History UsefulNotes / CollegiateAmericanFootball

* '''Paul "Bear" Bryant Award''': Presented since 1986 by the American Heart Association, with the National Sports Media Association, a trade association for sports media members of all outlets, as the voting body. Of course, named after the legendary Alabama coach; the AHA connection comes from the family's support of that charity (relevant because The Bear died of a heart attack). The Bryant Awards program also includes coach of the year awards for each power conference; a single award to the top Group of Five coach; a lifetime achievement award (presented since the 2000 season) to a prominent head coach; and a "Newcomer Coach of the Year Award" added in 2023, with eligibility restricted to those in their first season as HC at the FBS level. ''2022 winner:'' Sonny Dykes, TCU; ''2023 winner to be announced January 10, 2024''

* '''Paul "Bear" Bryant Award''': Presented since 1986 by the American Heart Association, with the National Sports Media Association, a trade association for sports media members of all outlets, as the voting body. Of course, named after the legendary Alabama coach; the AHA connection comes from the family's support of that charity (relevant because The Bear died of a heart attack). The Bryant Awards program also includes coach of the year awards for each power conference; a single award to the top Group of Five coach; a lifetime achievement award (presented since the 2000 season) to a prominent head coach; and a "Newcomer Coach of the Year Award" added in 2023, with eligibility restricted to those in their first season as HC at the FBS level. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes; ''2023 winner to be announced January 10, 2024''

* '''Paul "Bear" Bryant Award''': Presented since 1986 by the American Heart Association, with the National Sports Media Association, a trade association for sports media members of all outlets, as the voting body. Of course, named after the legendary Alabama coach; the AHA connection comes from the family's support of that charity (relevant because The Bear died of a heart attack). The AHA also presents two other coaching awards named for The Bear each year. Since 2000, a lifetime achievement award has been presented to a prominent head coach. In 2023, a new award, styled as the "Newcomer Coach of the Year Award", was added, with eligibility restricted to those in their first season as HC at the FBS level. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes; ''2023 winner to be announced January 10, 2024''

* '''AFCA Coach of the Year''': The oldest annual award for head coaches, first presented in 1935 (the same year in which the Heisman was introduced). Voted on and presented by the American Football Coaches Association, the trade organization for college football coaches. This award is presented at each level of play—FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III, NAIA, and juco. ''2022 FBS winner:'' Sonny Dykes, TCU[[note]]Led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season and CFP appearance in his first year as HC.[[/note]]

* '''AP Coach of the Year''': Presented by the Associated Press, and voted on by the same media members who vote in the weekly AP Poll during the season. ''2023 winner:'' Kalen [=DeBoer=], Washington[[note]]Led the Huskies to a 13–0 conference title in their last year in the Pac-12, breaking the school record for wins in a season.[[/note]]

NCAA football is divided into four divisions: Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A), Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Division II, and Division III. Each division, in turn, is divided into conferences of around a dozen teams who play most games amongst themselves. A handful of teams (most notably Notre Dame) are independent of any conference. As of the 2023 season, the Football Bowl Subdivision has 133 teams, separated, as stated earlier, among a number of conferences. There are a total of 10 conferences in FBS, plus a few independents. See UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootballConferences, UsefulNotes/PowerFiveConferences, and UsefulNotes/GroupOfFiveConferences for a description of all D-I leagues and of their most prominent programs. For more on the other levels, see below.

American collegiate sports has one of the largest and most complex sporting structures in the world, rivaling even the [[UsefulNotes/FootyLeagues English association football system]].[[note]]There are even some rough analogues between college football divisions and the English soccer pyramid. Think of it like this: FBS Power 5 (and Notre Dame)=[[UsefulNotes/EnglishPremierLeague Premier League]], FBS G5=EFL Championship, FCS=EFL Trophy leagues, D-II=FA Trophy leagues, D-III=FA Vase leagues.[[/note]] It began with football, and took over a century to evolve into its current form.

