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: 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: Derive season year from currentDate Call get_standings(group=8, season=) (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: Derive season year from currentDate Call get_team_schedule(team_id="333", season=) 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: 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: 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: Derive season year from currentDate Call get_team_stats(team_id="333", season_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: If no events found for a date, check if it's in the off-season (CFB runs August–January) If standings are empty without a group filter, try with a specific conference group 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