College football is a culture that involves pride, camaraderie and team spirit—not to mention a healthy appetite for competition. At a school that’s big on sports, football is like a religion. Students learn the traditions; revere the mascots; and, when the team is down, there’s a whole lot of praying going on. With football season in full swing, here's a crash course in becoming a winning fan.

Playing Offense.
Though it’s easy to cover your body in paint and scream “Go State!” that won’t garner respect among elite fans. A true fan can identify the four P’s of football: players, positions, points and penalties. Here are the football facts:

 

  • Each team has 11 men on the field at all times.
  • A touchdown scores 6 points.
  • After a touchdown the team can kick for a 1-point extra point or a 2-point conversion. The second option involves running or passing the football over the goal line.
  • A field goal scores 3 points.
  • Each team has an offensive and a defensive lineup that switches depending on who has possession of the ball. Punts and field goals require a separate “special teams” lineup.
  • The offensive lineup gets four tries or “downs” to move the ball 10 yards toward the goal before the ball is handed over to the opposing team.
  • Negative terms such as “holding,” “off-sides” and “false start” are all penalty calls with definitions similar to their names. “Holding” refers to a defensive player restraining an offensive player; “off-sides” refers to a defensive player who crosses the line of scrimmage prematurely, or before the ball is snapped; and “false start” refers to premature action taken by an offensive player.
  • Also, realize that while there’s no need to memorize the roster, not knowing the quarterback is a capitol offence.