The rest of 4-year college football is currently played in the FCS and Division II and III in the NCAA, and in the NAIA, which was once large enough to have two divisions, but a mass exodus of NAIA schools to the NCAA starting in TheNineties has reduced NAIA membership to under 100 schools for football. The term "small college" is often used to describe non-FBS football, and it's largely accurate, but enrollment can range anywhere from 400 full-time students (Eureka, a D-III Illinois school) to over 37,000 undergraduates (FCS Kennesaw State).[[note]]When Kennesaw State becomes FBS in 2024, the "largest" distinction will pass to another FCS school, UC Davis, with over 31,000 undergrads, with Sacramento State (FCS, about 29,000 undergrads) coming right behind.[[/note]] D-II is largely made up of lower-tier state-supported schools; D-III is mainly private colleges, including some of America's most elite schools (MIT, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Amherst), while the NAIA is heavy on tiny church-related schools. All of those classifications crown a national champion via a playoff system. In normal years, FCS has 24 teams in its playoff, D-II has 28, D-III has 32, and the NAIA increased from 16 to 20 for 2023. These classifications all have their own elite programs, traditions and rivalries, and some of the most amazing statistical feats of college football have occurred in them. Linfield University, a D-III school from Oregon, is on a 67-year streak of winning seasons (1956–present, interrupted in 2020 by COVID-19). An Ohio D-III school, the University of Mount Union, won 24 consecutive conference titles from 1982 to 2015, and put up a .951 winning percentage from 1990–2019 (397–20–1). John Gagliardi, who coached at NAIA member Carroll (Montana) and D-III school Saint John's (Minnesota), amassed 489 wins in 64 years as a head coach, while the wins leader among active coaches is Kevin Donley at NAIA school St. Francis (Indiana), who sits at 348 career victories after the 2023 season. The highest-scoring game in the sport's modern history was a 2011 NAIA contest in which Faulkner (Alabama) defeated Union (Kentucky) 95-89 in triple OT (the score was tied at 75 at the end of regulation). These schools boast some unique stadiums, like Winston-Salem State (the stadium is also home to a UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} track, which circles the field), Northern Michigan (the only domed stadium outside of Division I), South Dakota Mines (there are several parking terraces surrounding the field, which allows you to watch a game from your car) and Knox College (except for two tiny sets of bleachers, all of the stadium's "seats" are on grass berms that totally surround the field).\\\

* '''Buck Buchanan Award''': For the best defensive player in FCS. ''2022 winner:'' Zeke Vandenburgh, LB, Illinois State; ''2023 winner to be announced January 6, 2024''

* '''Walter Payton Award''': For the "most outstanding" offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of college football. Originally given to the most outstanding player on either side of the ball, but restricted to offensive players since the Buchanan Award was established in 1995. ''2022 winner:'' Lindsey Scott Jr., QB, Incarnate Word;[[note]]Set the new FCS season record for TD passes with 60[[/note]] ''2023 winner to be announced January 6, 2024''

The lower tier of bowl games exists solely as a [[MoneyDearBoy cash grab]] and {{Padding}} for Creator/{{ESPN}} (and the stadiums and cities the games are played in) during the traditionally quiet holiday week in sports; ESPN actually runs many of these bowls ''themselves'' nowadays. Since most bowls have a lot of discretion in who they invite, and how much money the bowl thinks they'll make is often the deciding factor rather than trying to get the best team, sometimes actual good teams from small markets will get screwed over by the higher-tier bowls and be forced to settle for beating the hell out a scrub team in a bottom-tier bowl. These games are usually sponsored by NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, such as the [=DirecTV=] Holiday Bowl
, Quick Lane Bowl[[note]]Successor to the Motor City Bowl, later known as the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl[[/note]], [=TaxAct=] Texas Bowl[[note]]Originally just the Texas Bowl, then the [[OverlyLongName Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas]], [=AdvoCare V100=] Texas Bowl, and Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl[[/note]], the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl[[note]]Historically just the Independence Bowl, and for a while the Poulan[=/=]Weed Eater Independence Bowl, notable only because the 1979 edition was the first college football game broadcast on cable ([[Creator/{{TBS}} WTBS]]) and the 1982 edition was ESPN's first live college football game, simulcasting Mizlou's FirstRunSyndication feed.[[/note]] or the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl[[note]]Historically the St. Petersburg Bowl; "Gasparilla" is the name of an annual pirate festival in the Tampa Bay Area. This game spent a couple of years as the [[OverlyLongName Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg]], then the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.[[/note]]. Many of these bowls ''used'' to have less embarrassing names before the trend of sponsors using their own name as the ''sole'' name of the bowl instead of just tagging their name to the front or back; this trend is near universally derided by fans, but the lack of attendance of many of these games due to their featuring smaller and out-of-market teams tends to make it necessary for the bowl to make a profit.[[note]]This also means that when a sponsorship expires, the bowl will pick up an entirely new name, so these games also don't even have a consistent identity.[[/note]] These games are solely of interest to the universities playing in them (or will be a future OldShame if your team is invited to the not-very-prestigious-at-all 68 Ventures Bowl[[note]][[RunningGag formerly the GMAC Bowl, [=GoDaddy=] Bowl, Dollar General Bowl, and LendingTree Bowl]][[/note]]), and about the only accomplishment to be earned by the players (outside of a unwanted trip to Detroit, Boise, Shreveport, or Birmingham) is a CosmeticAward which [[VictoryIsBoring means nothing]]. Unless the team lucks out and gets invited to a bowl in a nice vacation spot, such as the UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Bowl or Bahamas Bowl,[[note]]Renamed for 2023 only to the Famous Toastery Bowl after its corporate sponsor; that edition was moved to North Carolina because its regular stadium in The Bahamas was being renovated.[[/note]] of course. Some sponsors at least recognize the low stakes of the competition and play the names for laughs: the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl[[note]]Founded as the Humanitarian Bowl, then called the [=MPCComputers.com=] Bowl before picking up a sponsorship from the Idaho Potato Commission[[/note]], Duke's Mayo Bowl[[note]]Formerly the Queen City Bowl, Continental Tire Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, and Belk Bowl[[/note]], and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl respectively feature a DrenchCelebration for the winning coach of french fries, mayonnaise, and said brand of frosted corn flakes. Before becoming the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl used said brand of snack crackers for its celebration, and the bowl has since announced that the winning team will get to eat the mascot... literally. (It's [[ImAHumanitarian not what you think]]; the live costumed mascot will be replaced by a replica consisting of a giant Pop-Tart for the award ceremony.) The [[OverusedRunningGag Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk]] (i.e., [[UsefulNotes/NFLOffensivePlayers Rob Gronkowski]]) has a unique prize to the winner—since its first edition in 2021, the winning team receives a championship belt, with the game's offensive and defensive [=MVPs=] also receiving their own belts.\\\

