NationStates College Football

NationStates College Football

Country	Churchma (founder)
Association	NSCF
Established	6 seasons
Number of teams	42
Conferences	7
Playoff teams	14
Current champions	University of Alzburg-Dyka
Most successful team	University of Utica (2 titles)

NationStates College Football or the NSCF is an international collegiate gridiron competition. It was conceived and first organized by the nation of Churchma, with the intention of having multiple nations enter university teams to compete against each other. The University of Utica won the first championship; the most recent winner, in the sixth edition, was the University of Alzburg-Dyka.

Part of the NSCF season is the recruiting process. At the end of each season, the top high school sthletes from participating nations decide where they will continue their football careers. An All-NSCF team may also be named by media outlets in any number of participating nations, though there is no official NSCF body operating in this capacity yet.

Setup & Format

The NSCF's official headquarters were originally established in Churchma, where the organization was first founded. However, over time, operations began to move to Osarius. At this point, Osarius is considered the lead organizer of the league.

The NSCF works independently of domestic college football leagues and associations. There is no direct entry system for league winners. Teams often vary from season to season. For that reason, returning teams are not guaranteed spots in their previous NSCF conferences. Conferences are headquartered in certain countries for the duration of the season, but conference hosts are subject to change and are not tied to their assignments.

The format of the league adapts according to registration, As of NSCF 5, has consisted of a double round-robin regular season with up to three optional out-of-conference games, before a single-elimination playoff bracket with seeding determined by regular season record combined with out-of-conference records. For the first time in NSCF 5, two teams were voted into the playoffs by the NSCF Committee after the other ten playoff places were decided. There have also been conference championship games in the past (e.g. NSCF 2); but these are not permanent fixtures of the league. Generally, registration is limited to numbers that fit with the six-team-per-conference setup that has been in place since NSCF's inception. However, sign-up limits can be increased, such as during the registration period for NSCF 6, when a seventh conference was added.

NSCF Committee

Current NSCF Committee Members
Arkinesia	Civil Citizenry	Cosumar
Khabarovsk Krai	Michael VII	Mytannion
Osarius	Saugeais	Yesopalitha

The main duties of the committee, at present, are voting on the two at-large playoff spots, recipients of the end-of-season awards, and any procedural changes proposed to the league.

Originally, the committee operated as an informal council of sorts, discussing issues pertaining to the format and organisation of the league. As time passed, the committee took on a more administrative role, and gained more importance with regard to voting on various aspects of the league's organisation and structure. After NSCF 5, the committee informally ratified the NSCF Procedural List^[14], and during NSCF 6 discussions were held regarding the criteria for committee membership. Since then, the committee has been through a number of changes throughout NSCF with some members, such as Arkinesia and Mytannion, no longer administrating conferences, yet remaining on the committee; other members, such as Civil Citizenry, have not organized any conferences, but are included on the committee anyway due to length of participation.

One of the committee's priorities is to ensure that possibilities for corruption are minimized. One of the main steps taken toward that end is making sure that each conference's administrative headquarters is in a nation which has no teams playing in that conference. Additionally, a nation in which the administrative headquarters for any conference is based is considered to be of high enough moral standing to be granted immediate membership onto the committee. Committee membership is not open to nations who do not have a college participating in the most recent season of NSCF, however.

Individual Awards

Most Outstanding Player Award

Season	Winner	Pos/Yr	Team
NSCF 2	Stu Gildon	QB/Sr	Colden University
NSCF 3	Mikjel Ostgurn	QB/So	University of Alzburg-Dyka
NSCF 4	N/A
NSCF 5	Mikjel Ostgurn	QB/Sr	University of Alzburg-Dyka
NSCF 6	Marwan Pijnenberg	DT/Jr	University of Alzburg-Dyka

At the moment, the trophy has no official name, and was not awarded for the first season. From the second season onwards, it has been awarded to the player with the majority vote from the NSCF Committee at the end of the season. No official criteria have been designated for eligibility thus far.

The first holder of the Most Outstanding Player trophy was Stu Gildon, of Colden University^[1]. Early favorites for the Most Outstanding Player award in season three were Luke Saint, starting quarterback for the University of Utica Tigers; and Scott Tyler, starting quarterback for the Frbiba State University Firebirds. However, the award went to Mikjel Ostgurn, of the University of Alzburg-Dyka^[2]. Ostgurn passed for 3840 yards, 404/600, 33 TD, 13 INT.

The votes for season 4 were never fully counted due to the restructuring of the league, but the general consensus was that the award would have gone to either RB Daniel Green of University of St.John’s Island, QB Luke Saint of Utica or QB Scott Tyler of FSU.

Season 5 saw the first ever double MVP award winner with Senior Mikjel Ostgurn of Alzburg-Dyka throwing for 4013 yards with 24 TDs and 3 INTs to lead his team to 12-1 record and a #1 playoff berth.

