How Many Games Are In Football

How Many Games are in Football? A Complete Guide

Figuring out how many games a football team plays can be a bit tricky. It’s not always the same for every league or level of football. We’re going to break it all down so it’s easy to understand, whether you’re talking about the NFL, college football, or even a local high school team. There are various factors influencing the total number of games, such as league rules, playoffs, and even international competitions. Let’s dive in and see how many games to expect in different types of football.

The National Football League (NFL): A Look at the Professional Level

When most people think about football, the NFL often comes to mind first. The NFL has a specific schedule structure that determines how many games each team plays. Here’s how it works:

Regular Season Games

Each NFL team plays 17 regular season games. That’s a change from the previous 16 games that happened before 2021. This change added an extra week of action for all teams. The schedule is designed to make sure that teams play others within their own division twice, and then rotate through other divisions on a predetermined schedule. This structure ensures that teams play a variety of opponents throughout the year, not just their rivals within the same division.

• Each team plays 6 games against their division rivals (2 games against each of the 3 other teams).
• Each team plays 4 games against a division from their conference (rotating annually).
• Each team plays 4 games against a division from the other conference (rotating annually).
• Each team plays 3 games against other teams in the same conference that finished in the same position in their division the previous year (rotating annually).

These combinations result in each team playing 17 games in the regular season. It’s a mix of rivalries and cross-conference battles.

Playoff Games

After the regular season, the top teams from each conference head to the playoffs. The number of playoff games depends on how far a team advances. Each conference has 7 teams that qualify for the playoffs. Here’s a breakdown:

• Wild Card Round: 6 games (3 in each conference)
• Divisional Round: 4 games (2 in each conference)
• Conference Championship Games: 2 games (1 in each conference)
• Super Bowl: 1 game

A team that makes it to the Super Bowl from the Wild Card round will have played 4 playoff games. The teams that were the top seed in each conference will have played 3 playoff games. Therefore, an NFL team could play a total of either 17 + 3 = 20 games or 17 + 4 = 21 games in one season if they make a deep playoff run. It depends on where they are seeded at the start of the playoffs.

College Football: A Different Ball Game

College football has a different structure than the NFL. The number of games can vary from conference to conference and depends on the team’s schedule. It is more complex because there are many different conferences and divisions.

Regular Season Games

A typical college football regular season includes around 12 games. However, this can fluctuate based on conference rules. Some teams might play 11, and in rare cases some team will have a 13 game schedule. Usually these extra games are due to scheduling against teams outside of their conference.

College football schedules will generally include games against:

• Teams within their conference.
• A few non-conference opponents from different schools.
• There are rivalry games with teams that are not in their conference, but are close geographically to them.

Each conference sets its schedule, which can lead to different numbers of games within the conference. For example, a team in the Big Ten Conference might play nine conference games, while a team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) might play eight conference games. The number of out-of-conference games can also vary based on these scheduling agreements.

Bowl Games and Playoffs

Unlike the NFL, college football uses a bowl system instead of a single playoff structure. Many different bowl games are played each year. The top teams from each conference go to bowl games, which they play after the regular season has ended. The top 4 teams advance to the college football playoffs. Here is how that playoff system looks:

• First Round: 4 games
• Semi-Final Round: 2 games
• National Championship Game: 1 game

This makes up the college football playoffs. So, if a team were to play in a bowl game and make it all the way to the National Championship, they would play 3 additional games. This could mean a team in college football could potentially play 12+3 = 15 games in one year.

High School Football: Local Games

High school football differs from the NFL and college football. The number of games played depends greatly on the state and the rules of the school’s league or conference. High school football games are usually played once a week, typically on Friday evenings, or sometimes on Saturday afternoons. The length of the season depends on the league or state rules.

Regular Season Games

Most high school football teams play around 8 to 10 games in a regular season. The length depends on the high school league and state policies. Many states will also have a division system for high school football. These divisions will often be based on the size of the high school. There can also be leagues within each division. For instance, a team may be in Class 4A (a designation based on school size) and the “Suburban Conference,” as an example. Smaller schools with fewer students will often play fewer games. The level of play is less physically demanding, and it is not necessary to have more games at this level.

