How Well Do You Know College Football?

By: Gavin Thagard
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Know College Football?
Image: omnivoreceo via Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

Stadiums across the country filled with roaring fans, rival teams ready to go at it when the clock starts, the fall weather setting in; what's not to love about college football? It's what you gather around the television for on Saturdays with cheese dip and your favorite team's hat on. It's what you talk about all week with your coworkers while on break at work. It's one of the most entertaining events in the world. How much do you know about college football, though? Here's a quiz where you can find out!

When it comes to college athletics, football sits as the cream of the crop. The sport attracts thousands of passionate fans each year who want to watch players who are just as passionate about the game. That's exactly what college football provides. Every game means something, and one loss can define where a team ends up in the postseason. 

Do you know what makes college football so entertaining for fans? Is it the teams, the coaches, the rivalries? Would you be willing to put that knowledge to the ultimate test with this quiz? If you're up for the challenge, get started and show everyone how much you know about college football!

How many teams are in the SEC?
10
12
14
16
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

From 2006 until 2012, the SEC won every national championship. The SEC's reign during this period began with Florida and ended when Auburn was defeated in 2013.

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What does ACC stand for?
Atlantic Coast Conference
American Coast Conference
American Central Conference
American Canadian Conference
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The ACC was founded in 1953 by several members of the Southern Conference. The conference has expanded over the years and currently includes 15 teams, though Notre Dame is only a partial member.

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In which conference does Ohio State play?
PAC 12
Big Ten
Conference USA
Big 12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Urban Meyer coaches the football team at Ohio State University. He was hired in 2012 after successful stints with Florida and Utah.

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How many teams make it into the College Football Playoffs?
Four
Eight
12
16
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The College Football Playoffs began in 2014 after years of debate. Most critics did not want to add games to an already grueling schedule for players.

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Which team does Nick Saban coach?
USC
Texas
Oklahoma
Alabama
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nick Saban is tied with another great Alabama coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant, for the most national championships in the modern era of college football. Saban won his first title in 2003 with LSU and has won five with Alabama.

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What's the mascot for the University of Texas?
Lions
Ducks
Longhorns
Bears
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Traditionally, Texas has been one of the most dominant programs in college football. However, over the past decade, the team has fallen out of contention for championships, forcing multiple coaching changes along the way.

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Which team is NOT part of the PAC 12?
UCLA
Oklahoma​
Stanford
Arizona
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With teams located on the West Coast of the United States, many PAC 12 games are late at night for most of the country. This results in many of the teams being overlooked when it comes to a national discussion about who's the best team in college football.

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Which team defeated Alabama for the 2016-17 National Championship?
Clemson
Georgia
Florida State
USC
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Clemson was led by quarterback Deshaun Watson who took a beating from the Alabama defense throughout the game. After winning the national championship, Watson would go on to be the 12th pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

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Where do teams that have a winning record but don't make it into the playoffs play at the end of the season?
Pro games
Bowl games
All-star games
Reward games
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bowl games provide rewards for teams and players having a successful season. However, many of the games aren't taken seriously because there is not much at stake.

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Which bowl is NOT part of the New Year's Six?
Fiesta Bowl
Peach Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Rose Bowl
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The New Year's Six bowl games are awarded to the best teams who don't make it into the playoffs. Some conferences have automatic bids into the games if the conference winner is not a playoff team.

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How many games are in the regular season?
12
14
15
17
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Teams in the top conferences usually play one or two cupcake games throughout the season. However, a seemingly easy win can turn into a disaster for a program if the team is not careful. That happened to Michigan in 2007 when Appalachian State came in and upset the team.

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Where is the SEC Championship currently played?
Birmingham, AL
Miami, FL
Baton Rouge, LA
Atlanta, GA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first SEC Championship game took place in 1992 and pitted Alabama against Florida. Florida almost pulled the upset, but Alabama walked away with a one touchdown lead, sending the Crimson Tide to the National Championship.

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Which team is the rival of Michigan?
Baylor
West Virginia
Ohio State
Tennessee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Michigan and Ohio State rivalry is recognized as one of the greatest in all of sports. Michigan leads the series, but Ohio State has dominated in recent history.

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Which team won the last BCS National Championship before the playoffs began?
Florida State
Oregon
Penn State
Michigan State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Florida State went to the 2013 National Championship under head coach Jimbo Fisher. After the 2017 season, Fisher surprised the college football world by leaving the Seminoles to go coach Texas A&M in the SEC.

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What award is given to the best college football player each year?
Ray Guy Award
Lou Groza Award
Remington Trophy
Heisman Trophy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Heisman Trophy was awarded to Baker Mayfield in 2017 for an outstanding year at Oklahoma. Mayfield was the first walk-on player to win the award.