* '''Butkus Award''': Traditionally given to the top linebacker in college football. Starting in 2008, the award has expanded to include a professional and high school player each year as well. ''2023 winner:'' Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

* '''AFCA Coach of the Year''': The oldest annual award for head coaches, first presented in 1935 (the same year in which the Heisman was introduced). Voted on and presented by the American Football Coaches Association, the trade organization for college football coaches. This award is presented at each level of play—FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III, NAIA, and juco. ''2022 FBS winner:'' Sonny Dykes, TCU[[note]]Led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season and CFP appearance in his first year as HC[[/note]]

* '''Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1976 by the Peach Bowl organizers, with a panel of college football experts as the voting body. Named after longtime Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd. Candidates are judged not only on their teams' on-field success but also their teams' academic success and community involvement. Winners from the previous two seasons, plus coaches in their first season at their current programs, are ineligible. ''2023 winner:'' Mike Norvell, Florida State[[note]]Led the Seminoles to an unbeaten regular season and ACC title, though they were snubbed by the CFP committee (and later destroyed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl).[[/note]]

* '''Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1976 by the Peach Bowl organizers, with a panel of college football experts as the voting body. Named after longtime Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd. Candidates are judged not only on their teams' on-field success but also their teams' academic success and community involvement. Winners from the previous two seasons, plus coaches in their first season at their current programs, are ineligible. ''2022 winner:'' Willie Fritz, Tulane[[note]]Led the Green Wave to a completely unexpected American Conference title, the program's first conference title in nearly a quarter-century, and the largest single-season turnaround (10 wins) in NCAA history.[[/note]]

* '''Walter Camp Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1967 by the same body responsible for the Walter Camp Award. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes

* '''Shaun Alexander Award''': The newest significant award (first presented in 2018), and the FBS equivalent to the Jerry Rice Award—though it's among the lower-profile national awards, and is arguably more obscure than its FCS counterpart. Presented by the Maxwell Football Club (as in the Maxwell Award) and named for the former Alabama and Seattle Seahawks star.[[note]]Ironically, Alexander ''didn't'' have an earth-shattering freshman season—except for one game, in which he set a school record for single-game rushing yardage.[[/note]] ''2022 winner:'' Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina; ''2023 recipient to be announced December 29''

* '''Campbell Trophy''': Presented to the top scholar-athlete in all of college football—not only the FBS, but also including the FCS, Divisions II and III, and the NAIA. Uniquely among nominal all-divisions awards, the Campbell Trophy has actually been won once by a D-III player. ''2023 winner:'' Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

* '''Jet Award''': Along with the Rice Award, the newest major US-based award (first presented in 2011[[note]]While the award was created in 2011, winners for each season from 1959-2010 are being retroactively chosen, one year at a time.[[/note]]), which is given to the top return specialist in college football. "Jet" comes from the nickname of legendary 1970s Nebraska receiver/return man Johnny Rodgers. ''2022 winner:'' Derius Davis, TCU %% The ceremony is in April, but the award is announced in late January.

