100 Fun Facts About College Football

Who was the first player to win the Heisman Trophy twice?

Archie Griffin of Ohio State won the Heisman Trophy in both 1974 and 1975, the first player to take the award twice.

How many AP national championships had Alabama won through the 2020 season?

The AP poll began in 1936; Alabama's 12 AP titles through 2020 (first in 1961, latest in 2020) led every program, ahead of Notre Dame's eight.

What do Ohio State and Michigan call their annual rivalry game?

Ohio State and Michigan simply call their rivalry 'The Game'; first played in 1897, it closes the regular season and has often decided the Big Ten title.

Which postseason game, 'The Granddaddy of Them All', is played on New Year's Day in Pasadena?

The Rose Bowl, nicknamed 'The Granddaddy of Them All' by broadcaster Keith Jackson, was first played in 1902 as the Tournament East-West game and has been held every year since 1916.

Big Al, the costumed mascot who roams the sideline for Alabama's Crimson Tide, is what animal?

An elephant is an odd fit for a team called the Tide, but the pachyderm link dates to a 1930 sportswriter describing Alabama's huge linemen as 'red elephants' thundering onto the field.

Which coach's seven claimed national titles are the most in college football history?

Nick Saban won seven: one at LSU in 2003 and six at Alabama between 2009 and 2020, one more than Bear Bryant's six Alabama titles.

In what year did the College Football Playoff (CFP) begin?

The College Football Playoff debuted in the 2014-15 season, replacing the BCS system. The first CFP National Championship was won by Ohio State.

Which university's 'Touchdown Jesus', a library mural of Christ with arms raised, looms over one end of its football stadium?

Notre Dame, where the 'Word of Life' mural on the Hesburgh Library just happens to look like a referee signalling a touchdown. The Fighting Irish got the nickname for free.

What prize goes to each season's winner of the three-way series among Army, Navy and Air Force?

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy has been contested since 1972 among Army, Navy and Air Force; when the three-way series ends in a tie, the previous winner keeps the trophy.

Keith Jackson popularized "The Big House" as the nickname of which college football venue?

The Ann Arbor venue seats more than 107,000, making it the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere. Jackson also coined the Rose Bowl's 'Granddaddy of Them All' tag.

Which SEC rivalry game is known as the 'Iron Bowl'?

Alabama vs. Auburn is the Iron Bowl, named for Birmingham, the South's pig-iron and steel capital and its long-time home at Legion Field; Auburn coach Shug Jordan popularized the name.

What does Clemson call its pregame entrance after players rub Howard's Rock?

Running Down the Hill: since 1942 Clemson players have entered Memorial Stadium from the hill behind the east end zone, and since 1967 they rub Howard's Rock, placed there in 1966, before the charge.

Which coach has the most all-time wins in NCAA Division I FBS history?

Joe Paterno of Penn State holds the record for the most wins in Division I FBS history with 409 official victories spanning his career from 1966 to 2011.

What is the name of the live Longhorn steer that has served as the University of Texas mascot since 1916?

Bevo, named since 1916; one legend says Texas A&M pranksters branded the first steer '13-0', their winning score, and Texas altered the brand to read 'BEVO'.

Which school's fight song includes the lyric 'Hail to the Victors'?

Michigan, and John Philip Sousa reportedly called it the greatest college fight song ever written. Elbel wrote it on the train home after a win over Chicago clinched the 1898 championship.

Which player won the 2020 Heisman Trophy while playing for Alabama?

DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver since Desmond Howard in 1991 to win the Heisman Trophy, earning the award in 2020 after a dominant season at Alabama.

Which SEC school's fans 'Call the Hogs' with a 'Woo Pig Sooie' chant before kickoff?

Arkansas: Razorback fans raise their arms and wiggle their fingers on 'Wooo', drop them on 'Pig' and pump a fist on 'Sooie', before kickoff and after big plays.

USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington left the Pac-12 in 2024 to join which 18-team conference?

The four West Coast schools made 2024 the league's first 18-team season and its first without divisions since 2010. Colorado, by contrast, went back to the Big 12 the same year.

Which trophy goes to the winner of the annual USC-UCLA football game?

The Victory Bell is the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual USC-UCLA football game. The bell was originally a gift to UCLA and was 'stolen' by USC fraternity members in 1941.

Which university introduced the 'Gator Chomp' as a signature fan gesture?

The University of Florida Gators' fans perform the 'Gator Chomp' by extending both arms and snapping them together to mimic an alligator's jaws. It became a signature tradition of Gator Nation.

Which university has played its home football games at the Rose Bowl stadium since 1982?

