College football and the National Football League (NFL) are essentially the same sport– but with a few major differences. Players are playing the same game, but lead vastly different lives.
NFL players earn millions of dollars to win football games for their team. Playing in the NFL is a full time job. The season runs from the start of training camp in July to potentially all the way to the Super Bowl in February. In contrast, college athletes aren’t paid millions of dollars like NFL players are. Some receive scholarships, while some pay the tuition in full. College athletes have to juggle watching film of their next opponent with turning in a research paper on time. NFL players have the ability to live luxurious lives, while most college players live in dorm rooms. The game is the same but the sports themselves are vastly different.
The number of college football teams largely outweigh the number of NFL teams. The NFL has just one division with 32 teams. In contrast, according to National College Student Athlete (NCSA), there are nearly 900 college football teams. 130 teams participate in the NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is the top division in the sport. This is one of the many eye opening contrasts between college and NFL football.
There are a variety of differences between the two sports within the rule book as well. One of the most well-known being the requirement for a successful catch. In the NFL, the receiver is required to secure the ball and get two feet down in bounds to warrant a catch. In college, the receiver only has to get one foot down in bounds. Time is also a major difference: if watching NFL and college games, football fans may have noticed that college contests normally take longer to complete. This is because of the difference in operation of the game clock. In college, the game clock stops after every first down. In the NFL, the clock only stops when a player runs out of bounds, a timeout is called, or in the case of a penalty. Even though the games are the same length in both sports (four, fifteen minute quarters for a total of 60 minutes), college games typically take longer because the clock stops more frequently.
No matter how different the rules are, the factors needed for success in the two sports are the same. In order to win titles in any sport, teams need to be equipped with talented players who work well together as a team. In college, coaches travel all across the country on the recruiting trail to find talented players that fit the program’s needs. Over the past 10 seasons, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide has won four national championships, according to Sports Reference. In those years (2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017), Alabama had the number 1 recruiting class according to 247 Sports. Nick Saban brought the best of the best to Tuscaloosa, and those players delivered for the Tide when it mattered most. This shows that in order to win football games, teams have to be well-coached. Similarly, the New England Patriots’ dynasty is the most successful in the 21st century. In the history of the franchise, the Patriots have claimed six Super Bowl titles all of which have come in the past 20 years. The roster has fluctuated for the Patriots over these 20 years but two men have been there through it all: Head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Belichick and Brady are thought to be among the greatest at what they do. The Patriots have the most Super Bowls in the past 20 years because of the coach and their quarterback leading them out onto the field.
The two sports are similar and different in more ways than one can count. However, football is football and nothing can change that. Another thing that won’t change is the fact that week in week out, these two sports have fans across the country who are in love with the game.