* '''Jon Cornish Trophy''': One of the newest significant awards in college football, first presented for the 2017 season. Unlike any of the other awards listed here, it's a specifically Canadian award, presented to the outstanding player of that nationality in NCAA football. The voting body consists of Canadian media, UsefulNotes/{{C|anadianFootballLeague}}FL scouts, and former NCAA players with a connection to the country. The award's namesake is CFL star Jon Cornish, who played college ball in the States at Kansas. Another unique distinction of this award is that the winner doesn't get to keep the official trophy beyond the award ceremony—it's permanently displayed at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Tim Hortons Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[[note]]The winner does get a separate trophy to take home, which features an image from that player's trophy season.[[/note]] Still another unique tradition is being established around the trophy, namely that the winner signs its back. ''2023 winner:'' Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

* '''Lou Groza Award''': For the top placekicker. ''2023 winner:'' Graham Nicholson, Miami (OH)[[note]]Made 26 of 27 [=FGs=], the best of any FBS kicker with over 20 attempts[[/note]]

* '''AFCA Coach of the Year''': The oldest annual award for head coaches, first presented in 1935 (the same year in which the Heisman was introduced). Voted on and presented by the American Football Coaches Association, the trade organization for college football coaches. This award is presented at each level of play—FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III, and NAIA. ''2022 FBS winner:'' Sonny Dykes, TCU[[note]]Led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season and CFP appearance in his first year as HC[[/note]]

, Quick Lane Bowl[[note]]Successor to the Motor City Bowl, later known as the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl[[/note]], [=TaxAct=] Texas Bowl[[note]]Originally just the Texas Bowl, then the [[OverlyLongName Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas]], [=AdvoCare V100=] Texas Bowl, and Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl[[/note]], the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl[[note]]Historically just the Independence Bowl, and for a while the Poulan[=/=]Weed Eater Independence Bowl, notable only because the 1979 edition was the first college football game broadcast on cable ([[Creator/{{TBS}} WTBS]]) and the 1982 edition was ESPN's first live college football game, simulcasting Mizlou's FirstRunSyndication feed.[[/note]] or the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl[[note]]Historically the St. Petersburg Bowl; "Gasparilla" is the name of an annual pirate festival in the Tampa Bay Area. This game spent a couple of years as the [[OverlyLongName Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg]], then the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.[[/note]]. Many of these bowls ''used'' to have less embarrassing names before the trend of sponsors using their own name as the ''sole'' name of the bowl instead of just tagging their name to the front or back; this trend is near universally derided by fans, but the lack of attendance of many of these games due to their featuring smaller and out-of-market teams tends to make it necessary for the bowl to make a profit.[[note]]This also means that when a sponsorship expires, the bowl will pick up an entirely new name, so these games also don't even have a consistent identity.[[/note]] These games are solely of interest to the universities playing in them (or will be a future OldShame if your team is invited to the not-very-prestigious-at-all 68 Ventures Bowl[[note]][[RunningGag formerly the GMAC Bowl, [=GoDaddy=] Bowl, Dollar General Bowl, and LendingTree Bowl]][[/note]]), and about the only accomplishment to be earned by the players (outside of a unwanted trip to Detroit, Boise, Shreveport, or Birmingham) is a CosmeticAward which [[VictoryIsBoring means nothing]]. Unless the team lucks out and gets invited to a bowl in a nice vacation spot, such as the UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Bowl or Bahamas Bowl,[[note]]Renamed for 2023 only to the Famous Toastery Bowl after its corporate sponsor; that edition was moved to North Carolina because its regular stadium in The Bahamas was being renovated.[[/note]] of course. Some sponsors at least recognize the low stakes of the competition and play the names for laughs: the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl[[note]]Founded as the Humanitarian Bowl, then called the [=MPCComputers.com=] Bowl before picking up a sponsorship from the Idaho Potato Commission[[/note]], Duke's Mayo Bowl[[note]]Formerly the Queen City Bowl, Continental Tire Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, and Belk Bowl[[/note]], and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl respectively feature a DrenchCelebration for the winning coach of french fries, mayonnaise, and said brand of frosted corn flakes. Before becoming the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl used said brand of snack crackers for its celebration, and the bowl has since announced that the winning team will get to eat the mascot... literally. (It's [[ImAHumanitarian not what you think]]; the live costumed mascot will be replaced by a replica consisting of a giant Pop-Tart for the award ceremony.) The LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk (i.e., [[UsefulNotes/NFLOffensivePlayers Rob Gronkowski]]) has a unique prize to the winner—since its first edition in 2021, the winning team receives a championship belt, with the game's offensive and defensive [=MVPs=] also receiving their own belts.\\\