UCLA moved its home games to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 1982, leaving the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum it had long shared with USC.

What is the longest winning streak in major college football history?

Oklahoma holds the record for the longest winning streak in major college football history with 47 consecutive victories from 1953 to 1957 under coach Bud Wilkinson.

Which Texas A&M quarterback became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy, in 2012?

Johnny Manziel, nicknamed 'Johnny Football', won the 2012 Heisman as a redshirt freshman after becoming the first SEC player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in one season.

What nickname did LSU's 1988 win over Auburn earn after the crowd's roar registered on a nearby seismograph?

The Earthquake Game: Tommy Hodson's late touchdown pass to Eddie Fuller beat Auburn 7-6 on October 8, 1988, and the crowd's roar registered on a seismograph in LSU's geoscience building.

Which coach led Alabama from 1958 to 1982 and earned his nickname by agreeing to wrestle a captive bear at 13?

Paul 'Bear' Bryant won six national championships and 13 SEC titles in 25 seasons at Alabama, having earlier coached Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Which major bowl game has been played in New Orleans since 1935?

The Sugar Bowl has been played in New Orleans since January 1935 and, with the Rose, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta and Peach, forms the New Year's Six that hosts College Football Playoff games.

What is a 'Hail Mary' in football?

A Hail Mary is a long, desperate end-zone heave. The term went mainstream after Roger Staubach's 1975 playoff winner to Drew Pearson; Doug Flutie's 1984 miracle for Boston College cemented it in the college game.

Which school is known for its 'Midnight Yell Practice' tradition?

Texas A&M's 'Midnight Yell Practice' takes place at midnight before home games in Kyle Field. Tens of thousands of fans gather to practice yells (not cheers) led by Yell Leaders.

Which running back set the NCAA single-season rushing record with 2,628 yards in 1988?

Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State's junior, piled up 2,628 yards and 37 rushing touchdowns in just 11 games in 1988 and took the Heisman.

Which Big Ten school paints its visitors' locker room entirely pink, a tradition begun by Hayden Fry?

Iowa: Fry, a psychology major, reasoned that pink would calm visiting players and that some would bristle at a 'sissy color'; everything from lockers to urinals at Kinnick Stadium got the treatment.

What is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the Florida-Georgia game?

The Okefenokee Oar, created by the two student governments in 2009, gives the Jacksonville game its 'War for the Oar' billing; the 'World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party' nickname was officially dropped in 2006.

Which school's fans are known for 'Boomer Sooner,' one of the most frequently played fight songs?

'Boomer Sooner' is the fight song of the University of Oklahoma. It's played so frequently during games — often after every positive play — that opposing fans consider it one of the most relentless songs in college football.

Which school's mascot is a live bulldog named Uga?

Uga is a line of white English Bulldogs that have served as the mascot for the University of Georgia since 1956. Each successive bulldog is given a Roman numeral.

How many laterals did California use on the 1982 kickoff return against Stanford, 'The Play'?

Five laterals: the Stanford band, believing the game over, had marched onto the field, and Cal's Kevin Moen finished the return by flattening a trombone player in the end zone; Stanford disputed two of the laterals.

Which future Notre Dame coach popularized the forward pass with Gus Dorais against Army in 1913?

Knute Rockne, then a Notre Dame end, and quarterback Gus Dorais used the forward pass to upset Army 35-13 in 1913, showing the play's potential; Rockne coached the Irish from 1918 to 1930.

What is the 'turnover chain' tradition associated with?

Miami Hurricanes, whose sapphires are orange and green and arranged in a U, and the bling suited the swagger the program had traded on since the 1980s. Copycat props spread across the sport within a season.

Which Big Ten school plays at 'The Horseshoe', a stadium also called 'The House That Harley Built' after a 1910s star?

Ohio State, whose Chic Harley drew crowds so big in 1916-19 that the $1.3 million Ohio Stadium was built in 1922 to hold them. It seats more than 100,000, and the open end gives the horseshoe its name.

When the BCS launched in 1998, which 1995-97 title-matching arrangement did it replace?

The Bowl Alliance involved the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls but not the Rose Bowl, so it could never guarantee a true No. 1 vs No. 2 game; the BCS that replaced it lasted through the 2013 season.

Which team's fans ring cowbells during games, a tradition unique in the SEC?

Mississippi State fans have rung cowbells since the late 1930s; the SEC banned artificial noisemakers in 1974 and only made the Bulldogs' bells legal again, at set times, in 2010.

Which famous play in the 2013 Iron Bowl saw Auburn return a missed field goal for a touchdown to win the game?