Playoff Games

Many state high school leagues use playoff systems that include a tournament style playoff bracket. The number of teams involved varies by state. Often times the top 4 teams in each league qualify for the playoff tournament. The teams then play a single elimination tournament, to determine who will be crowned the state champion. This will generally add anywhere from 1 to 5 games onto a high school team’s season, if they make a deep playoff run. Therefore a high school team could play 8+5=13 total games in a season if they had a deep playoff run.

Other Types of Football

Beyond the popular levels of football discussed earlier, other types of football also have their own game schedules. Let’s explore some of them.

Canadian Football League (CFL)

The Canadian Football League operates differently than the NFL. The CFL plays 18 regular season games, before they move into a playoff system. This playoff system is a bit different than the NFL, as the top team in each division gets a first round bye in the playoffs, and the 2nd and 3rd place teams play each other in an initial playoff matchup. The winning team from that initial playoff game will then face the top seeded team in the division for the division championship. The winners of each division championship then face each other in the league’s final championship game. Therefore, the maximum amount of games a CFL team could play in a season is 18+3=21 games.

Arena Football League (AFL)

The Arena Football League had a unique structure, typically playing 16-20 regular-season games, depending on the season. The number of playoff games varied based on league format, but it usually involved several rounds of competition. The Arena Football League ceased operations in 2019, so that information is mainly used as a point of reference. The league was based on having smaller teams with a different set of rules. The format is generally very high scoring. This level of play is considered minor league football, and is generally not viewed as a major level of football competition.

International Football

International football competitions vary quite a bit and can take many different forms. These leagues can include competitions like the American Football World Cup. Various smaller national leagues exist as well, in countries all around the world. For example, the German Football League (GFL) has a specific number of regular season games, followed by a set of playoff games to determine the national champion. These smaller leagues usually have between 10 and 16 regular season games, and include a smaller playoff bracket compared to the NFL.

Factors Affecting Game Count

Several factors can affect the number of games a football team plays in a season. These elements can change how much football there is in a particular season. Here are some of the key factors:

League Structure

The specific rules of each league play a major role in determining how many games are played. The NFL’s 17-game structure is very specific and does not vary. In college football the schedule is a mix of games from within the conference, and from outside of the conference. This can lead to a number of different game counts from team to team. High school football games are determined by state rules and league rules. Other league’s rules, like those of the CFL are also very specific, and generally will not change. Each league has its own set of rules, that will often determine how many games are played each year.

Playoff Formats

The structure of playoffs, be it for the NFL, college, or even high school, also has a big impact on how many total games a team plays. Teams that go far in the playoffs can play many more total games, than teams that have an early playoff exit. The NFL is a single elimination playoff, with 7 teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs. In college football, the top 4 teams advance to the national championship tournament, with all other teams being funneled into various bowl games. The number of playoff games in high school can vary wildly from state to state. A deep playoff run will increase the amount of games played significantly at any level of football.

Scheduling Agreements

Inter-conference games, out of conference games, and rivalry games play a role in how many total games a team plays. When colleges make scheduling agreements for games, these can be a non-conference games and sometimes can also change the amount of games they play each year. Rivalry games that occur outside of normal league play can also increase the amount of games on the schedule.

Bye Weeks

Many different leagues also include what are known as “bye weeks.” These bye weeks are a week in which a team does not play a game. This can help to keep the players rested throughout the year. The NFL and college football will often incorporate these bye weeks into their schedule. These bye weeks add another week to a team’s schedule. However, they don’t actually add another football game.

International Games

The NFL has started to include international games in its schedule in recent years. These international games occur outside of the normal US markets. These games are typically still considered part of the regular 17-game schedule. This does not increase the amount of games each team will play in a season. The game is still a normal part of the schedule, it is only played in a different location. The goal is to increase the popularity of the sport.

Understanding the different structures and schedules at each level of football helps you have a better picture of how many total games a team might play in a single season. The NFL is often the first type of football that people think of, but there are many other levels of play, each with their own specific amount of games.

In summary, the question of “how many games are in football” is not a simple one. It depends entirely on the level of football we’re talking about. The NFL has its structured 17-game regular season and playoffs. College football has its bowl game system, with different rules for each conference. And high school football varies state by state and league by league. By understanding the different structures, you’ll have a better idea of how much football you can enjoy in each season.