There now so many lower-tier bowl games that ''almost two-thirds of the FBS'' will play in a bowl game every year, a fact widely ridiculed by fans. In the 2010–11 season, there was even some worry that there wouldn't be ''enough'' bowl eligible teams to play all the bowl games (despite out-of-conference games making it easier for middling Power Five teams to post winning records), which would have required teams with losing records to be invited to fill the remaining slots; two years later, this worry resurfaced when four separate teams that would have been bowl eligible had postseason bans. While ultimately this didn't happen, it illustrates what a meager accomplishment being invited to a minor bowl has become. The proliferation of bowls got so ridiculous that the NCAA called time out on it in 2016, imposing a three-year freeze on certification of new bowl games; a few more have been added since that freeze, most notably the LA Bowl, the first to be [[{{Egopolis}} named after a living person]]—before Rob Gronkowski became the host, it was the Creator/JimmyKimmel LA Bowl.[[note]]Technically, it was sponsored by [[Series/JimmyKimmelLive his show]], but that still didn't mean fans loved there being a bowl named after someone who's not even involved in the sport.[[/note]] There are also conference tie-ins for these bowls, but they tend to be a lot less strictly enforced than in higher-tier bowls (especially since a conference might not have enough eligible teams to fill all its tie-ins, but also because a major conference probably doesn't care all that much about the tie-in for its 6th place team and a minor conference lacks the influence to do anything about it if their tie-in is ignored).\\\

* '''Paul "Bear" Bryant Award''': Presented since 1986 by the American Heart Association, with the National Sports Media Association, a trade association for sports media members of all outlets, as the voting body. Of course, named after the legendary Alabama coach; the AHA connection comes from the family's support of that charity (relevant because The Bear died of a heart attack). The AHA also presents a lifetime achievement award, also named for The Bear, to a prominent head coach each year. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes

* '''Joe Moore Award''': A "unit" award for the best offensive line. Named for Joe Moore, a long-time OL coach at Notre Dame and Pitt, the award is voted on by the OL coach from all FBS schools, media members who played OL, and a panel made up of Moore's former players and colleagues. ''2022 winner:'' Michigan[[note]]Also won in 2021.[[/note]]

* '''Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1957 by the Football Writers Association of America, the trade association for college football writers. Originally known just as the FWAA Coach of the Year, but has been named after the aforementioned Eddie Robinson for the last few decades. The FWAA also presents the Nagurski and Outland Trophies. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes; ''2023 winner to be announced December 20''

* '''AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year''': The AFCA added this award in 1997 and also hands it out at each level of play. The award criteria include not only coaching success, but also community service, AFCA involvement, and "commitment to the student-athlete". ''2022 FBS winner:'' Mike Tressel, DC/LB, Cincinnati[[note]]nephew of former Ohio State HC and Youngstown State president Jim Tressel[[/note]]

* '''Broyles Award''': The most prestigious award for assistant coaches, first awarded in 1996 and named after Frank Broyles, longtime Arkansas head coach and later the school's men's athletic director. Chosen by a committee of 17 prominent retired college coaches. ''2023 winner:'' Phil Parker, DC, Iowa[[note]]Longtime DC at Iowa whose StoneWall defense helped the Hawkeyes win the Big Ten West with one of the worst offenses in the nation.[[/note]]

* '''AP Coach of the Year''': Presented by the Associated Press, and voted on by the same media members who vote in the weekly AP Poll during the season. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes

* '''Home Depot Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1994 by Creator/{{ESPN}}, with the voting body being college football analysts for the various ESPN networks (including Creator/{{ABC}}, whose sports operations are unified with ESPN). ''2023 winner:'' Kalen [=DeBoer=], Washington[[note]]Led the Huskies to a 13–0 conference title in their last year in the Pac-12, breaking the school record for wins in a season.[[/note]]

The term "bowl game" comes from the earliest (and still most famous) one, the Rose Bowl Game, which was named after the bowl-shaped stadium where it's played[[note]]which in turn got its name from Yale's stadium, the Yale Bowl; the Rose Bowl was designed as simply a bigger version of the Yale Bowl in the better wintertime climate of Pasadena, California[[/note]]. The Rose Bowl was first played on New Year's Day 1902 as part of a popular Pasadena parade. This "Tournament East-West" game [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin invited the best teams from the East and West]], a real novelty in the years before mass air travel. The time required for the Eastern teams to travel by train is also indirectly the reason bowl games are still held nearly a month after the end of the regular season. The Rose was the only bowl game for three decades; a few more started to spring up in the 1930s, sharing the goal of bringing together teams that would normally never play each other. While bowls' recognition by the polls in deciding a national champion contributed to more games springing up after the 1960s, a lack of serious competitors kept the number under 20 until the bowls got into the lucrative business of selling their naming rights in the '90s, at which point the number exploded to today's tally of more than 40. Today, a team must have at least as many wins as losses (at least six wins for a typical twelve-game schedule) in order to participate in a bowl game, although the NCAA can make exceptions. Also, teams transitioning from FCS to FBS are ineligible regardless of their records. However, if there aren't enough teams to fill all available bowl slots, transitioning schools get first dibs on any open slots if they're otherwise eligible. In 2023, this gave bowl bids to second-year transition teams Jacksonville State and James Madison.[[note]]Respectively 8–4 and ''11–1'' after the regular season.[[/note]]\\\