The 'Kick Six' occurred when Auburn's Chris Davis returned a missed 57-yard Alabama field goal attempt 109 yards for a touchdown as time expired, giving Auburn a 34-28 victory.

How many teams were in the original College Football Playoff format when it launched in 2014?

The original CFP format featured just four teams selected by a committee. The format later expanded to 12 teams starting with the 2024-25 season.

Which two teams play the 'Red River Rivalry', renamed the Red River Showdown in 2014?

Texas vs. Oklahoma: since 1932 the game has been played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas, with the stadium split down the middle in burnt orange and crimson.

Which school introduced the 'Tomahawk Chop' chant and arm motion to college football?

First seen in the 1984 season in Tallahassee, the chop and its 'war chant' were later picked up by the Atlanta Braves, the Kansas City Chiefs and even the Exeter Chiefs rugby club in England.

Who was the first Heisman Trophy winner in 1935?

Jay Berwanger, the Chicago halfback, won the 1935 award a year before it took John Heisman's name; he was also the first pick in the first NFL draft but never played, over a salary dispute.

At which school's home games do fans bounce to 'Jump Around' between the third and fourth quarters?

Wisconsin's Camp Randall tradition, run since 1998, rattles the stadium so hard that engineers once had to confirm the structure could take it.

Which Boise State play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl ended with a running back proposing to his girlfriend on the field?

The Statue of Liberty: Jared Zabransky faked a throw right and handed the ball backhanded to Ian Johnson, who walked in for the winning two-point conversion in overtime against Oklahoma; Johnson then proposed to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics on live TV.

What plant forms the hedges ringing the field at Georgia's Sanford Stadium?

Privet hedges have ringed the field since Sanford Stadium opened in 1929; when the 1996 Olympics used it for soccer they were removed and later replanted from cuttings of the originals.

Which quarterback led Clemson to back-to-back national championship appearances, winning in 2018?

Trevor Lawrence, who went 34-2 as Clemson's starter and was the first pick of the 2021 NFL draft. The 44-16 margin was the worst loss of Nick Saban's Alabama era.

In which year did ESPN's College GameDay first go on the road, to South Bend for Florida State at Notre Dame?

1993: the show, launched from a Bristol, Connecticut studio in 1987, first broadcast on site for Florida State at Notre Dame; Lee Corso's headgear picks began in 1996 and ran until his 2025 retirement.

Clemson's 38th straight home win at Memorial Stadium in 2022 set a record for which conference?

The ACC: Clemson's 38th consecutive home win, against Syracuse in October 2022, passed Florida State's league record of 37; the streak reached 40 before South Carolina ended it that November.

Which New York City club first presented the Heisman Trophy in 1935, naming it for its athletic director after his death?

Downtown Athletic Club, which at first honoured only the best player east of the Mississippi; John Heisman, its athletic director, died in 1936 and the award took his name. Its building near the World Trade Center never reopened after 2001.

Sculptor Frank Eliscu modeled the Heisman statue on Ed Smith, a 1934 star at which school?

New York University: Smith, a former high-school classmate of Eliscu, did not learn the sculpture had become the Heisman until 1982 and was given one of his own in 1985.

Who in 2007 became the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy?

Tim Tebow: no underclassman had won in the award's first 72 years; sophomores then took it three years running, with Sam Bradford and Mark Ingram following in 2008 and 2009.

Nebraska's Memorial Stadium sellout streak, an NCAA record for any sport, dates to what year?

1962: the streak began on November 3, 1962, and passed 400 straight sellouts in the 2020s, surviving the losing seasons that followed the Devaney and Osborne dynasties.

The first intercollegiate football game, in November 1869, matched Princeton against which school?

Rutgers won 6–4 under rules adapted from England's Football Association, so the game looked far more like soccer than modern football.

The Stanford Axe, the Big Game trophy, first appeared at a rally in what year?

1899: yell leaders used the Stanford Axe to behead a straw man in Cal's blue and gold; Cal students stole it days later and kept it in Berkeley until 1930.

Ralphie, the live mascot who leads the Buffaloes onto the field, is actually what animal?

Every Ralphie has been female, since female bison are smaller and calmer than the bulls.

Paul Bunyan's Axe, contested by Minnesota and Wisconsin since 1948, replaced which vanished trophy?

The Slab of Bacon went missing after the 1943 game; the two schools have met every year since 1890 except 1906.

Michigan and Minnesota's Little Brown Jug was originally bought in 1903 to carry what?

Water: coach Fielding Yost distrusted Minneapolis water, so student manager Tommy Roberts bought a 30-cent earthenware jug to carry Michigan's own; left behind after the 1903 tie, it was kept by Minnesota.

Which team began running onto its home field to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' in 2000?

