While discussing the current NFL referee strike one of the ESPN commentators said that college football referees would have a hard time working NFL games because there are over 60 differences in the rules. Is that statement true? I can think of the following differences, but the list is a lot shorter than 60.
(And as an aside to you soccer people, I am using the term “football” to cover what you would call “American football.” If you don’t like that, too bad.)
Anyway, as I see it the differences are:
The overtime rules. In the NFL its sudden death, while in the NCAA it isn’t.
A receiver catching a pass near the sidelines only has to land on one foot in college ball, and two in the pros.
The goal posts are higher and narrower in pro ball than in college ball.
The hash marks are wider in college than in pro football.
At the opening coin flip, whoever wins the flip can defer until the second half. In the pros they can’t do that.
In college the clock stops after every 1st down until the chains are moved. In the pros they don’t do this.
In the pros they stop the clock with 2 minutes left in each half. In the colleges they don’t do this.
A big difference: in college, if a ball carrier falls down, the play is dead, even if no one has touched him. In the NFL, if a ball carrier goes down (slipping on wet grass, tripping over a teammate, etc.), and no defender has touched him, he can get up and keep running.
The NFL and NCAA use the same goalposts now, so that’s not a difference.
A big difference is pass interference. In the NFL, defensive pass interference is always marked at the spot of the foul. In the NCAA, it’s at the spot of the foul if it’s less than 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. If it’s more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage, you only get 15 yards. The rules are also different for pass interference in the end zone.
In college football, punt returners have to be given a two yard “halo” around them that the defense can’t enter until they touch the ball. In the NFL, the only restriction is that you can’t hit the punt receiver before he touches the ball.
NFL kickoffs are from the 30, NCAA from the 35.
The NCAA gives teams 25 seconds between plays but don’t start counting until the ball is ready for play. In the NFL, you get 40 seconds, but the clock starts once the previous play ends (although there are exceptions.)
There are numerous differences in other rules regarding timing.
In college football, the defense can return a missed extra point (1 or 2 point variety) the length of the field for 2 points for the defense. In the NFL, if you attempt to kick an extra point and it’s blocked the play is over. In the NCAA, if the attempt is blocked the offense can pick it up and try to run it in for two points.
In the NFL, on a punt, only the two outside men on the punt team can leave the line of scrimmage before the ball is kicked. In the NCAA, everybody can go downfield.
I apologize for mentioning some that have been listed before.