Season 6 underlined Alzburg-Dyka's reputation in international collegiate ball as their program claimed the Most Outstanding Player award for the third time in five seasons. Defensive tackle Marwan Pijnenberg was the recipient this time, making him the first defensive player to win the award.

Offensive Player of the Year Award

Season	Winner	Pos/Yr	Team
NSCF 2	Tom Ehrlich	QB/Fr	Eirikssonia University
NSCF 3	Luke Saint	QB/So	Utica University
NSCF 4	N/A
NSCF 5	Mikjel Ostgurn	QB/Sr	University of Alzburg-Dyka
NSCF 6	Ihor Voronkov	RB/So	University of Alzburg-Dyka

NSCF 2 - Tom Ehrlich passed for 3,031 yards on 234/396 completions, with 21 TDs and 15 INTs (yards per attempt 7.65, adjusted net yards per attempt 7.01, passer rating 133.31). He rushed for 1,393 yards on 197 carries (7.07 average carry), with 10 touchdowns. He also led his team in rushing yards and touchdowns, and accounted for almost 75% of the team's net offensive output and over 40% of their points. He is the first and so far, only freshman to win this award.

NSCF 3 - Luke Saint completed 264-of-371 passes for 3,262 yards and 24 touchdowns, and had 18 carries for 66 yards and 1 touchdown; He officially came of age, following a shaky domestic campaign. While his overall contribution was immensely important to the Tigers' success this season, and he battled adversity in many ways, he owes much to his supporting cast -- senior receivers Barrios and MacLean. That said, Saint's versatility -- note his stats as a ballcarrier -- and remarkable accuracy are worthy of note. Any quarterback who can rack up over 70% completions in their first full season as starter clearly has something special about them, regardless of the receivers they are throwing to.

NSCF 5 - Mikjel Ostgurn averaged 308.7 yards per game, with an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio. He led the Royals to 12 wins, including a 10-0 in-conference record and the #1 seed in the NSCF play-offs.

Defensive Player of the Year Award

Season	Winner	Pos/Yr	Team
NSCF 2	Jeff Atkinson	SS/So	Eirikssonia University
NSCF 3	Jaap Ravn	DT/Jr	Riversburg-Madison University
NSCF 4	N/A
NSCF 5	Leon Calk	CB/So	Utica University
NSCF 6	Hi'ro Manaka'li	CB/Sr	Utica University

NSCF 2 - Jeff Atkinson had 103 tackles (5 for loss), 10 interceptions (for 150 yards and 1 TD), 1 quarterback pressure, 9 pass breakups, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 defensive fumble recoveries. On special teams, he blocked 3 PAT kicks, and returned 9 kickoffs for 191 yards. He led the team in tackles and interceptions.

NSCF 3 - Jaap Ravn had 64 Tackles, 20 Tackles for loss, 11 Sacks and 4 Forced Fumbles. He lead his team in tackles for loss and sacks in his first season starting, and assumed the mantle of captain of the Ducks defense midway through the season.

NSCF 5 - Leon Calk - The Islander cornerback matured into one of the best players on the Utica roster. Consistently the best defensive player Utica had this season, his stats have suffered from "Kopumava syndrome" -- where offenses avoid playing his way, presumably out of fear -- but he has still managed 48 tackles, 6 interceptions and one sack. In addition, he has returned two balls for touchdowns, proving himself as a scoring threat on defense as well as an emerging shutdown corner.

Special Teams Player of the Year Award

Season	Winner	Pos/Yr	Team
NSCF 2	Ben Cook	CB/Fr	Eirikssonia University
NSCF 3	Paul Atkinson	K/Sr	Utica University
NSCF 4	N/A
NSCF 5	Dillon Brecht	K/Sr	Frbiba State University
NSCF 6	McRoss Avery	K/Sr	West TaQud University

NSCF 2 - Ben Cook returned 12 kickoffs for 392 yards (long of 88) and 17 punts for 415 yards (long of 98) and 3 touchdowns. He was also used as a tackler on special teams, and returned a fumbled return 68 yards.

NSCF 3 - Paul Atkinson was 21-for-21 on field goals and 36-for-36 on PATs; There was never really any doubt. The owner of the now-infamous "Laser Rocket Boot" which seldom misses. The Utica kicker contributed almost 100 points to his team's overall point tally -- falling just short at 99 -- from his right boot. He boasted a 100% completion record this year, too, making him not only the youngest kicker to represent his nation, but also the most accurate.

