Down, Set, Answer! The Ultimate College Football Quiz

By: Alia Hoyt
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Down, Set, Answer! The Ultimate College Football Quiz
Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Brush the dust off your cleats and get ready. We're about to get down and dirty with some college football trivia. Do you think you can hang?
What do the winners of the Alabama versus Tennessee game do every year?
steal the opposing mascot
bring down the goal posts
smoke cigars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although Alabama started the victory cigar tradition, Tennessee partakes when they defeat the Crimson Tide. They do this in spite of the fact that tobacco use and free cigars violate NCAA rules, so they report themselves to get in minimal, if any trouble.

Which of the following celebrities did not play college football?
Bill Cosby
Vin Diesel
Tommy Lee Jones
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jones was an offensive guard at Harvard, and was on the school's undefeated 1968 team. Cosby played fullback for the Temple University Owls, and also ran track and field. Incidentally, Diesel's real name is Mark Sinclair. You're welcome.

How many times has a team successfully earned a one-point safety?
5
15
35
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This bizarre occurrence, which has only happened five times since 1988, rewards the offense with one point if the defense gains possession of the ball on a point-after try (kicking a field goal), but is then tackled in the end zone by the offense.

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What are "tries?"
the number of attempts to achieve a first down
txtra-point kicks and two-point conversions
the amount of attempted passes in a given game
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Following a touchdown, a team may opt to kick for the extra point or "go for two" via a passing play.

Which two teams played in the very first college football game?
Yale and Harvard
Rutgers and Princeton
Stanford and UCLA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Played Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers barely edged out Princeton with a score of 6-4. Notably, the game also lacked forward passing, which wasn't added until 1906.

Which program holds the record for the most punishing defeat of all time?
Ohio State
Georgia Tech
LSU
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Way back in 1916 the Yellow Jackets destroyed Cumberland University 222-0. That's 32 touchdowns! Rumor has it that the defeat was in retribution for an ill-fated baseball match-up between the two schools.

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Who holds the record for the most passing yards in a single game?
Drew Brees
David Klingler
Peyton Manning
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Back in 1990 Houston quarterback Klingler passed for 716 yards in one game against Arizona State.

What is Auburn University's mascot?
Aubie the tiger
the war eagle
Aubie the war tiger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leave it to an Alabama team to make something as simple as a mascot so confusing. The team's official mascot is Aubie the tiger, but "War Eagle!" is a commonly heard game day battle cry.

Which two teams participate in the Battle for the Golden Boot?
Michigan and Michigan State
Arkansas and LSU
Florida and Florida State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The match-up earned its name thanks to a 200-pound (90.7-kilogram) trophy made to look like the states of Arkansas and Louisiana … which together, look like a boot.

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What's the record for the most interceptions thrown in a single game?
6
9
12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

University of Florida quarterback John Reaves threw nine interceptions in the 1969 match-up against Auburn.

Which school also features burial grounds on the stadium premises?
Vanderbilt
University of Georgia
NYU
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The school's wildly popular mascots are known as Uga the bulldog, each of whom are interred in a marble mausoleum within Sanford Stadium once he's gone to the Great Dawg House in the Sky.

What has traditionally lived in the upper decks of Texas A&M's Kyle Field?
bats
termites
endangered owls
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As many as a quarter million Mexican free-tailed bats have called the eaves of Kyle Field home since it was built in 1927. The site's population has likely declined, however, thanks to renovations, which forced many of the winged friends to relocate.

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What factor helps a team make it into the college football playoff schedule?
a Heisman trophy winner on the roster
a 13th game
a judge in their pocket
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The typical season sports a 12-game schedule, but tournament championship games give strong programs an extra win, thus an advantage over other conferences that don't have a final regular season game.

Who is the winningest coach in college football history?
Bear Bryant
Joe Paterno
Bobby Bowden
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Paterno's wins between 1998 and 2011 were temporarily vacated, thanks to the trauma of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case, but were restored in 2015. First runner-up Bowden is said to support this decision.

