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. (
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The
Fifth Down
was the name of a
college football
play that was the result of an error by the crew officiating the game. This play enabled the
Colorado
Buffaloes
to defeat the
Missouri
Tigers
by scoring a touchdown on the last play of their game on October 6, 1990. The ensuing controversy cast doubt on Colorado's claim to
Division I
-A's 1990
national championship
. It has been called one of the top memorable moments and blunders in college football history.
In
American football
, a team is allowed four attempts or "
downs
" to move the ball ten 10 yards (9.14 m) towards the
goal line
. If the offense moves ten yards in four attempts or less, it gains a "first down," which restarts the process. If, after four attempts, the offense has neither scored nor gained ten yards, the other team is given possession of the ball. Under normal circumstances (for example, excluding penalties which can involve replaying a down), no team is supposed to be allowed five attempts. However, due to an officiating error, Colorado was given a fifth down which they used to score the game-winning
touchdown
as time expired.