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The differences in college and pro football rules are minor, but they are noticeable to the steady fan, and they definitely have an impact on strategy during the game. Both sports modify their rules at annual meetings, with an eye toward enhancing the game. The NFL typically makes more changes each year to try to fix small problems and maintain a balance between offense and defense. Rules changes in college football are usually pitched as concepts that will help increase the safety for guys who are not as amazing athletically as the pros.

A few key differences and their impact.

1. Feet inbounds when catching the ball. In the pros, you need one foot inbounds for a catch to be legitimate (as long as the other foot is in the air). In college, both feet have to land inbounds. The difference gives pro players more of a chance for a spectacular catch - while leaving them more stretched out and vulnerable to being hit hard while stretched.

2. Clock stopped on a first down. In college, the clock stops when a team makes a first down; in the NFL, it doesn't. The difference means that at the end of a game, a college team can sometimes move down the field more quickly than the pros, by going for first down after first down. A pro team will run out of time unless its player runs out of bounds, or they do other things to "stop the clock." The idea in college is to give less talented players enough time to go for the exciting touchdown or field goal at the end - and it works as intended.

3. Quarterback in the grasp. In the NFL, a quarterback can be considered tackled even when he isn't, if the official thinks he is going to be tackled, but might be hurt if the play continues. In college, the QB is not tackled until he is actually tackled. This is a case where the NFL is trying to enhance protection, as QB's are really vulnerable to the uniformly huge, strong, and fast defensive players who can end a season or career with a vicious tackle. The rule kind of works, though inevitably a strong QB argues he could have broken out of a tackle if given a chance.

4. Are you down without being touched? In the NFL, if you have the ball and fall down, but you were not pushed down by the defense and weren't touched by the defense, you can get up and run. In college, if you fall down, that's it. The NFL allows for this play because it makes things more exciting; college doesn't allow it because of the injury risk of a guy getting smacked as he's trying to get up.

5. Pass interference. In the NFL, on a pass interference penalty, the ball goes where the penalty occurred, even if it's 50 yards down the field. In college, it's a 15 yard penalty, maximum. This helps keep the balance in college, where some teams are far superior to their opponents.

6. Instant replay. I won't begin to try to explain the differences in instant replay rules, except to say that the NFL has had a system in place longer, and that it allows teams more discretion to seek to have a play reviewed. In college, it's up to the referees to decide to review a play.

7. Number of players on a team. The NFL limits teams to 49 players on the "active" roster each week. In college, it's about 90 players. Obviously, not all players actually get on the field, but college teams have more options when guys get hurt, or to substitute in large numbers on hot days.

Does one set of rules make one game experience better than the other? I don't think so. At either level, a football game can be a exciting and exhilariting, or it can be a dull, sloppy, lopsided affair. Either way, it's 11 guys on each team, and the bigger, faster, tougher guys usually win.

Learn more about this author, B. B. James.
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