Teams and final scores are "backwards"[edit]

By convention, football games and scores are usually presented listing the visitor first, and then the home team. Notice the linked game names follow this convention. Even in bowl games (or neutral site games, for that matter), one team is designated the "home" team and allowed to wear their home jerseys.

This table presents the teams in the reverse order of this convention, and the scores seem to be in winner, then loser order instead of maintaining the same order that the teams are listed in. Since the winning score can be listed first (visitor) or second (home team) with this convention, the winning score is sometimes bolded -- which ever side of the hyphen it ends up on.

Not sure if its worth reformatting this table, but it really is kind of confusing.

Nusumareta (talk) 04:17, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Last 100 Point Performance[edit]

How come the last time a team scored 100 points isn't included? Wasn't that around 1968 or so?

Historically Significant[edit]

I'm not entirely convinced that all of these games are "historically significant" to the sport of college football. This is in no way to say that the games on the list are not "notable" -- they clearly are in my opinion. But not every game, not even every notable game, would be a "historically significant" game. Comments?--Paul McDonald (talk) 02:10, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The entire list is WP:original research. I tried to find references for "historical college football games" and "greatest college football games", but there were none other than blogs. — X96lee15 (talk) 12:45, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I disagree. Many of the games are named as historically sigificant by multiple sources. For example: 1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game - First football game ever; 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri -- First homecoming game; 1939 Waynesburg vs. Fordham -- First televised game. Each of these and many others have articles that write about the historical impact that the games had to the sport of football. Others have historical impact for social issues, and have articles written about the changes that those games brought. I doubt that there is a list somewhere else called "historically significant college football games" but that does not make this original research--it is (or at least is intended to be) a list of games that are widely regarded to have historical significance by others in the media and other reliable sources. Further, if such a list did exist and all we did was copy that list here, then it would be redundant.--Paul McDonald (talk) 13:54, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Then the name of the article should be changed to be less ambiguous. "Historically significant" is subjective. The criteria needs to be laid out. — X96lee15 (talk) 13:59, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
While I agree that the criteria could be more specific, your statement makes me think you believe that there is not a criteria already... have you read the first paragraph of the list?--Paul McDonald (talk) 15:34, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
That criteria is only slightly less ambiguous than the title. — X96lee15 (talk) 15:52, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
WP:SOFIXIT if you have a better idea, go for it!--Paul McDonald (talk) 21:13, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I don't have a better idea, that's why we're discussion this. — X96lee15 (talk) 22:48, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Darn, I was hoping to pawn it off on someone else... I'd been away a few weeks. I'll put some more thought into it and work on some ideas.--Paul McDonald (talk) 01:05, 27 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
My two cents on this was the the game should have a wider social significance in order to be considered "historically significant" -- ie. there must be some reason that even a non-sports fan would care. For instance, some of the segregation-breaking games fall into this category. I added a couple of games where players died along these lines which have since been removed. Without a wider social significance, the game should represent unique situations, or the beginnings or ends of something significant -- adjectives like "the first", "the last", "the only", etc. should be prevalant in this list (should just about be required). A separate list of "notable (regular season) games" would be quite useful and a lot less controversial -- it would be nice to have a concise listing of all the CFB games which are considered significant enough to have their own pages, regardless of why. For instance, as much as I love the 1982 Cal-Stanford game and the 1984 BC-Miami games, they are not "historically significant" and do not belong on this list -- but they are widely known and "notable". Nusumareta (talk) 21:03, 8 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.118.176.101 (talk) 18:44, 24 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I updated the description of the 1875 Tufts vs Harvard game and gave a source. I feel it's inclusion is important as it is argued by some (including the owner of the College Football Hall of Fame) to be the first modern football game in the US. Thanks everyone

New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game[edit]

Considered the first College football game ever played, not American football! This game was played under Association football rules. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.92.199.1 (talk) 08:12, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Agree. Revised the note and added citation to Rutgers' own page on the game, which calls it the first college football game. Cfsdb (talk) 19:58, 8 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Recentism run rampant[edit]

Either we're in the golden age of college football, or recentism has run rampant on the list. I just removed the following because they don't even claim to be historically significant:

Game Home Visitor Location final score Notes
1994 Colorado vs. Michigan football game Michigan Colorado Ann Arbor, Michigan 27–26 Game is known for its final play - a 64-yard Hail Mary pass from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook on which Colorado scored the game-winning touchdown as time expired.
2004 South Carolina vs. Clemson football game Clemson South Carolina Clemson, South Carolina 7–29 During the game, a massive brawl resulted with 5:56 left to go in the fourth quarter. Law enforcment officers were on the field and play was suspended for six minutes.[1]
2006 FIU vs. Miami football game Miami FIU Miami, Florida 35–0 The first-ever meeting between the two Miami-area schools was marred by a bench-clearing brawl in the third quarter. The melee resulted in 13 ejections; two days after the game, the two schools suspended a total of 31 players for one game each.[2][3]
2007 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia football game West Virginia Pittsburgh Morgantown, West Virginia 13–9 Commonly referred to only by its score, "13-9" and voted as ESPN's "Game of the Year",[4] the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl resulted in unranked, 28½ point underdog Pitt upsetting top ranked West Virginia at home. The game had ripple effects across college football, including various coaching movements and the placement of eventual national champion LSU in the BCS Championship game.[5]

