cfb-data

name	cfb-data
description	College Football (CFB) data via ESPN public endpoints — scores, standings, rosters, schedules, game summaries, play-by-play, rankings, injuries, futures, team/player stats, and news for NCAA Division I FBS. Zero config, no API keys. Use when: user asks about college football scores, standings, rankings, team rosters, schedules, game results, play-by-play, injuries, betting futures, team/player statistics, or CFB news. Don't use when: user asks about NFL (use nfl-data), college basketball (use cbb-data), or non-sports topics.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"machina-sports","version":"0.1.0","machina":{"categories":["sports-data","college-football"],"pricing_tier":"free","integrations":[],"vault_keys":[],"commands":[{"name":"get_scoreboard","summary":"Live or recent CFB scores. Filter by date, week, conference, or limit.","returns":"events[]"},{"name":"get_standings","summary":"Standings by conference. Use the `group` param for SEC, ACC, etc.","returns":"conferences[]"},{"name":"get_teams","summary":"All 750+ FBS teams with id, name, abbreviation, logo, location.","returns":"teams[]"},{"name":"get_team_roster","summary":"Full roster for a team — players, positions, jerseys, height/weight.","returns":"athletes[]"},{"name":"get_team_schedule","summary":"Season schedule for one team — opponent, date, score (if played), venue.","returns":"events[]"},{"name":"get_game_summary","summary":"Detailed box score, scoring plays, and leaders for a single game.","returns":"{ game_info, competitors, boxscore, scoring_plays, leaders }"},{"name":"get_rankings","summary":"AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, and CFP rankings — rank, previous, record, votes.","returns":"polls[]"},{"name":"get_news","summary":"CFB news articles, optionally filtered by team.","returns":"articles[]"},{"name":"get_play_by_play","summary":"Full drive + play-by-play breakdown for a game.","returns":"drives[]"},{"name":"get_schedule","summary":"Season schedule by week — filter by conference group.","returns":"events[]"},{"name":"get_injuries","summary":"Injury reports across every team.","returns":"teams[]"},{"name":"get_futures","summary":"Futures markets (National Championship, Heisman, etc.).","returns":"futures[]"},{"name":"get_team_stats","summary":"Team statistical profile by category — value, rank, per-game.","returns":"stats[]"},{"name":"get_player_stats","summary":"Player statistical profile.","returns":"stats[]"}],"runtime":{"cli":"machina sports cfb","sample_command":"machina sports cfb get_scoreboard"},"references":{"api":"references/api-reference.md","conferences":"references/conference-ids.md","teams":"references/team-ids.md"}}}

College Football Data (CFB)

Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, conference IDs, team IDs, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills cfb get_scoreboard
sports-skills cfb get_rankings
sports-skills cfb get_standings --group=8

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season year is derived from the system prompt's currentDate — never hardcoded.
• For standings, the group parameter is set to the correct conference ID (see references/api-reference.md).
• If only a team name is provided, use get_teams to resolve the team ID.

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., currentDate: 2026-02-28 → current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify: The CFB season runs August–January. If the current month is February–July (offseason), use season = current_year - 1. From August onward, use the current year.

Important: College vs. Pro Differences

• Standings are per-conference — use the group parameter to filter
• Rankings replace leaders — college uses AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, and CFP rankings
• Ranked teams have a rank field (null = unranked) on scoreboard competitors
• Week-based schedule — like NFL, college football uses week numbers

Commands

Command	Description
get_scoreboard	Live/recent college football scores
get_standings	Standings by conference (use group parameter)
get_teams	All 750+ FBS college football teams
get_team_roster	Full roster for a team
get_team_schedule	Schedule for a specific team
get_game_summary	Detailed box score and scoring plays
get_rankings	AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, CFP rankings
get_news	College football news
get_play_by_play	Full play-by-play for a game
get_schedule	Season schedule by week
get_injuries	Injury reports across all teams
get_futures	Futures/odds markets (National Championship, Heisman, etc.)
get_team_stats	Team statistical profile
get_player_stats	Player statistical profile

See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Examples

Example 1: Current rankings User says: "What are the college football rankings?" Actions:

1. Call get_rankings() Result: AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, and CFP rankings with rank, previous rank, record

Example 2: Conference standings User says: "Show me SEC football standings" Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_standings(group=8, season=<derived_year>) (group 8 = SEC) Result: SEC standings with W-L records per team

Example 3: Team schedule User says: "What's Alabama's schedule this season?" Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_team_schedule(team_id="333", season=<derived_year>) Result: Alabama's full season schedule with opponent, date, score (if played)

Example 4: Weekly scores User says: "Show me this week's college football scores" Actions:

1. Call get_scoreboard() Result: All live and recent CFB games with scores and ranked status

Example 5: Heisman favorites User says: "Who's the Heisman favorite?" Actions:

1. Call get_futures(limit=10) Result: Top Heisman Trophy candidates with odds values

Example 6: Team statistics User says: "Show me Alabama's team stats" Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_team_stats(team_id="333", season_year=<derived_year>) Result: Alabama's season stats by category with value, rank, and per-game averages

Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these

• get_odds / get_betting_odds — not available. For prediction market odds, use the polymarket or kalshi skill.
• search_teams — does not exist. Use get_teams instead.
• get_box_score — does not exist. Use get_game_summary instead.
• get_player_ratings — does not exist. Use get_player_stats instead.
• get_bcs_rankings / get_playoff_rankings — does not exist. Use get_rankings instead.

If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist.

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:

1. If no events found for a date, check if it's in the off-season (CFB runs August–January)
2. If standings are empty without a group filter, try with a specific conference group
3. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

Error: sports-skills command not found Cause: Package not installed Solution: Run pip install sports-skills

Error: No games found Cause: CFB is seasonal (August–January); off-season scoreboard will be empty Solution: Use get_rankings or get_news year-round; use get_schedule to find when the season starts

Error: Too many teams returned Cause: get_teams returns 750+ FBS teams Solution: Help users narrow down by suggesting specific team IDs from references/api-reference.md, or use ESPN URLs to look up IDs

Error: Rankings empty in off-season Cause: Rankings are only published during the season and early off-season Solution: Use get_news in the offseason; rankings resume in August