Virginia Tech has entered Lane Stadium to 'Enter Sandman' since 2000, with the crowd jumping in unison; Metallica itself played the stadium in May 2025.

Smokey, the hound who leads Tennessee onto the field, is what breed?

Bluetick Coonhound: the first Smokey won a 1953 halftime contest by howling when his name was called, then howling louder when the crowd cheered; game-day handlers have come from Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

Auburn fans celebrate big wins by covering Toomer's Corner with what?

Toilet paper: 'rolling' the Toomer's Corner oaks became so sacred that when Alabama fan Harvey Updyke poisoned them in 2010 he went to jail; new trees were planted in 2015.

When the Buckeyes' band forms Script Ohio, which musician traditionally dots the 'i'?

The honor goes to a fourth- or fifth-year sousaphone player, who struts to the spot on the drum major's cue before the band sings 'Buckeye Battle Cry'.

Georgia Tech's 222–0 rout of Cumberland in 1916 came under which head coach?

Heisman was avenging a 22–0 baseball loss to Cumberland earlier that year and threatened legal action when Cumberland tried to back out.

In 2007, which FCS team beat No. 5 Michigan 34–32 in Ann Arbor?

Appalachian State's Mountaineers blocked a last-second field goal; Michigan became the first ranked FBS team to lose to an FCS opponent and fell from the top five out of the AP poll entirely.

Who caught Doug Flutie's last-second 1984 'Hail Flutie' touchdown for Boston College against Miami?

Phelan, Flutie's roommate, caught 11 passes for 226 yards that day; the play was '55 Flood Tip'.

Boise State's blue home turf was first installed in what year?

1986: athletic director Gene Bleymaier brought in the blue field, and the Broncos promptly went 5-6 on it that first season.

E. King Gill, the original Texas A&M '12th Man' at the 1922 Dixie Classic, played which sport?

Basketball: Gill had left the football squad for the basketball team; with Dana X. Bible running out of backs against Centre College, he suited up from the press box but never entered the game.

Which team won the first BCS National Championship, the January 1999 Fiesta Bowl?

Tennessee beat Florida State 23-16 in the January 1999 Fiesta Bowl, with the Seminoles missing injured quarterback Chris Weinke, for the Volunteers' first national title since 1967.

What seed was Ohio State when it won the first 12-team College Football Playoff?

No. 8: Ohio State won four playoff games as the eighth seed, including a Rose Bowl rout of top-seeded Oregon, before beating Notre Dame 34-23 in the January 2025 final.

In what year was the Big Ten, the oldest Division I conference, founded?

1896: the Big Ten began as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, formed by seven Midwestern universities, and predates the NCAA, founded in 1906, by a decade.

The SEC was founded in December 1932 by 13 schools that broke away from which league?

The split was agreed at Knoxville's Farragut Hotel by the Southern Conference's members west and south of the Appalachians.

Which coach led Notre Dame to its 1988 national championship?

Lou Holtz, Notre Dame's coach from 1986 to 1996, went 12-0 in 1988, capped by a 34-21 Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia that clinched the national title.

Which Yale man, the 'Father of American Football', invented the line of scrimmage and downs?

Camp sat on the rules committees from his playing days until his death in 1925, steadily pulling the game away from rugby.

Which sportswriter coined the 'Four Horsemen' nickname for Notre Dame's 1924 backfield?

Grantland Rice opened his New York Herald Tribune report on the 1924 Army game with 'Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again'; student publicist George Strickler then posed the four on horseback.

Which future U.S. president played George Gipp in the 1940 film 'Knute Rockne, All American'?

Gipp died at 25 of a strep infection weeks after his last game; Reagan carried 'the Gipper' as a nickname for the rest of his life.

Mike, the live mascot who lives in a habitat beside LSU's Tiger Stadium, is by tradition what kind of animal?

A Bengal tiger by tradition, though Mike VII, who arrived from a Florida rescue in 2017, is a Bengal-Siberian cross; LSU stopped wheeling Mike onto the field before games in 2017.

Notre Dame and USC play each year for which trophy?

The Jeweled Shillelagh is an Irish club cut from oak or blackthorn, decorated with an emerald shamrock for each Notre Dame win and a ruby Trojan head for each USC win.

'Ol' Crimson', the flag first waved behind a College GameDay set in 2003, is which school's?

Washington State's: the Ol' Crimson Booster Club ships the flag to alumni near each week's broadcast, and it appeared on more than 300 consecutive shows through 2024.

Lee Corso's first GameDay headgear pick, in October 1996, was the head of which mascot?

Brutus Buckeye: Corso made the pick in Columbus before Ohio State-Penn State on October 5, 1996, and closed his career in August 2025 by again choosing the Buckeyes.

