The popular image of college football is that of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I programs whose nationally known student athletes participate in televised bowl games before being drafted by the National Football League (sometimes entering the draft before finishing college). The salaries of Division I team coaches can outstrip those of their university presidents, not to mention those of their faculty, by millions of dollars. However, college football is also popular at smaller institutions whose players rarely go on to professional football careers or participate in nationally televised bowl games as college athletes. Indeed, roughly half the smaller private colleges and universities that are members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) have football programs on their campuses. The recent adoption of football by many smaller independent colleges is the focus of this report by the College Sports Research Group at the University of Georgia. This brief delves into the effects of adopting football on recruitment and student enrollment in general, male student enrollment in particular, and net tuition revenue at CIC member campuses. In addition, the story of Berry College is recounted as a case study of a college's decision-making process with regard to the addition of football to the college's sports roster. The aim of this brief is to provide an informative examination of the role of college football at smaller independent colleges and universities.