* '''Academic All-America Team Member of the Year''': A scholar-athlete award voted on and presented by College Sports Communicators,[[note]]known before the 2022 season as College Sports Information Directors of America[[/note]] going to the top selection of their selected teams in each of four divisions.[[note]]A D-I team combining FBS and FCS, plus D-II, D-III, and NAIA.[[/note]] It's not a guarantee that [=CSC's=] choice will match that of the more-famous Campbell Trophy committee; for example, the 2022 Campbell Trophy recipient wasn't even on [=CSC's=] ''second team''. ''2022 D-I winner:'' Will Levis, QB, Kentucky; ''2023 recipient to be announced on January 23, 2024''

* '''Gagliardi Trophy''': For the "most outstanding" player in D-III football. ''2022 winner:'' Ethan Greenfield, RB, North Central (IL); ''2023 winner to be announced December 15''

* '''Harlon Hill Trophy''': For the "most valuable" player in D-II football. ''2022 winner:'' John Matocha, QB, Colorado Mines;[[note]]Also the D-II Academic All-American of the Year, both for football and across all sports.[[/note]] ''2023 winner to be announced December 15''
* '''Jerry Rice Award''': Along with the Jet Award (immediately below), the newest major US-based award (first presented in 2011). Presented to the top freshman player in FCS football, making it the only recognized national award for first-year players in any division. ''2023 winner:'' Eli Gillman, RB, Montana

* '''Jon Cornish Trophy''': The newest significant award in college football, first presented for the 2017 season. Unlike any of the other awards listed here, it's a specifically Canadian award, presented to the outstanding player of that nationality in NCAA football. The voting body consists of Canadian media, UsefulNotes/{{C|anadianFootballLeague}}FL scouts, and former NCAA players with a connection to the country. The award's namesake is CFL star Jon Cornish, who played college ball in the States at Kansas. Another unique distinction of this award is that the winner doesn't get to keep the official trophy beyond the award ceremony—it's permanently displayed at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Tim Hortons Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[[note]]The winner does get a separate trophy to take home, which features an image from that player's trophy season.[[/note]] Still another unique tradition is being established around the trophy, namely that the winner signs its back. ''2023 winner:'' Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

* Oregon vs. Oregon State ("The Civil War") - First played in 1894, this intrastate rivalry between the two Willamette Valley schools is typically the final game of both schools' seasons. Though Oregon usually insists that its "real" rival is the more successful Washington, their record in this series is not as dominant as one would think when comparing the general strength of the two programs. While the rivalry is likely to continue even after the implosion of the Pac-12, it may lose some edge with Oregon in the Big Ten from 2024 and OSU in conference limbo.

* Washington vs. Washington State (The Apple Cup)[[note]]Washington is famous for its apples.[[/note]] - The Cascade Ranges keep everything civil during most of the year, with U-Dub fans to the west and Wazzu fans to the east. Many Washington fans consider Oregon to be their "true" rival, similarly to how Michigan treats Michigan State compared to Ohio State. Further cementing this sentiment is that when the Pac-12 imploded, U-Dub and Oregon moved together to the Big Ten (starting in 2024), leaving Wazzu and Oregon State to an uncertain future.

* '''Jon Cornish Trophy''': The newest significant award in college football, first presented for the 2017 season. Unlike any of the other awards listed here, it's a specifically Canadian award, presented to the outstanding player of that nationality in NCAA football. The voting body consists of Canadian media, UsefulNotes/{{C|anadianFootballLeague}}FL scouts, and former NCAA players with a connection to the country. The award's namesake is CFL star Jon Cornish, who played college ball in the States at Kansas. Another unique distinction of this award is that the winner doesn't get to keep the official trophy beyond the award ceremony—it's permanently displayed at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Tim Hortons Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[[note]]The winner does get a separate trophy to take home, which features an image from that player's trophy season.[[/note]] Still another unique tradition is being established around the trophy, namely that the winner signs its back. ''2022 winner:'' Chase Brown, RB, Illinois; ''2023 winner to be announced December 13''