History

NSCF 1

Main article: NSCF 1

NSCF Founding Teams
University of Arkinesia Wyverns
Colden University Bearcats
Hudson State University Cavaliers
Luther University Knights
Middle Point Academy Rangers
Northumberland State University Lions
Novibruk University Wolves
Ramusok Capital University Dragons
Sniper University Trojans
University of Utica Tigers

The inaugural season saw ten teams compete, from ten different nations. Nations tended toward sending successful teams from their own leagues, most likely in order to give the best possible impression of their country's prowess. The overall championship was eventually won by the Osarian representatives, the University of Utica Tigers, who defeated the University of Arkinesia's Wyverns in the final playoff game^[3].

The season started the way it finished, with the representatives for the founder nation – Colden University Bearcats – along with the finalists – Utica and Arkinesia – and Cosumar representative Ramusok Capital University all winning at least four of their first five games, with the only losses coming against one of the aforementioned teams (Utica and Ramusok Capital both lost at Arkinesia).

Week seven saw a matchup of provisional #1 Colden University hosting provisional #2 University of Arkinesia. The Wyverns prevailed in a convincing 24-7 victory in the tournament's first 1-2 matchup^[4], en route to a perfect regular season.

NSCF 2

Main article: NSCF 2

The second season of NSCF saw the league expand to thirty-two teams, from a total of twenty-eight nations, spanning across four conferences. The post-season schedule was altered to accomodate the extra teams, and the regular season was extended to fourteen weeks. Nations with returning schools were given the option to send additional teams, which many did. Notable exceptions are Osarius – home nation of the inaugural champions – and founding nation, Churchma. The league's first rivalry^[5] was cemented at the conference draw, when the University of Utica Tigers were drawn into the same conference as fellow finalists from season one, the University of Arkinesia Wyverns.

A committee was founded for decision making processes prior to the start of the second season. The committee will also be consulted to decide various end-of-season awards, such as the Most Outstanding Player award.

The season ended with newcomers Eirikssonia University, of Buffalostan claiming the championship over fellow newcomers St John's Island University – of Silver Beach – in the final^[6]. Other matchups of note include University of Utica and University of Arkinesia facing off in the Woodlands Conference Championship game – with the Osarians prevailing – and a new rivalry between Colden University and Ramusok Capital University emerging, as RCU swept the Churchmanians and then beat them in the Horizon Conference Championship game.

NSCF 3

Main article: NSCF 3

For the third season the NSCF expanded by three more teams, to 35. The league also expanded to five conferences, instead of four, although the conferences themselves shrank to seven teams each. The regular season therefore shrank to a 12 game season, also. The playoffs were expanded to a 16-team bracket, with the top two teams from each conference, and the six teams with the best records outside of those gaining an invite to the post-season. Different from last year, there were not any conference championship games.

The regular season saw some surprises – particularly early on – with established teams losing to new schools, such as Utica losing to newcomers Frbiba State University in week two^[7]. The playoffs threw up their fair share of upsets, too. In the first round, tenth seeded Brigham Old University, of Jimmer Fredette, beat the reigning champions, Eirikssonia University^[8]. In the quarter finals, eighth seeded University of Arkinesia beat top seeded Darien-Pushania University, of Holy Marsh, who had performed beyond expectations in their debut season^[9]. Also in the quarter finals, Riversburg-Madison University of Khabarovsk Krai beat the third seeded University of Alzburg-Dyka of Mytannion^[10]. In the semi finals, the University of Utica and the University of Arkinesia renewed their rivalry, with the Osarians prevailing, before going on to face NSCF newcomers, the Frbiba State University Firebirds of Michael VII, in the final. Utica would prevail in the final with a 37–26 win^[11], becoming the first ever two-time NSCF champions.

NSCF 4

Main article: NSCF 4

NSCF 5

Main article: NSCF 5

Rankings & Records

Team	Total Wins	Rank Pts	ELO
University of Alzburg-Dyka	60	6.078	2692
Port Salem University	47	4.833	2675
University of Utica	69	4.542	3251
Frbiba State University	48	4.493	2079
Scott City University	36	4.196	1328

During each season, unofficial overall standings are tabulated and maintained by Osarius Sports Network^[12], while official standings – and seedings – are published by Churchmanian sports media in conjunction with NSCF headquarters. A coefficient system – based heavily on the international rankings formula formerly used by the World Bowl Committee for each World Bowl – was implemented at the end of season two, using team records for the previous two seasons^[13].

Currently, the formula is applied, and rankings calculated, by NSCF headquarters, in Churchma. The exact wording of the article – to be included in the proposed NSCF Constitution currently under discussion – is:

The current ranking formula gives more weight to recent results than past results, and takes into account every result across a season, including playoff appearances. It also does not guarantee the champions of a season will get the most rank points in calculation, meaning it is possible to be the reigning NSCF champion, but not even be ranked in the top 5.

