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of the number of plays run and the length of each drive.

-Point After Touchdown-

In NCAA football the PAT is attempted from the three-yard-line. In the NFL it's the two-yard-line.

-Two Points for the Defense-

In college football the defense can return a turnover for two points during a PAT attempt. In professional football, the offense's loss of possession simply ends the PAT attempt altogether.

-Two Minute Warning-

There is no two minute warning in NCAA football. Contrastingly, in the NFL, time is stopped and players are warned when two minutes remain in either half. This also offers a free time-out to both teams before the end of the first half and the end of the game, which is a large part of what is commonly referred to as the "two-minute offense."

-Instant Replay-

In the NFL each team is given two instant replay challenges, while in the NCAA each coach only gets one. In college ball, though, every single play can be subject to official review as chosen by an official watching the game on closed-circuit television. In the NFL this is only the case in the last two minutes of each half.

-First Down Clock Stoppage-

In college football, the game clock stops after a successful first down conversion, starting again after the officials have set the football and deemed it "ready to play." In the NFL this clock stoppage does not take place. Therefore, it can be somewhat easier for college teams to score quickly and collegiate games also tend to last a significantly longer period of time.

-Bowl Games vs. Playoffs-

In the NFL, the post-season victor is decided by a standard, bracketed playoff system, similar to the one in place in most other professional sports leagues. On the other hand, NCAA football utilizes a somewhat esoteric voting system to assign teams to "bowl games," which are the only post-season matches played each year. This eventually culminates in a national champion being selected, although the bowl game system is very controversial and each year many disputes arise over who ought to play in each bowl game.

Learn more about this author, Geoff Weed.
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