* '''Jon Cornish Trophy''': The newest significant award in college football, first presented for the 2017 season. Unlike any of the other awards listed here, it's a specifically Canadian award, presented to the outstanding player of that nationality in NCAA football. The voting body consists of Canadian media, UsefulNotes/{{C|anadianFootballLeague}}FL scouts, and former NCAA players with a connection to the country. The award's namesake is CFL star Jon Cornish, who played college ball in the States at Kansas. Another unique distinction of this award is that the winner doesn't get to keep the trophy beyond the award ceremony—it's permanently displayed at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Tim Hortons Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Still another unique tradition is being established around the trophy, namely that the winner signs its back. ''2022 winner:'' Chase Brown, RB, Illinois; ''2023 winner to be announced December 13''

* '''Lott IMPACT Trophy''': A award that recognizes defensive players with on-field success and high off-field character. ("IMPACT" [[FunWithAcronyms standing for]] "Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity".) ''2022 winner:'' Will Anderson, LB, Alabama; ''2023 winner to be announced December 10''

* '''Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (aka "The Heisman")''': The top award a college football player can hope to receive. It is given out annually to the "most outstanding" player in college football. It is also the oldest award on the list, with the first being presented in 1935. While any player at any position is eligible to win the award, it has historically been awarded to Quarterbacks and Running Backs by a wide margin. The winner is chosen by thousands of voters consisting of "informed, competent, and impartial" sports writers (some of which, controversially, don't primarily cover college football) along with every living recipient of the award. ''2022 winner:'' Caleb Williams, QB, USC

* '''AP Player of the Year''': For the best overall player, voted on by the same writers who vote for the weekly AP Poll. Usually (but not always) overlaps with the Heisman results. ''2023 winner:'' Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU[[note]]Set a new single-season record for passing efficiency while also leading the nation in QB rushing yards.[[/note]]

* '''Gene Upshaw Award''': For the best lineman, offensive or defensive, in D-II football. ''2023 winner:'' Levi Johnson, OT, Colorado School of Mines

* '''Eddie Robinson Award''': Presented since 1987 to the top I-AA/FCS head coach by the publisher of the most widely recognized FCS poll—originally The Sports Network (''not'' the Anglophone Canadian equivalent to ESPN, but rather a wire service), now the sports analytics company Stats Perform. One of two major coaching awards named after Grambling State coaching legend Eddie Robinson. ''2022 winner:'' John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State[[note]]Also the AFCA Coach of the Year in FCS.[[/note]]
* '''Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1957 by the Football Writers Association of America, the trade association for college football writers. Originally known just as the FWAA Coach of the Year, but has been named after the aforementioned Eddie Robinson for the last few decades. The FWAA also presents the Nagurski and Outland Trophies. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes; ''Winner to be announced December 20''
* '''George Munger Award''': Presented since 1989 by the Maxwell Football Club, named after longtime Penn head coach George Munger, and awarded after the bowl games. Infamously changed its name to the Joseph V. Paterno Award in 2010, one year before the Jerry Sandusky scandal forced them to revert to the former name and rescind his three awards. ''2022 winner:'' Fritz; ''Winner to be announced January 10''

* '''Gene Upshaw Award''': For the best lineman, offensive or defensive, in D-II football. ''2022 winner:'' Caleb Murphy, DE, Ferris State

* '''Jim Thorpe Award''': For the top defensive back. ''2023 winner:'' Trey Taylor, S, Air Force[[note]]Allowed only 18 receptions going into the bowl games, also adding 71 tackles, three [=INTs=] (onw run back for a TD), and 4 pass breakups. The first player outside the Power Five to win this award since 1995.[[/note]]

* '''Lott IMPACT Trophy''': A award that recognizes defensive players with on-field success and high off-field character. ("IMPACT" [[FunWithAcronyms standing for]] "Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity".) ''2022 winner:'' Will Anderson, LB, Alabama

* '''Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1957 by the Football Writers Association of America, the trade association for college football writers. Originally known just as the FWAA Coach of the Year, but has been named after the aforementioned Eddie Robinson for the last few decades. The FWAA also presents the Nagurski and Outland Trophies. ''2022 winner:'' Dykes
* '''George Munger Award''': Presented since 1989 by the Maxwell Football Club, named after longtime Penn head coach George Munger, and awarded after the bowl games. Infamously changed its name to the Joseph V. Paterno Award in 2010, one year before the Jerry Sandusky scandal forced them to revert to the former name and rescind his three awards. ''2022 winner:'' Fritz

* '''Bronko Nagurski Trophy''': For the best defensive player. ''2023 winner:'' Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

