Nothing matches that yet. Try a word like “states”, “Disney” or “hard”.
This college football quiz is built for fall Saturdays. You'll tackle fan traditions, team nicknames, legendary stadiums, bowl games and rivalries, plus a few stories from the sport's earliest days. Casual fans can pile up points on the friendlier questions, while a couple of deep cuts from the leather-helmet era will challenge anyone who grew up singing their school's fight song.
College football is older than the NFL by more than half a century, and for millions of Americans it is the heart of fall. Saturdays bring marching bands, tailgates that start before sunrise and crowds that dwarf most pro events. Schools are grouped into conferences, and many of the fiercest rivalries grew out of neighboring states or campuses that have faced each other for well over a hundred years.
The early sport looked very different. Players wore little or no padding, the forward pass wasn't legal until 1906, and a wave of serious injuries in 1905 pushed colleges to form the organization that became the NCAA. Those reforms gradually turned a rough, rugby-like scrum into the faster, more open sport fans know today.
This quiz mixes famous facts with a few deeper cuts. Fans who follow mascots, traditions and rivalry weekend will pick up points early, while a couple of questions reach back to the sport's earliest seasons. Even if you can't name last season's champion, thinking about where a school is and how long it has played often points you toward a smart guess.
Which hand sign do fans of the University of Texas Longhorns flash at football games?
Answer: Hook 'em Horns
Head yell leader Harley Clark introduced it at a 1955 pep rally before the TCU game.
Which university's football team is nicknamed the Crimson Tide?
Answer: Alabama
Alabama's costumed mascot is an elephant named Big Al, a nod to a 1930s nickname, the Red Elephants.
The Rose Bowl stadium, home of the famous New Year's bowl game, is in which California city?
Answer: Pasadena
First played in 1902, the Rose Bowl Game is the oldest bowl game in the sport.
Which college football program is known as the Fighting Irish?
Answer: Notre Dame
Notre Dame's campus sits just north of South Bend, Indiana, and its gold helmets are famous.
Which college football stadium is nicknamed the Big House?
Answer: Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor opened in 1927 and is one of the largest stadiums in the world.
The yearly college football showdown between Ohio State and Michigan is widely known by what nickname?
Answer: The Game
The two schools first met in 1897, and the matchup usually closes their regular season.
Which major college football bowl game is played each year in New Orleans?
Answer: Sugar Bowl
First played on January 1, 1935, it now calls the Superdome home.
Boise State's home football field is famous for its unusual turf. What color is it?
Answer: Blue
Installed in 1986, it was college football's first non-green field, nicknamed Smurf Turf.
In 1869, Rutgers played the first college football game against which school?
Answer: Princeton
Rutgers won 6–4 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, when Princeton was still called the College of New Jersey.
Before winning Olympic gold in 1912, Jim Thorpe became a college football star at which school?
Answer: Carlisle Indian Industrial School
Coached by Pop Warner, Thorpe led tiny Carlisle to a 27–6 upset of Army in 1912.
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