OCNative (talk) 07:52, 15 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ ESPN - Both teams were bowl eligible - College Football
  2. ^ Associated Press (October 14, 2006). "After bench-clearing brawl, Miami polishes off FIU". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. ^ "Miami, FIU have 31 suspended for role in brawl". ESPN.com. October 16, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  4. ^ Gorman, Kevin (2007-12-21). "100th Brawl voted ESPNU.com Game of Year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  5. ^ Zeise, Paul (2009-11-27). "Pitt Football: Panthers' '07 win triggered changes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2010-04-08.

Propose additional removals[edit]

I propose removing the following from the list because they do not appear to have implications on the game of college football itself. No doubt, many were great games in fan lore--but that isn't the point of this list.

  1. 1922 and 1923 Notre Dame vs. Nebraska football games
  2. 1923 Iowa State vs. Minnesota football game
  3. 1944 Iowa vs. Wisconsin football game
  4. 1957 Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma
  5. 2005 Fiesta Bowl
  6. 2006 Rose Bowl
  7. 2007 Fiesta Bowl
  8. 2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game
  9. 2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game
  10. 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
  11. 2009 Louisiana–Lafayette vs. Nebraska football game
  12. 2011 Rose Bowl
  13. 2011 Fiesta Bowl
  14. 2011 Illinois vs. Penn State football game

Many of these games appear to be simple "fan" entries--such as the 1922 & 1923 games for Nebraska--big games, yes; Far-reaching impact on college football, no. Could probably put some more on the list, but let's start here. Discussion?--Paul McDonald (talk) 19:39, 27 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No discussion I'm going to be WP:BOLD and remove a bunch. If anyone disagrees, we can always revisit the topic!--Paul McDonald (talk) 22:47, 23 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I'm still of the opinion the entire list is unsourced and should be deleted. — X96lee15 (talk) 06:24, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
There's 34 references on the page... the entire list is unsourced?--Paul McDonald (talk) 15:04, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I'm putting the 2005 Fiesta Bowl back in. It's the first time a non-AQ team was invited to a BCS bowl, not to mention the first instance of a non-AQ team beating an AQ team in a BCS bowl. DeFaultRyan 17:28, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
How is that historically significant? Will it lead to changes in the system? Rules modifications? Additional long-term pagentry? Repeated in lore?--Paul McDonald (talk) 13:45, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
90% of the references just talk about the game, not why the game is historically relevant. If you have to have a discussion on why a game should or should not be included, it should NOT be included because it's original research. Only games that have references that say (in so many words), "this game is historically significant" should be included in a list such as this. — X96lee15 (talk) 22:05, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]
While I think that's a little to strict that a source must have those exact words, I understand. I agree the list could be sourced better, but it's not "original research" to say that (for example) the first college football game ever played is historically significant.--Paul McDonald (talk) 13:45, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

October 2013 removals[edit]

I agree that some of the games removed probably should be removed, but not all. It looks like we're getting close to an edit war and in interest of averting that, let's call for a discussion on content removal of the article in its current state. I invite those who are calling for the change (i.e. removal) to go first.--Paul McDonald (talk) 14:47, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I still contend this entire list is original research and should be deleted. But that's for another time. Here are the games I deleted and their given rationale for inclusion:


comment I changed "deletes" to "excludes" and "keeps" to "includes" to avoid confusion between deletion of the article (which this not about) and inclusion on the list (which this is about). I have notified both editors who have commented already.--Paul McDonald (talk) 17:38, 7 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Remove some I'll wait a bit to see if there is any objection, but if none is given I'm going to remove the entries that are unanimous "excludes" and leave discussion open for the remainder.--Paul McDonald (talk) 13:24, 15 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Removed the following

  1. 1926 Rose Bowl
  2. 1952 TCU vs. Kansas football
  3. 2008 Sugar Bowl
  4. 2010 Fiesta
  5. 2013 Orange

Reson: Unanimous consent on Talk page.--Paul McDonald (talk) 18:53, 15 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

1981 Texas A&I vs. UTEP football game is wrong[edit]

The article claims that 1981 Texas A&I vs. UTEP football game was the "First ever win of a NCAA Division II team over a Division I-A opponent. The feat would only be replicated five more times (last occurring in 1997).". This is wrong, but I'm not 100% sure what is right. [1] says that Fresno State, which was I-A at the time, was defeated by Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1978. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo was a Division II school until 1993[2]. I am assuming, though I don't know, that this was the first since the I-A designation did not even exist until 1978 (prior to 1978, it was just Division I). --B (talk) 11:55, 13 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

First game west of the Mississippi is incorrect[edit]

I removed the reference to the first game west of the Mississippi because it is incorrect. The game between Iowa College (later Grinnell College) and University of Iowa was held in 1889. Colorado College says their first intercollegiate game was in 1885. They claim it was the first intercollegiate football game west of the Mississippi, but I didn't find confirmation, so I didn't add it. Either way, it was held 4 years before the Iowa game. If someone finds confirmation, I believe it should be added. Sarah at Grinnell (talk) 15:04, 21 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

1969 Arkansas vs. Texas[edit]

I propose this game be added to the list.

