegiate sports, with the NCAAF overseeing college football specifically. The NCAAF is divided into four sections, according to competitiveness. DII represents the lowest tier, while DI represents the highest. DI has two sub-tiers, including DI FBS, which is for the highest-ranking university football programs. 

To put it into context how massive the NCAAF is compared to the NFL, the NCAA’s DI FBS division has 130 competing schools. The NFL has only 32 teams throughout the US. Though the NFL receives the lion’s share of attention from the media, college football picks are some of the most in-depth sports analyses that bettors can find. Pundits regularly cover dozens of teams to keep football fans in the know.

With over 11,000 football players competing in the NCAAF’s uppermost division alone, there’s an endless reel of news to follow. But, unlike all other popular leagues around the world, the players in the NCAA aren’t professional athletes.

Instead, they’re student-athletes.

Designed to Train Student-Athletes

The NCAA was founded with the mission to help facilitate athletics programs in higher education. In the last century, the NCAA has helped connect talented sports players with scholarships so they can further their higher education and potentially pursue a career in their sport.

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College football, in particular, is viewed as a precursor to entering the NFL Draft. In fact, in order to be eligible for the NFL draft, they have to have completed their player contracts with universities (which typically extend to the junior year). Players can 'opt-out' of their senior year in order to enter the NFL Draft early.

The Legacy of Blue Blood Schools

Given the NCAAF has been running for over a century, college football has seen a long list of dynastic programs. However, most of the schools that were once home to dominant football programs have since fallen by the wayside—even if they’re still 'big names’. 

Schools and universities that found early and consistent success are known as Blue Blood schools. Most of these are still 'in the game’ when it comes to talent and winning records in football, including Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, and the USC Trojans.

Others, like the Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Oklahoma Sooners aren’t often considered winning programs. However, they’re still relevant to college football due to their historic reputation.

The New Guard

Despite the long legacy of Blue Blood schools in the NCAA, the last twenty years have seen a shift in the standard order of things. Typically, the more successful a college football program is, the more resources there are to develop a team, from recruitment to training facilities. In other words, it’s a cycle that’s closely tied to revenue, much like any traditional major league sport. 

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However, new programs can step into the ring with Blue Blood schools. Though diehard fans of teams like the Crimson Tide or the Buckeyes may not care for more competitors, longtime fans of college football are happy to welcome a new university into the FBS.

In the last ten years, thousands have followed the rise of the Clemson University Tigers football program, as well as the University of Oregon Ducks and the Auburn University Tigers football programs. With so many schools competing in the FBS, there’s at least one dark horse talent to emerge each year.

Looming Change

The NCAA seems to have a winning formula. Student-athletes are able to earn an education (often for free) while developing their professional skills in hopes of joining the major leagues. Along the way, universities can rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in profit from their football programs, including broadcasting deals, season ticket sales, and memorabilia.

Still, not all sports fans and former NCAA student-athletes are happy with the situation. Some have accused the league of taking advantage of unpaid workers that help them earn million after million. After all, top players in the NCAA will spend just as much time and effort on their football careers as professional athletes—all without the guarantee of landing an NFL contract.

Others see the NCAA as more of an apprenticeship opportunity. Student-athletes learn a sport, earn an education, and are propelled to the highest level of competition because a school recruits them, funds their time in college, and sends them off to the NFL Draft. In other words, some budding athletes with limited resources wouldn’t have made it to the NFL without the help of the NCAA.

Regardless of opinion, the NCAA is, if begrudgingly, open to change. A recent court ruling found that the NCAA’s ban on name, image, and likeness deals was unconstitutional. This means that student-athletes in eligible states can now profit from contracts that use their name, image, and likeness (NIL) in campaigns.

Despite these changes only coming in July 2021, some NCAA players have already cashed in major checks. One athlete, Kayvon Thibodeaux of the Oregon Ducks program, has already signed on with Nike to launch his own NFT. The deal is only one of three and will see Thibodeaux not only walk away with six figures but also enter the incoming NFL Draft with connections to Nike, which could easily turn into a future deal in the coming years.