How many rules differences can you name between NFL and College football?

Answer 1

1. Hash marks are different,
2. 1 foot versus 2 to be inbounds;
3. No touch from opposing team needed when you are down in college games;
4. NFL limits teams to 53 players;
5. NFL has a salary cap and college players can't get paid (ahem, ahem USC);
6. NFL allows teams to handle balls prior to game (except kicking balls) college requires new balls each game (no professional emblems on the balls allowed in college) ;
7. College mandates more protective gear than the NFL;
8. College players can force someone out of bounds to void a catch;
9. Overtime is different as noted above by others;
10. There is no 2 minute warning in college;
11. The clock stops after a 1st down in college until the refs move the chains, spot the ball and signal for time to begin again;
12. Clock starts differently after kicks in college and NFL;
13. In college replay officials review every play versus only in the last 2 minutes in NFL (procedure is also different);
14. Pass interference in the NFL is at the spot of the foul or 1 yard line if in the end zone while it is a 15 yard penalty in college; and,
15. Kickoff penalties are different.
I am sure there are more, but this is what I could recall.

Answer 2

Just off the top of my head:
-the 2 feet in bounds rule
-that new stupid rule in college where they kick off from the 30
-2 minute warning
-in overtime...the style of play: sudden death v/s tit for tat chances (equal number of possessions)
-I hate to go there, but the method of determining a "champion" is totally different
-if any part of a college player's anatomy touches the ground, he is down, in the NFL, he must be tackled
-2 point conversions are attempted from the three yard line in college; the two in the NFL

Answer 3

Well Overtime is run totally different. College has the both teams get a possession and Pros it is a kick-off and sudden death.
The Defensive Pass Interference Rule is different. Pros use a Spot Foul, College uses a 15 yard penalty.
In college a man is down when his knees are down. In the Pros you still have to be touched.

Answer 4

The most obvious and the one with the biggest impact is the one foot in rule in college vs the 2 feet in rule in the NFL.

Answer 5

In college, if you fall, regardless of touching or not, you are down whereas in the NFL, if you fall by yourself, you can still get up and run.

College-One foot equals in bounds
NFL-Two feet

Overtime in college is not sudden death. Each team gets a chance to top the other. In the NFL, first team to score wins.

Answer 6

Nate the Great's answer hit it right on, except starting in 2007 or 2008, the NCAA changed its play clock to 40 seconds and is run the same way as the NFL

Answer 7

The difference between college and pro at USC is only about 1,500 bucks a year.

Answer 8

the sudden death overtime in the nfl