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Football is undoubtedly the most watched sport in America yet people don't know that there are substantial differences in the way the game is played. NFL football and NCAA football is basically the same but there are several variation between the two respective rulebooks. So here is a brief list of the differences between college and pro football.

Overtime: The NF L's sudden death overtime rule has been questioned through out the years, being compared to in my opinion the much more exciting college overtime. In college overtime each team has a chance to score with the game continuing as long as the game remains tied. In the NFL the first team to score is the winner, but there are occasionally ties which happen after a full overtime and not either team has scored. Some debate on whether or not the rule is fair and that the team who wins the coin toss will usually be the winner.

Possesion after the catch rule: In the NFL a reciever must have with two feet in with full grasp of the ball, also the player must make what is called an athletic move while having the ball firmly in they're possesion. The college rule is less complicated. All you need to do is have one foot inbounds with full possesion of the football. Sometimes you can see college players make the catch with both feet inbounds which helps them get ready for the NFL.

Time Management: In the NFL you have forty seconds to get the play in call the huddle and get the snap off. But in the NCAA you only get twenty-five seconds. Why? Because in the NFL the clock starts running right after the play ends, but in the NCAA the clock stops after a first down and starts to runoff again after the chains are set. Also, the two minute warning has a large factor in the NFL clock management, it is like a free time-out to teams hoping to build a last minute game winning drive. The NCAA unfortunately doesn't have this rule which makes it a little harder to run a "two minute offense".

Play-off formats: Due to the field of over one hundred teams that play division 1a football there is not a play off tournament in the NCAA. The national champion is determined by what is called the Bowl championship series or the BCS. The BCS is greatly questioned because people belive that it does not give all teams a fair chance to make a run for the national title. The NFL having only thirty two teams is determined by a twelve team play off tournament. In the play offs there are six teams from each conference. The four division winners and the two best non division winning teams, the winner being crowned the super bowl champion.

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