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Which team plays Texas in the Red River Rivalry?
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Iowa
Kansas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The winner of the Red River Rivalry is given the Golden Hat. Texas currently leads the series, though Oklahoma has the largest victory.

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How many divisions are in the SEC?
Zero
Two
Three
Four
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Florida has appeared in the SEC Championship 12 times, more than any other team. Florida has a record of 7-5 in the game.

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In which conference does Miami play?
ACC
Big 12
MAC
Sun Belt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Miami's football program came onto the scene in the 1980s. Known for their rough and dirty play, the team referred to themselves as "The U."

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How are the teams in the College Football Playoff selected?
A computer algorithm​
Automatic bids
Fan votes
A committee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Teams that are not part of a Power 5 conference are usually left out of the College Football Playoffs. Some of those teams will claim national championships if they knock off a top team in a New Year's Six bowl game.

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Which is NOT a Power 5 conference?
PAC 12
Big Ten
ACC
Conference USA
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2017, UCF went undefeated and knocked off an Auburn team that nearly made the College Football Playoffs. Since Auburn knocked off Alabama, the eventual champions, UCF claimed they were the true champions of college football.

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Which team plays Alabama in the Iron Bowl?
Tennessee
Georgia
Auburn
Florida
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 2013 Iron Bowl resulted in one of the greatest moments in college football history. With one second left on the clock, Auburn returned a missed field goal for a touchdown, winning the game and advancing to the SEC Championship.

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What is the mascot for Oklahoma State University?
Blue Jays
Cowboys
Hornets
Bears
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Barry Sanders, the legendary NFL running back, played college football at Oklahoma State. In 1988, he won the Heisman Trophy after rushing for over 2,800 yards.

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Which team plays Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl?
Ole Miss
LSU
Arkansas
Texas A&M
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ole Miss won the 2017 Egg Bowl in an upset victory. Ole Miss would finish the season 6-6, while Mississippi State finished 9-4.

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Which team plays in the ACC Coastal?
Clemson
Boston College
Virginia Tech
Syracuse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Michael Vick played quarterback at Virginia Tech from 1998 until 2000. Vick was chosen as the first pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

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Which Louisville player won the Heisman Trophy in 2016?
Lamar Jackson
Teddy Bridgewater
Johnny Unitas
Deion Branch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, he was the youngest player to ever win the award. Jackson was 19 years old and in his sophomore year of college.

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For which team did Johnny Manziel play?
South Carolina
UCLA
Texas A&M
Washington
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Johnny Manziel was known for his scrambling ability, constantly eluding defenders as he ran for his life. He would then toss the ball down the field where his receivers usually came up with it.

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Which team plays Florida in "The World's Largest Cocktail Party"?
Miami
Georgia
Florida State
UCF
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The World's Largest Cocktail Party" got its name from the pre-game drinking that took place outside the stadium. The name is used unofficially today because the NCAA does not want to promote the consumption of alcohol​.

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Through all eras, which team has won the most national championships?
Alabama
Ohio State
Michigan
Princeton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Princeton dominated college football in the earliest years of the game, winning 28 championships before 1950. However, the team has not won a championship since then.

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Which team won the first College Football Playoff in 2014-15?
Florida State
Oregon
Clemson
Ohio State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ohio State plays home games in the Horseshoe, one of the loudest stadiums in college football. It has a seating capacity of 104,944.

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Who won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Florida in 2007?
Tim Tebow
Emmitt Smith
Steve Spurrier
Danny Wuerffel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tim Tebow has been a controversial sports figure because of his religious views. The quarterback is known for praying before games and painting "John 3:16" under his eyes.

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Which team does Dabo Swinney coach?
Washington
Clemson
Arizona State
Penn State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dabo Swinney has led Clemson to national prominence after taking over the program in 2009. The Tigers have been in the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2015 through 2017.

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What's the mascot for the University of Oregon?
Huskies
Panthers
Ducks
Wildcats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Ducks are known for their unique and colorful uniforms which change almost game to game. These uniforms come from Nike, which was co-founded by Phil Knight, a former Oregon Duck.

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Which team plays USC for the Victory Bell?
Stanford
Notre Dame
UCLA
Michigan State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1967 game between USC and UCLA was billed as the "Game of the Century." Both teams were ranked in the top five and each had a player who was in contention for the Heisman Trophy. USC won the game 21-20.

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Which team is part of the PAC 12?
Iowa
Arizona State
Baylor
South Carolina
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Herm Edwards took over Arizona State after the 2017 season. Edwards is a former NFL player and coach known for his extreme passion for the game of football.

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Which team plays Notre Dame for the Legends Trophy?
Pittsburgh
Miami
Oklahoma
Stanford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Notre Dame has the longest win streak in this series at seven games. However, Stanford has won the last three meetings, making 2018 an important year for the Irish.

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