Season	Team
NSCF 1	University of Utica
NSCF 2	Eirikssonia University
NSCF 3	University of Utica
NSCF 4	University of Arkinesia
NSCF 5	Frbiba State University
NSCF 6	University of Alzburg-Dyka

To the right is a list of all NSCF Championship winning sides, and below is a selection of NSCF records compiled by Osarius Sports Network, for their Oracle column:

• Most wins: 69 wins –  University of Utica (6 seasons)
• Fewest wins: 0 wins – Hudson University
• Highest win %:
• Longest streak without a loss: 15 games –  Port Salem University (Matchday 1, Season 4 – Round-of-16, Season 4)
• Longest streak without a win:
• Biggest margin of victory:

Regular season:

by home team: 53 points –  Fair Haven State 68,  St. John's Island 15 (Week 3, Season 3)

by visiting team: 58 points –  Colden 70,  Braven 12 (Week 11, Season 2)

Post-season:

by home team: 30 points –  Colden 20,  Utica 50 (Playoff Round One, Season 3)

by visiting team: 28 points –  Utica 52,  Port Salem 24 (Quarter Final, Season 3)

on neutral ground: 13 points –  Ramusok Capital 31,  Arkinesia 44 (Semi Final, Season 1)

• Highest scoring game:

Regular season: 91 points –  Scott City 21,  Eirikssonia 71 (Week 1, Season 3)

Post-season: 95 points –  St. John's Island 34,  Frbiba State 61 (Playoff Round One, Season 3)

• Lowest scoring game:

Regular season: 3 points –  Northern Dinagat State 0,  St. John's Island 3

Post-season: 9 points –  Oklahoma City State 3,  Utica 6

• Individual Season Stats:

NSCF 1:

• Best regular season record:  University of Arkinesia (9-0)
• Worst regular season record: Novibruk University (1-8)
• Highest points total: University of Utica, 306 points
• Lowest points total: Middle Point Academy, 116 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG: University of Utica, 27.818 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: Middle Point Academy, 12.889 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG: Sniper University, 31 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG:  University of Arkinesia, 13.091 points
• Longest winning streak:  University of Arkinesia, 9 wins
• Longest winless streak: Novibruk University, 7 losses

NSCF 2:

• Best regular season record:  Colden University (12-2)
• Worst regular season record: University of Strausen (3-11)
• Highest points total:  Colden University, 501 points
• Lowest points total: University of Strausen, 207 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG:  Colden University, 33.4 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: University of Strausen, 14.786 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG: University of Goram City, 26.286 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG:  Ramusok Capital University, 18.5 points

NSCF 3:

• Best regular season record: Darien-Pushania University (11-1)
• Worst regular season record: Munich University (3-9)
• Highest points total: University of Utica, 511 points
• Lowest points total: Botros College, 156 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG: University of Utica, 31.938 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: Botros College, 13 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG:  Stoneshore College, 28 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG: University of Port Salem, 15.857 points

NSCF 4:

• Best regular season record: University of Port Salem (14-0)
• Worst regular season record: Hudson College (0-14)
• Highest points total:  University of Arkinesia, 415 points
• Lowest points total: Hudson College, 53 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG: University of Port Salem, 25.813 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: Hudson College, 3.786 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG: Hudson College, 30.714 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG:  Frbiba State University, 5 points

NSCF 5:

• Best regular season record:  University of Alzburg-Dyka (10-0)
• Worst regular season record: Janwick University (1-9)
• Highest points total: University of Port Salem, 288 points
• Lowest points total: DeLong E&M, 45 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG: University of Port Salem, 24 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: DeLong E&M, 3.462 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG: Janwick University, 29.3 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG:  University of Alzburg-Dyka, 6.75 points

NSCF 6:

• Best regular season record: University of Port Salem (9-1)
• Worst regular season record: HUGE (1-9)
• Highest points total: University of Port Salem, 407 points
• Lowest points total: Green Coast University, 55 points
• Highest average Offensive PPG:University of Port Salem, 27.133 points
• Lowest average Offensive PPG: Green Coast University, 5 points
• Highest average Defensive PPG: Hulkamaniacs Understand Getting Educated, 27.6 points
• Lowest average Defensive PPG:  Frbiba State University, 4.733 points

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. So far, no team finishing a season as runner-up has progressed beyond the first round of the playoffs.

• NSCF 1 Runners-up; University of Arkinesia – Eliminated in Conference Championship round of NSCF 2
• NSCF 2 Runners-up; University of St. John's Island – Eliminated in First round of NSCF 3 playoffs
• NSCF 3 Runners-up; Frbiba State University – Eliminated in First round of NSCF 4 playoffs
• NSCF 4 Runners-up; Utica University – Eliminated in Conference Championship round of NSCF 5
• NSCF 5 Runners-up; University of Arkinesia – Did not make the playoffs in NSCF 6

Notes and References