Game Status Workflow

Intro

Every NCAA Football (NCAAFB) game travels through various statuses in its lifecycle. Leverage the game status to inform on the appropriate endpoint to retrieve.

Game status is available in every Schedule and Game endpoint. To retrieve a game's initial status and schedule information it would be most appropriate to request the Season Schedule, Current Season Schedule, or Current Week Schedule endpoints.

<season xmlns="http://feed.elasticstats.com/schema/football/schedule-v7.0.xsd" id="908fbc20-f5c7-11ee-a306-c311afc28263" year="2024" type="REG" name="REG">
<game id="a23db539-d639-4113-8fbb-7117ee8ab7a9" status="scheduled" scheduled="2024-08-24T19:30:00+00:00" entry_mode="LDE" coverage="extended_boxscore" sr_id="sr:match:50078615" game_type="regular" conference_game="false">
      <venue id="dcfa24e5-a53e-4cae-92e6-d31497c5610b" name="Memorial Stadium (Stephenville, TX)" city="Stephenville" state="TX" country="USA" zip="76401" address="N Harbin Drive" capacity="10000" surface="turf" roof_type="outdoor">
        <location lat="32.2151" lng="-98.2235"/>
      </venue>
      <home id="ed05b9d3-0086-49bb-9ea5-329ab0d0729b" name="Tarleton State Texans" alias="TSU" game_number="1"/>
      <away id="efc41557-a738-43fa-9519-8fd0734923f9" name="McNeese Cowboys" alias="MCN" game_number="1"/>
      <broadcast network="ESPN2" satellite="209"/>
      <time_zones venue="US/Central" home="US/Central" away="US/Central"/>

{
  "id": "908fbc20-f5c7-11ee-a306-c311afc28263",
  "year": 2024,
  "type": "REG",
  "name": "REG",
  "weeks": [
    {
        "id": "a23db539-d639-4113-8fbb-7117ee8ab7a9",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "scheduled": "2024-08-24T19:30:00+00:00",
          "entry_mode": "LDE",
          "coverage": "extended_boxscore",
          "sr_id": "sr:match:50078615",
          "game_type": "regular",
          "conference_game": false,
          "venue": {
            "id": "dcfa24e5-a53e-4cae-92e6-d31497c5610b",
            "name": "Memorial Stadium (Stephenville, TX)",
            "city": "Stephenville",
            "state": "TX",
            "country": "USA",
            "zip": "76401",
            "address": "N Harbin Drive",
            "capacity": 10000,
            "surface": "turf",
            "roof_type": "outdoor",
            "location": {
              "lat": "32.2151",
              "lng": "-98.2235"
            }
          },
          "home": {
            "id": "ed05b9d3-0086-49bb-9ea5-329ab0d0729b",
            "name": "Tarleton State Texans",
            "alias": "TSU",
            "game_number": 1
          },
          "away": {
            "id": "efc41557-a738-43fa-9519-8fd0734923f9",
            "name": "McNeese Cowboys",
            "alias": "MCN",
            "game_number": 1
          },
          "broadcast": {
            "network": "ESPN2",
            "satellite": "209"
          },
          "time_zones": {
            "venue": "US/Central",
            "home": "US/Central",
            "away": "US/Central"
          }
        },

Coverage Levels

We provide two different levels of detail to ensure maximum coverage. We combine coverage levels with the correct feeds to ensure you are getting the most comprehensive data offering in the most efficient manner possible. The coverage level for games are listed in the schedule feeds.

Extended Boxscore - For any game involving two FCS (Division-IAA) teams or a matchup between one FCS and one non Division-I team, we will provide scores and time remaining, in a timely manner, as the game progresses. We will provide team and player level data for the game by the close of business night of.

Full - We provide live play-by-play coverage for the entire game. We provide updated scores and time remaining as well as team and player level data in near real time. Full coverage is available for any game involving an FBS (Division I-A) team and is available via a reliable video broadcast.

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Coverage levels may be adjusted up to the scheduled start time at the discretion of our data entry managers for such reasons as resource availability or possible broadcast and technical difficulties.

Recommended Endpoints per Coverage Level

Due to the differences between available coverage levels, we recommend using specific game centric feeds based on the coverage level.

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All FCS Playoff games will be covered via our Full coverage level.

Game Status Definitions

Below are each of the valid game statuses you can expect to see in the NCAAFB API. Reference these definitions for precise detail on what each game state signifies.

• scheduled – The game is scheduled to occur.
• created – Game data (rosters, officials, etc) are being pre-loaded in preparation for the game.
• inprogress – The game is in progress.
• halftime – The game is currently at halftime.
• complete – The game is over, but stat validation is not complete.
• closed – The game is over and the stats have been validated.
• cancelled – The game has been cancelled. No makeup game will be played as a result.
• postponed – The game has been postponed, to be made up at another day and time. Once the makeup game is announced, a new game and ID will be created and scheduled on the announced makeup date. You should request the Schedule feed(s) regularly to identify the re-scheduled makeup game(s).
• delayed – The scheduled game, or a game that was in progress, is now delayed for some reason.
• suspended – The game has been suspended and will be rescheduled in the future, continuing where they left off. The game ID will remain the same.
• flex-schedule – The game is currently scheduled to occur on a specific date and time, however, it will more than likely be moved to a different time for broadcast purposes.
• time-tbd – The game has been scheduled, but a time has yet to be announced.

Note:The flex-schedule status is technically supported by the NCAAFB API, but it is not currently in use.

Game Workflows

See the below diagrams for common game status flows, with context around each update.

Standard Game

Below is the flow a typical NCAAFB game from scheduled to closed.

Time-TBD

Below is the flow of a time-tbd game. Once this game reaches scheduled status it follows the Standard Game flow.

Postponed

Below is the flow of a postponed game.

Once a new game is created in scheduled status, it follows the Standard Game flow.

Suspended

Below is the flow of a suspended game.

Once a suspended game moves back to inprogress it follows the Standard Game flow.

Cancelled

Below is the flow of a cancelled game.

A cancelled game will remain in cancelled status. See game b1f28be6-ab18-4e85-95af-9c53b1e1dbc4 as an example.

Game State Samples

Click the links below for sample data of Game feeds by game state.

• scheduled
• created
• inprogress
• halftime
• complete
• closed

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Simulations

We would also suggest using our Simulations to view each of these game states and test your integration.

Weekly Data Entry

This section provides important college football data update timings for schedules, statistics, rankings, and more.

Click on the days of the week below to view the data entry workflow for each day.