NationStates College Football

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 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 was written to govern administrative and legislative features of the league.

While the league has been administrated in various nations across the Multiverse, having previously been headquartered in Churchma; Burningham, Osarius; and Ramusok, Cosumar – the league is currently headquartered at NSCF House, Joongyeong, Quebec and Shingoryeo. The most recent champions of NSCF are Felswyr State University of Chromatika, who won their second NSCF championship with a 17-3 win over the Green City University of TJUN-ia in the NSCF 26 Championship Game.

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 from the regular season. 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. Eirikssonia University emerged victorious in season two, the first champions of NSCF under the multiple conference format. Since that year, NSCF has been contested by at least thirty teams per season, and a total of eight conferences have been established, though only twice (NSCF 7, NSCF 18) 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 in size to seven teams each, 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 held until it was broken by 11 points in NSCF 15.

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 to go into overtime, as the Arkinesia Wyverns overcame the Utica Tigers. At the same time, Utica set a record for the number of appearances in NSCF championship games. After season four, the NSCF committee deferred to a de facto Commissioner from among their ranks – former Osarian international gridiron defensive back, Jonathan Hardison – 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, and the number of teams per conference was reduced to six, where it has remained ever since. This season was also the first to allow games between teams in different conferences, made possible thanks to the development of OSPI by the Oracle team at Osarius Sports Network. 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 program – 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 team to win the championship in their first year of NSCF competition since Eirikssonia University in season two.

Rise of Ramusok Capital
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 first team to win the NSCF championship in their own nation. The following season, the Stoneshore Bruins would win the championship, beating Army Academy 10-0, making Cosumar the first nation to produce multiple NSCF championship-winning programs. In Season twelve, St Michael University became only the third team – not counting Utica in season 1 – to win the championship in their debut season, following Eirikssonia and St Augustinus, and the second team to win the championship in overtime.

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. The following season saw Harbor College (then known as South Seas University) become the only team in NSCF history to play in multiple championship games without winning one, after their defeat to the Loyola-Istria Blue Thunder. The championship was hosted at Liberty Stadium in Istria, making Loyola the second school to win a championship hosted in their own nation, and the first to win one in their own town (though it was not their home stadium).

The reigning champions would become only the second to not enter the following season, though they had simply missed the registration deadline rather than disappearing from international circles, as St Michael had previously. In their absence, Ramusok Capital returned to the top of the pile, beating St Croix – themselves riding a wave of confidence after knocking Utica off top spot in the Woodlands conference and then eliminating the storied Osarian school in the playoffs – in a record high-scoring championship game. The 44-30 scoreline beat the NSCF 3 record for most points scored in the championship by a clear 11 points. With this victory, RCU became the only team to have played multiple championship games without losing, and Cosumar equalled Osarius for most championship-winning programs produced.

Though nominations had been opened up in the off-season for the position of NSCF Commissioner, and there was talk of realigning conferences, no changes took place in time for Season sixteen. However, NSCF 16 did see an increase in entrants, and with it, the return of two previously suspended conferences. The Big Eight Conference was contested for the first time in almost ten seasons, while the Sequoia Conference returned for the first time since NSCF 11. Ramusok Capital University would ultimately be crowned champions at the end of the season, becoming the first team to retain the title, and equalling Utica University's three championships. Notably, this was also the first season in which Utica did not make the playoffs, ending their record streak of post-season appearances at fifteen.

Banijan-Ranorian Duopoly
Though Ramusok Capital won the NSCF 16 championship by a considerable margin, they would fail to win the Horizon Conference in NSCF 17. Instead, the newcomers in Sadeg State University from Drawkland won the conference, though they weren't the first Drawkian school to play in the Horizon. Ramusok Capital would not return to the championship game from this point on. Instead, the NSCF 14 champions in Loyola-Istria would capture their second championship, defeating the Academy of Space. This made Loyola-Istria the fourth school to earn two championships.

The next four seasons were hallmarked by Banijan dominance. From NSCF 17 to NSCF 21, every title game would feature a Banijan program, though only three of those games resulted in wins for the Banijan school. NSCF 18 would see the Raiders of Mar Sara Tech raise the championship over Loyola-Istria. This ended a three-season stretch where the NSCF Champion was already a past champion. The final was hosted in Busukuma, Banija, making this the first time a program lost an NSCF championship hosted in their home nation.

NSCF 19's championship would feature a program from Ranoria for the first time. Richardson University entered the fold for the first time in NSCF 16, and won the newly-reopened Big Eight Conference twice in a row. This would be their first foray in the title game, but the championship was won by Northern Moravica University, another Banijan program. This would make Banija the second nation in NSCF history to have two separate schools win the championship.

NSCF 20 would be redemption for Ranoria, as their second school, Cold Hill University, would win the championship over Northern Moravica. Hosted in the Karmin-Falce Superdome in Ranoria City, this would mark the third time a school would win the NSCF championship in their home nation. In NSCF 21, the roles would be reversed. The reigning champions were defeated in the championship by the other school from the nation that lost the previous championship. In this case, Cold Hill would lose to Loyola-Istria in a 41-35 championship that would set the record for most points scored in an NSCF championship, eclipsing NSCF 15's total by two points. This win for Loyola-Istria tied them with Ramusok Capital and Utica for the most wins by an NSCF program at three, and tied Banija with Cosumar for most championship-winning programs at four.

