"College Football For Dummies: Everything You Need to Know About 2010" by the Bleacher Report

With college football season literally weeks away from kicking off, we at Bleacher Report thought it would be a good idea to put together a preview of the season.

Unlike other previews, however, this one is different. It is everything your girlfriend or boyfriend who is otherwise clueless when it comes to college football needs to know to at least get by during the course of the season.

So while you are sitting on your sofa or in the stands yelling at people who can't hear or don't care what you are saying, your significant other can now follow along instead of playing with their cell phone the entire game.

While this list may not include every team you care about or every issue pertinent to college football, it at least touches on the things that always seem to matter year in and year out.

Caution: If you are not a complete dummy, have no sense of humor, or otherwise find your intelligence easily insulted, you may not want to read beyond this point. Of course you might, I can't stop you either way.

Click the link below for cynical predictions of teams/subjects such as Texas Tech, Notre Dame, the SEC, Ohio State, Nebraska, the ACC, Lane Kiffin, Erin Andrews, Jeremiah Masoli, the BCS, Joe Paterno, Les Miles,  Rich Rodriguez, Oregon, playoffs, and more.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/434376-college-football-for-dummies-everything-you-need-to-know-about-2010

Emmitt was elected in his first year of eligibility, just as he should have been.  Making up the rest of the Class of 2010 is Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, John Randle and Jerry Rice. 

Emmitt will be the last of the seven players to deliver his acceptance speech.  Not surprisingly, Emmitt will be presented by Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. 

The ceremony will begin at 6:00 CDT and will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, OH.  More than 18,000 are expected to attend. 

Each enshrinee will receive a ring, the gold jacket and a bronze bust to be housed in the HOF Museum.  Of the 260 men enshrined in the HOF, 229 were players and the rest were coaches and contributors.    

Emmitt be joining fellow Dallas Cowboys players Aikman, Tony Dorsett, Bob Hayes, Irvin, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White and Rayfield Wright, as well as former coach, Tom Landry, and former owner, Tex Schramm.

According to the HOF website, the HOF selection process began in August 2009 with the naming of two senior nominees, Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little. In early September, a list of 131 modern-era nominees was announced and then trimmed to 25 semifinalists on Nov. 28. The list was further reduced to 15 modern-era finalists on Jan. 8, 2010.

Tomorrow night the Dallas Cowboys will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pro Football HOF Game at 7:00 pm CDT, kicking off the 2010 preseason schedule.

The Cowboys have never won a game in Canton, but each time they have played in the HOF game, they advanced to the playoffs that season.

Following the game, there will be a special, “The Triplets: Emmitt Smith's Road to Canton,” where Aikman, Irvin and Smith will reminisce on the legacy the trio built in Dallas in the '90s. 

Congratulations to Emmitt Smith, one of the game’s all-time great running backs.  Enjoy every minute of this weekend – you’ve earned it!

Article four in a 10-part series

Ladies, all players wear uniforms [jerseys] with numbers, so learning the numbering system will make it much easier to follow what’s happening on the field, therefore taking another step in fully understanding the great game of football. 

The NFL adopted a jersey-numbering system in 1973 where each position corresponds to a range of numbers.  

Covering the full range 1 to 99, the numbers are displayed on both the front and back of the jersey, on both shoulders, and often on the helmet.  The numbers worn on the sleeve or shoulder are known as "TV numbers" so the TV analyst can quickly identify the player for the broadcast. 

Below is the numbering system the NFL has used since 1973:

1 - 19 are worn by quarterbacks, kickers, and punters. Since 2004, wide receivers are also allowed to wear numbers between 10 and 19 if they choose, even if a number from 80 through 89 is available.

20 - 49 are worn by running backs, tight ends (40-49, when an 80-89 number is unavailable), cornerbacks and safeties.

50 - 59 are worn by linebackers, defensive linemen and offensive linemen.

60 - 79 are worn by members of both the offensive line (the tackles, guards and centers) and defensive line (the defensive ends, defensive tackles or nose guard).

80 - 89 are worn by wide receivers and tight ends.

90 - 99 are worn by linebackers and defensive linemen.  

0 - 00 are no longer used, though they were issued in the NFL before the number standardization in 1973.

The NFL numbering system is based on a player's primary position. If a player changes primary positions during his career, he does not usually have to change his number unless he changes from an eligible receiver to ineligible or vice versa. 

In preseason games, when teams have expanded rosters, players may wear numbers that are outside of the above rules. When the final 53-player roster is established, they are reissued numbers within the guidelines.

Players have often asked the NFL for an exception to the numbering system rule. In 2006, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush requested to keep the number 5 he wore in college. His request was declined, and he was assigned number 25 by the team.  Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth wore number #44 in college for the University of Oklahoma and wore that number during the 1987 preseason with the Seahawks. He took the NFL to court for the right to wear #44, but he lost and had to switch to #55.

So now I hope you have a better understanding of the NFL numbering system for uniform jerseys. 

Source: Wikipedia
  

Article three in a 10-part series

Ladies, do you try to watch football but find you have no clue what is going on?  You’ve heard of touchdowns and field goals, but do you know how they are made and how many points they each bring?  Help is here as this column was designed to give you a better understanding.  

Touchdown
To score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. This can be done by having a player run the football forward into the end zone. It can also be done when a receiver catches a pass in the end zone or catches the ball prior to the end zone and runs it in.  This would still be considered a "passing" touchdown as opposed to a "rushing" touchdown.

A touchdown is worth six points. The scoring team is also awarded the opportunity for an extra point or a two-point conversion.  Afterwards, the team scoring the touchdown kicks off to the opposing team.

Touchdowns are usually scored by the offense. However, the defense can also score a touchdown if they have recovered a fumble or an interception and return it to the opposing end zone. Special teams can score a touchdown on a kickoff or punt return, or on a return after a missed or blocked field goal attempt or blocked punt.

Extra point
This is played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking or two points by touchdown.  An extra point is also referred to as a conversion, point after touchdown (sometimes abbreviated as PAT), or point after.  If the kick goes through the uprights, the team gets an additional one point for their touchdown, bringing their total for that score from six points to seven.

Two-point conversion
In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run a play from close to the opponent's goal line and advance the ball across the goal line in the same manner as if they were scoring a touchdown. If the team succeeds, it earns two additional points on top of the six points for the touchdown. If the team fails, no additional points are scored. In either case, the team proceeds to a kickoff.  The ability to score a two-point conversion was added to NCAA football in 1958 and the NFL in 1994.

Field goal
A field goal must pass "through the uprights," a 10 feet crossbar with upright posts that are 18 feet 6 inches apart.  A missed field goal is said to be "no good."  If it misses to the kicker's left it is referred to as "wide left" and conversely "wide right" if it misses to the kicker's right. It may also be described as being "short" if it does not have the distance to go through the uprights.

Safety 
A safety is a type of score worth two points where a team not in possession of the football can score points. A safety may occur in a variety of ways, most commonly when an opponent in possession of the football is tackled in his own end zone.  An official signals a safety by holding his hands above his head, palms touching.

A safety is by far the least common type of score.  No NFL team has ever recorded more than four in one season. Safeties usually occur when the offense starts a play close to its own end zone. In such cases, offenses tend to run very conservative, low-risk plays to avoid a safety.

Free kick
After a safety, the team that gave up the points kicks off to the other team from its own 20-yard line.  The kicking team has the option of employing a punt or a drop kick, and a punt is the most commonly chosen option.  Unlike the kickoff, a kicking tee may not be used.

Now that you have a better understanding how touchdowns and field goals are scored, watching football will be so much more fun – trust me! 

Source: Wikipedia