Hailed as a "Game of the Century," No. 1 Texas beat No. 2 Arkansas 14-13 on Dec. 6, 1969 at Razorback Stadium. It was described as being "Dixie's last stand," because UT went on to be the last all-white national champion. Also, then-President Richard Nixon attended the game (landed in a helicopter near the stadium) along with future president George H.W. Bush and former president LBJ. Game has incredible mythos surrounding it. BZA99 (talk) 03:23, 10 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

First game in Virginia[edit]

VMI and Washington and Lee reportedly played a game in Lexington, VA in 1873, well before the listed first game in Virginia. CFBDataWarehouse shows this as well - [3]. Billcasey905 (talk) 19:37, 9 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Include Agree this game should be included and it has been added, but not because it was the first game in Virginia. It was the first college football game (soccer-style) played in the South. It deserves inclusion along with the 1880 Kentucky U. vs. Centre game, which was the first rugby-style college football game in the South. Cfsdb (talk) 19:55, 8 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Removed games that were included only for being the first in a state. The appropriate list for those games to be documented is here. Cfsdb (talk) 13:00, 21 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

How is the first BCS Championship Game NOT A HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT CFB Game?[edit]

Can Someone please explain to me why certain games such as the 1999 Fiesta Bowl was removed from this list. The first BCS Championship Game is certainly notable, it is extremely significant. Just because someone doesn't view it as "historically significant IMO" reeks of WP:OWN.UCO2009bluejay (talk) 19:48, 9 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Most of the articles that I removed were left unsourced since July 2013. That is, they did not establish with reliable sources why they were historically significant. — X96lee15 (talk) 19:56, 9 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The correct answer is that user X96lee15 is a massive autist who doesn't understand the meaning of this article. People like him are the bane of wikipedia and the complete opposite of what the wiki system was originally intended to do. If he even bothers to see this he will do nothing but whine and defend his idiotic actions instead of utilizing one shred of common sense. — P3844308 (talk) 08:54, 10 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Who picked these games?[edit]

These "First football game in X region" should be put in another section of the article detailing first games in each region. Other wise we can have 50+ games of "first in Rhode Island, first in Vermont, first in Iowa, etc." "First game in Oklahoma Territory?" is about as significant as my first dump of the day, and games like Carlisle destroying Penn and Harvard with the forward pass in 1907 pioneered the forward passing game, along with Notre Dame-Army in 1913, and those games are not mentioned in the list anywhere. Instead of these "First football games played in _____" Can we start listing the first football games played in such football loving regions such as China, Japan, and Timbuktu? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 106.185.42.133 (talk) 08:16, 28 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Exclude Agree state-level firsts should be excluded because there is already a page that lists these games. However, first games in US regions (meaning, at minimum, the four Census regions) likely should be included for their significance in illustrating the game's growth from its origins in the East to becoming a nationwide game. Overseas games I could go either way, since the sport is played in only very limited fashion outside of the US. Cfsdb (talk) 19:52, 8 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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Defensive 2-pt conversion and 1-pt safeties?[edit]

I won't opine about whether these would be considered historical or mere curiosities, but what about the first games in which these types of scoring occurred? The inception of the 2-pt defensive conversion was in 1988. I tried searching the 1988 season on sports-reference.com, but I found an 8-3 game that did not have a regular safety reflected in the season total for Alabama, nor 6 other actual points scored. A cursory review of about 20 teams showed zero 2-pt scores of any kind in 1988 scoring stats. So I abandoned the attempt to determine the first defensive conversion that way. I do know that a defensive conversion was scored in the Holiday Bowl following the 1989 season, but I would bet the first one occurred earlier. Does anyone know? Jeff in CA (talk) 07:39, 24 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fruit bowl not first interracial bowl game[edit]

The first interracial bowl game in the United States was the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic as it was played January 1, 1948. Ktkvtsh (talk) 03:24, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Change made. Jeff in CA (talk) 08:28, 3 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Most points scored in 4 Quarters[edit]

The 2016 Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh football game is no longer the game with the most points scored in 4 quarters. It is Houston @ SMU on November 5, 2022 with a score of 63-77 98.34.209.69 (talk) 19:57, 12 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]