In NSCF 22, Cold Hill would become the fifth school in NSCF history to win two championships. They defeated the newcomers in Felswyr State University from Chromatika. This was the first season to not feature a Cosumarite school in NSCF history. Felswyr State made a name for themselves by winning the Horizon conference in an undefeated run, featuring a historic defense. The championship loss to Cold Hill was only the second loss in program history for Felswyr State.

Era of Parity
Cold Hill University's hurrah however, while definitive with the calibre of all-worldly talent to have come out of the program, would soon be caught up as the programs across the sporting Multiverse. The internationalisation of the game, which had come in the form of international recruitment periods, as well as the further development of international rivalries, had made it easier for the other schools to catch up to the Banijan-Ranorian duopoly. By the end of the NSCF 22, when Felswyr State University had made a stunning debut campaign to the Championship game, it became increasingly clear that the duopoly would soon end...

Curse of the Runner-up
A running theme in NSCF is the "Curse of the Runner-Up", which dictates that the team losing in the Championship game will have a poor season the following year. Prior to NSCF 7, no team finishing a season as runner-up picked up a single win in the playoffs the following season. In the history of NSCF, only five runner-up teams have won a playoff game in the following season, including just three who have returned to the championship game for a second year running.

The curse currently holds a 68% "success" rate, claiming 14 victims from a possible 25. This include University of Arkinesia, Northern Moravica University, South Seas University and Utica University each on two separate occasions.

Beat the curse (returned to the championship game)  Survived the curse (advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs)

Unofficial College Football World Championship

 * Full article: Unofficial College Football World Championship

While the champions of each season of NSCF are considered College Football World Champions, often they will not have had to face the previous season's champion.

In response to criticism over this, Oracle devised a system of tracking a lineal championship, like in combat sports, known as the Unofficial College Football World Championship (UCFWC). The basic premise goes as follows:
 * The first NSCF Championship game was the first title game; the winners of that game were the first holders of the UCFWC
 * If the titleholder loses a game, the title passes over to the winner
 * Final results of title games are counted regardless of overtime

Oracle have since added more rules and regulations to govern what happens in cases where the titleholder does not make the playoffs, ceases to exist, or simply fails to enter the following season of NSCF. As a result, there are four recognised "world titles", though Oracle seeks to see the other three unified with the lineal championship whenever possible.

Offshoots of the concept also exist, tracking the lineal champions of each of the NSCF conferences – only counting regular season, in-conference play – though these are seldom mentioned in Oracle's promotional material.

As of the NSCF 16 Championship game, the recognised (world) titleholders are as follows

The actual holders of the Legacy championship, University of Westshire, ceased to exist prior to the start of NSCF 17. Oracle stripped them of the title as a result.

Rules
NSCF operates under the internationally accepted rule set for college-level American football, also known as IFAF rules. These differ slightly from the ruleset 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
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 to be officially implemented.

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

Champions by conference
NOTE: The below figures do not count Utica's win in season one for Woodlands conference, as conferences did not yet exist in NSCF.

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.

Since the beginning of the multiple conference format, only two conferences have been active every season: Horizon and Woodlands. The two conferences also account for half of all NSCF Championship winning teams. In addition, the Celestia and Zephyr conferences have also been active every season since they were established. Every other conference has been suspended at least once.

Awards
Since NSCF season 2, the league has hosted its official awards in various points of the competition. A set of five awards have been awarded for the student-athletes' respective excellence over the course of the gridiron season.

Due to their prestige, as well as the rarity afforded by the fact that awards are presented infrequently – many editions of NSCF have not seen enough nominations given by respective members' institutions to warrant a vote – means that winning any of the awards alone bring particular glory to the institution. The list of winners over the course of its history has also reflected the popular trends found within the competition itself, with recent cycles indicating a strong preference towards top quarterbacks.

The awards are also known to be particularly difficult to repeat or win twice, with only five persons having achieved this task before. Quarterbacks Mikjel Ostgurn (Alzburg-Dyka), Isaka Jawara (Loyola-Istria), and Sarai Gwenderyn (Felswyr State) have all won the trophy twice, with the three generally viewed as three of the most iconic faces of the competition and gridiron football. Sara McAllister (Felswyr State) has set the standard for all kickers in the competition with her remarkable performances, while eccentric, unconventional guru Silas "Goose" Carneghy carves himself into the history book with his achievements made while coaching South Seas University.

OSN All-Time Rating
Between seasons seven and eight, OSN's Oracle team developed an Elo-based rating system to determine the best NSCF program of all-time. The formula is calculated for every team after each match they participate in, and uses existing team ratings, among other factors, to calculate the probability of victory. The probability of victory is then converted into a "bounty" of points awarded to the winning team and subtracted from the losing team.

New teams begin on 1500 points, and a maximum of sixteen points can be won or lost per game.

At the end of NSCF 15, the team backdated rating calculations for every team as they would have been calculated after every matchday in NSCF history. The highest rating achieved of all-time was 1969, by Utica University on matchday nine of season fifteen.

Additionally, of the fifty highest recorded ratings, only eight had been reached by a team other than Utica University; and none of those greater than the 37th highest. This means that since matchday nine of season eleven, Utica have possessed the highest all-time rating.