How many losing seasons did Paul "Bear" Bryant have during his career?
None
1
4
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The only losing season on Bear Bryant's impressive resume was his first, while coaching at Texas A&M. He went on to lead his teams to 13 conference titles and six national championships.

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Which mascot is the most commonly used?
tiger
bullldog
wildcat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

More teams are fronted by bulldogs than any other mascot. And who can blame them? They're so loveable, if slobbery.

Which team has won the most games?
Michigan
UCLA
Notre Dame
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Wolverines have more wins than any other program, but other schools have a higher win percentage, since they began playing football later.

What were Penn State's original colors?
yellow and white
blue and purple
pink and black
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chosen in 1897 by student representatives, dark pink and black were eventually swapped out for blue and white because the pink faded too quickly to white. Yeah, that was the reason…

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True or False: Every Notre Dame home game has been a sellout since 1966.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All but one game since the 1966 season sold out, with the only exception being a Thanksgiving Day game, which was held on the holiday due to television requirements.

Which stadium holds the most college football fans?
Penn State
University of Michigan
University of Tennessee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With seating for more than 107,000 fans, Michigan barely edges out Penn State's capacity of 106,572.

What's the official fight song of the University of Tennessee Volunteers?
"Rocky Top"
"Down the Field"
"Bleedin' Orange"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

One of the most beloved songs associated with college football is "Rocky Top," yet it's not actually the official fight song for the Knoxville university. Nonetheless, the ditty has been played ad nauseum at UT games since 1972, and was written by country duo Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.

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Which program holds the unfortunate record of most NCAA infractions?
Alabama
Southern Methodist University
Oklahoma
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

SMU's football program was famously suspended for the entirety of 1987, as well as home games in 1988 after they were busted for major violations, occurring between 1974 and 1985.

How many officials are on field at a time?
5
7
8
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

2015 saw a significant change with the number of on-field officials increased from seven to eight. The newbie is known as the "center judge" and can be found in the offensive backfield, just opposite the referee. He's also easy to spot, thanks to the "C" on his uniform.

After how many overtimes must a team try for a two-point conversion, rather than simply kicking the extra point?
1
2
never
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Prior to 1996, many games ended in ties. The first two overtime periods allow for teams to kick an extra point after scoring a touchdown, but all bets are off after that, and they must go for the more difficult two-point conversion.

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Speaking of overtime, does the team that wins the coin toss usually choose to start the series on offense or defense?
offense
defense
It's about even.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Most teams elect to go on defense first, since it's easier to strategize about how many points are necessary to win or keep the tied game going if you already know what the other team has put on the board.

Who is the only player ever to win the Heisman Trophy twice?
Johnny Manziel
Archie Griffin
Jay Berwanger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Berwanger received the inaugural award in 1935, but Ohio State's Griffin took it home in both 1974 and 1975.

Which team has walked away with the most national championship titles, to date?
Yale
Princeton
Michigan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With 18 titles, Yale barely edges out Princeton's 17. It's worth noting, however, that neither has brought home the big prize since their football heyday in the 1920s.

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Which Division 1 program holds the record for the longest winning streak of all time?
Alabama
Oklahoma
Oregon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Between 1953 and 1957, the Oklahoma Sooners won an impressive (and unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon) 47 games in a row.

What's the longest field goal ever kicked?
60 yards (54.7 meters)
67 yards (61.3 meters)
72 yards (65.8 meters)
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The three kickers who've achieved this incredibly long kick must have golden legs. At the very least, they definitely ate their Wheaties that morning.

What's the average difference in SAT score between college football players and their peers?
50 points
175 points
220 points
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A study of 54 public universities with major football programs revealed an average 220 point gap between football players and their university brethren. The gap was largest at the University of Florida, where players scored 346 points lower than their peers.

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You Got:
/30
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images