* '''Doak Walker Award''': For the best running back. Whenever a running back wins the Heisman, there is a good chance that he will win this award as well.[[note]]The one time this ''didn't'' happen was in 2009, when Toby Gerhart of Stanford won the Doak but Mark Ingram II of Alabama narrowly won the Heisman.[[/note]] ''2023 winner:'' Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State[[note]]Led the FBS in rushing yards and almost singlehandedly carried the Cowboys to a conference championship appearance after a very shaky start.[[/note]]

* '''Jim Thorpe Award''': For the top defensive back. ''2023 winner:'' Trey Taylor, Air Force

* '''Lombardi Award''': From 1970-2016, this award, named after legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, was presented to the top lineman or linebacker. Originally presented by the service club Rotary International, it came under the control of the Lombardi Foundation in 2017 and became yet another "best college player" award, though the criteria includes leadership and character. ''2022 winner:'' Anderson
* '''Lott IMPACT Trophy''': A award that recognizes defensive players with on-field success and high off-field character. ("IMPACT" [[FunWithAcronyms standing for]] "Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity".) ''2022 winner:'' Anderson

* '''Maxwell Award''': For the "best football player in the United States." Predictably, the winner of this award is frequently the Heisman winner as well. ''2023 winner:'' Michael Penix, QB, Washington[[note]]Led the nation in passing yards while taking the Huskies to a program record 13-0 tally and a conference title in their last year in the Pac-12[[/note]]

* '''Ray Guy Award''': For the top punter. ''2023 winner:'' Tory Taylor, Iowa[[note]]Ended the regular season one punt shy of breaking an 80+ year record for single season punting yards, helping the Hawkeyes' abysmal offense stumble their way to a Big Ten West title.[[/note]]

* '''Ted Hendricks Award''': For the top defensive end in ''all'' levels of college football. ''2022 winner:'' Murphy[[note]]Also won the Gene Upshaw Award as top D-II lineman; became the first non-FBS recipient of the Handricks Award.[[/note]]
* '''Walter Camp Award''': For the college football "player of the year". Predictably, the winner of this award is also frequently the Heisman winner as well. ''2022 winner:'' Williams

* '''Wuerffel Trophy''': Presented for outstanding community service by an FBS player; named after 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel. ''2023 winner:'' Ladd [=McConkey=], WR, Georgia

* '''Home Depot Coach of the Year''': Presented since 1994 by Creator/{{ESPN}}, with the voting body being college football analysts for the various ESPN networks (including Creator/{{ABC}}, whose sports operations are unified with ESPN). ''2023 winner:'' Kalen [=DeBoer=], Washington[[note]]Led the Huskies to a 13-0 conference title in their last year in the Pac-12, breaking the school record for wins in a season.[[/note]]

* '''Butkus Award''': Traditionally given to the top linebacker in college football. Starting in 2008, the award has expanded to include a professional and high school player each year as well. ''2022 winner:'' Jack Campbell, Iowa

* '''Chuck Bednarik Award''': For the defensive "player of the year" in college football. The Nagurski Trophy recipient frequently gets this award as well. ''2022 winner:'' Will Anderson, LB, Alabama
* '''Davey O'Brien Award''': For the best quarterback. Whenever a QB wins the Heisman, there is a good chance that he will win this award as well. ''2022 winner:'' Max Duggan, TCU

* '''Doak Walker Award''': For the best running back. Whenever a running back wins the Heisman, there is a good chance that he will win this award as well.[[note]]The one time this ''didn't'' happen was in 2009, when Toby Gerhart of Stanford won the Doak but Mark Ingram II of Alabama narrowly won the Heisman.[[/note]] ''2022 winner:'' Bijan Robinson, Texas

* '''Jim Thorpe Award''': For the top defensive back. ''2022 winner:'' Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU[[note]]Nephew of TCU great and Pro Hall of Famer [=LaDainian=] Tomlinson[[/note]]

* '''John Mackey Award''': For the "most outstanding" tight end. ''2022 winner:'' Brock Bowers, Georgia

* '''Outland Trophy''': For the best "interior lineman". This includes any offensive linemen, as well as defensive tackles. ''2022 winner:'' Olusegun Oluwatimi, C, Michigan

* '''Rimington Trophy''': For the top center in FBS. Notable in that the award winner is not determined by vote of a designated committee, but instead on a points system based on placement in four specific All-America teams. Not to be confused with the '''Rimington ''Award''''', presented by the same body (though awarded based on an actual vote) to the outstanding centers in FCS, D-II, D-III, and the NAIA. ''2022 FBS winner:'' Oluwatimi

* '''Wuerffel Trophy''': Presented for outstanding community service by an FBS player; named after 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel. ''2022 winner:'' Dillan Gibbons, OG, Florida State[[note]]Used NIL money to fund his Big Man, Big Heart nonprofit[[/note]]