The Egg Bowl, played for the Golden Egg trophy since 1927, is the annual rivalry between Mississippi State and which school?

Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi, and the trophy was introduced after a 1926 brawl in which fans fought with chairs, in the hope that a prize would calm things. It is usually played on Thanksgiving weekend.

The Alabama–Tennessee rivalry game is traditionally known by what name?

The Third Saturday in October, the date the Alabama-Tennessee game occupied for most of the 20th century; SEC expansion in 1992 often shifted it a week, yet the name stuck.

Which two schools play 'The Rivalry', the most-played series in college football, dating to 1884?

The Pennsylvania neighbors have met more than 160 times, missing only 1896 and 2020.

Which Auburn back won the 1985 Heisman after turning down a $250,000 Yankees contract to enroll?

Bo Jackson had promised his mother he would be the first in the family to attend a major college; he later starred in both MLB and the NFL.

Which Georgia running back won the 1982 Heisman and later ran for the U.S. Senate?

Walker ran in Georgia's 2022 Senate race, four decades after his Heisman season in Athens.

Joe Burrow's 60 touchdown passes in 2019 broke an FBS single-season record of 58 set by whom?

Brennan set the mark at Hawaii in 2006; Burrow also swept the Heisman and the national title that season.

Two-way star Travis Hunter, the 2024 Heisman winner, played for which Deion Sanders-coached school?

Colorado: Hunter followed Deion Sanders from Jackson State to Boulder in 2023 and in 2024 became the first player to win both the Bednarik (defense) and Biletnikoff (receiver) awards.

Alabama's overtime winner over Georgia in January 2018 is known by what down and distance?

2nd and 26, after a 16-yard sack on first down, when freshman Tua Tagovailoa, in relief of Jalen Hurts, threw a 41-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith. It was the first title game of the playoff era decided in overtime.

Which Texas QB was offensive player of the game in the 41–38 Rose Bowl win over USC (Jan. 2006)?

Vince Young ran for the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left and finished with 467 total yards; the win gave Texas its first consensus national title since 1969.

Who is the only Heisman Trophy winner to have coached another Heisman winner?

Spurrier won in 1966 at Florida and coached Danny Wuerffel to the 1996 award during the Gators' national-title season.

By what score did Nebraska beat Oklahoma in the 1971 'Game of the Century' on Thanksgiving?

35-31: Jeff Kinney's fourth touchdown capped the winning drive in the final two minutes, and Johnny Rodgers' 72-yard first-quarter punt return became the game's iconic moment.

Which Wisconsin back won the 1999 Heisman and leads FBS career rushing with bowls counted?

Dayne's 7,125 yards include bowl games the NCAA did not count before 2002; he was also a state champion in shot put and discus.

Which 1993 Heisman winner skipped the NFL for 11 NBA seasons, mostly with the Knicks?

Ward quarterbacked Florida State to the 1994 Orange Bowl win and was twice ACC Male Athlete of the Year.

Which coach, in charge at Iowa since 1999, was the longest-tenured head coach in major college football in 2025?

Kirk Ferentz, who had coached Iowa's offensive line under Hayden Fry in the 1980s before coming back as head coach. His son Brian was his offensive coordinator for years, a rare family arrangement in the Big Ten.

Which program won 10 FCS national titles between 2011 and 2024, including five in a row?

North Dakota State's Bison won in 2011-15, 2017-19, 2021 and 2024, and strung together a record 22-game playoff winning streak during the run.

Under NCAA overtime rules introduced in 1996, each possession starts at the opponent's what?

The 25-yard line: the system is nicknamed the 'Kansas plan' after the high-school playoff format it was borrowed from, and was tried in the 1995 bowl games before full adoption in 1996.

The Outland Trophy honors college football's best player at which position group?

John Outland, an 1890s All-American at both tackle and halfback, wanted guards and tackles to get more recognition.

What was built inside LSU's Tiger Stadium in the 1930s, reputedly at Governor Huey Long's urging?

The state budget had money for dorms but not seats, so the seats went on top; the team itself lived in them during the 1986 season.

Michigan's 34–13 win over Washington in Jan. 2024 was its first national title since what year?

1997: Michigan had shared that season's title with Nebraska, so the January 2024 win was also its first outright championship since 1948 and the last title game of the four-team playoff era.

Nike, Oregon's longtime outfitter, was co-founded by ex-Ducks runner Phil Knight and which coach?

Bill Bowerman was Knight's track coach at Oregon; the pair founded Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, the company that became Nike, and Knight's donations later funded many of Oregon's athletic facilities.