NationStates College Football
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NationStates College Football or NSCF is an international collegiate american football league. The league was founded by a Churchmanian organisation linked to Colden University, and has experienced a steady growth in reputation throughout its existence. The initial season was contested by ten teams in a single round-robin format, with a four team playoff. The team from Osarian school Utica University emerged victorious, beating the representatives of the University of Arkinesia 23-17 in the final. In the seasons that followed, conferences were established, and a procedural list written to govern administrative and legislative features of the league.
The most recent champions of NSCF are the Utica University Tigers, who claimed their third championship with a narrow 3-0 win over Stoneshore College in the NSCF 13 Championship game.
History
Beginnings
Originally the brainchild of a group of Churchmanian media correspondents, the concept of an international collegiate league for american football was floated in discussions with various nations across the multiverse. The initial format and logistics were still uncertain at this point, but interest was high enough for those involved to move forward with trying to arrange something concrete.
After months of discussion and compromise – notably, the involved nations had differing ideas on how to decide which team would represent them, and when in the year the competition would take place – the initial season was opened for applications. Soon there would be nine confirmed participants, and a temporary "headquarters" from which the league would be governed, was established in Lexington, Churchma.
Weeks before the inaugural season kicked off, a tenth team was admitted to the competition, and the competition format was clarified. The teams would all play each other in a single round-robin league, for nine regular season games. The four teams with the best records would then progress to a seeded playoff bracket to determine the champions. The season would play out with some high attendances and reasonable media viewership, culminating in the championship game between the league's two best records in the championship game. The Utica Tigers would prevail, beating the Arkinesia Wyverns 23-17.
Expansion
After a modestly successful first season, NSCF established a committee of experienced figures in the world of sport from various nations in the multiverse, and began the application process for a second season. When it became clear that the number of entrants had ballooned from the previous year, the committee came to the consensus that the league should be split into conferences. Four conferences were established for season two; Big Eight, Horizon, Woodlands and Sequoia. The league also changed to a double round-robin regular season format, with the top two in each conference contesting conference championship games. The conference champions would then be seeded and contest the playoffs to determine a champion. Since season two, NSCF has been contested by at least thirty teams per season, and a total of eight conferences have been established, though only once (NSCF 7) have all eight been contested in the same year.
Season three saw yet another expansion, with the creation of the Mineral conference, though conferences shrunk to seven teams rather than eight in season two. The playoffs would also expand, with sixteen teams making it to the post-season. That same year, the Utica Tigers would become the first program to win multiple NSCF titles, defeating the newcomer Frbiba State Firebirds 37-26 in the championship game, and setting a record for highest scoring NSCF championship game that is yet to be beaten.
Conference sizes would increase back to eight teams per conference in season four, with the playoff format staying the same as season three. That season's championship game would be the first – and only, to date – to go into overtime, as the Arkinesia Wyverns overcame the Utica Tigers, who in the process, set a record for number of appearances in NSCF championship games.
After season four, the NSCF committee deferred to a de facto Commissioner, who produced the initial version of the NSCF procedural list, which has governed how the competition is run ever since.
Season five saw the establishment of the Equinox conference. This season was also the first to allow games between teams in different conferences, made possible thanks to the development of OSPI. This necessitated changes to the tiebreaking procedure in NSCF, and non-conference games were decided to not affect conference standings. This has remained the case since the introduction of non-conference games and OSPI. Season six saw another expansion conference established, as NSCF headquarters ratified the creation of the Celestia conference. The eighth conference, Zephyr, would be created in response to record participation numbers in season seven.
Season eight saw the Alzburg-Dyka Royals equal Utica's record of two championship wins, when they beat the Netteingen Tech Hyenas 30-17. Alzburg-Dyka, in the process, also became the first – and only, to date – to contest the NSCF championship game three years in a row. They had become the first to win by shut-out in season six, beating the Freedom's Altar Flames 20-0, before becoming the first team to both win and lose by shutout when they fell 13-0 to the Port Salem Anchors the following year. Season nine saw the University of St Augustinus claim the championship with a 10-7 win over the Port Salem Anchors, becoming the first newcomer team to win the championship since Eirikssonia University in season two.
Recent
Season ten saw the first change of commissioner since the role was formalised in season five, and the NSCF returned after a short hiatus. Despite fresh beginnings off the field, two veteran teams – both ever-present in NSCF since its founding – competed in the championship game, with the Utica Tigers becoming only the second team to lose multiple championship games as the Ramusok Capital Dragons claimed their first title, winning 27-13. The game took place in Klyde, Cosumar, making the Dragons the only team to win the NSCF championship in their own nation. The following season, Stoneshore Bruins would win the championship, beating Army Academy 10-0, making Cosumar the only nation to produce multiple NSCF championship winning programs.
Season thirteen saw yet another change of commissioner, and Utica reclaimed the record for most championships outright, defeating season eleven's champions, the Stoneshore Bruins, 3-0 in the record lowest scoring championship game.
Competition format
Culture
Recruiting
Curse of the Runner-up
NSCF Committee
NSCF Commissioner
Rules
NSCF operates under the internationally accepted rule set for college-level american football, also known as IFAF rules. These differ slightly from the rule set commonly used in the professional game, or in the different national variations that exist of the sport. Most notable is the lack of sudden death overtime.
As a league, NSCF does not enforce any specific on-field rules which alter the way the game is played. Nor is there a hard limit on roster size – though for all intents and purposes, a program cannot name more than one hundred players, due to jersey numbering restrictions – or recruiting.
Procedure
- Main article: NSCF Procedural List
The NSCF Procedural List was written by then-Commissioner, and former Osarius international gridiron defensive back, Jonathan Hardison prior to season five. Since then it has been adapted and updated multiple times, to address changing concerns within NSCF. All amendments to the procedural list require a majority vote from the NSCF Committee.
The procedural list details, among other things:
- NSCF committee regulations, including voting procedure,
- NSCF competition entry requirements and restrictions,
- ranking calculation procedure,
- conference alignment rules,
- standings calculation and playoff seeding procedure,
- rules for non-conference games, including games for independent schools
Honours
Champions
Conference champions
Since NSCF season 2, the league has operated in a multiple conference format. Originally, a series of games between the top two ranked sides in each conference determined the conference champions, and these games doubled as the playoff quarter-finals. This practice was discontinued after one season, however. Since season three, the team with the best record in each conference – according to official NSCF standings calculation procedure – at the end of in-conference play, has been crowned conference champion.