As this time of year rolls around, a popular question pops up between football fans everywhere. How is NCAA football different from the National Football League? Although the two leagues are only one skill level away from each other, there are rules that are not the same. Rules like the in-bounds reception rule, the knee down rule, and the overtime rule all have altercations when you transfer from college football to the NFL. According to the website “Newsday,” in the 2015 Alabama vs. Ohio State Sugar Bowl game, OSU’s Michael Thomas had an amazingly athletic touchdown catch on a 13 yard pass from quarterback Cardale Jones (1). The stadium erupted and the players went wild with celebrations. If this same play was made in the NFL, it would
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This event divides the great teams from the good teams; it’s all about crunch time. Overtime circumstances in the NFL differ from the NCAA. In the NFL, there is a coin toss to decide which team gets the ball first. If the team that gets possession first scores a touchdown, the game is over, they win, and the PAT (point after touchdown) is not attempted. If that team scored a field goal instead of a touchdown, the other team will have a drive chance as well. If the second team scores a touchdown, the game is over. If they score a field goal, the two teams keep going until a touchdown is scored or a turnover is forced by the winning team. If neither team scores in their first possession, the game is ruled a draw in the regular season (Goodell 16.1). In the NCAA, there are no draws, there are continuous overtime possessions by each team until the losing team fails to score (Redding 3.1). In her article titled “The 7 Major Differences Between NFL and College Football,” Jen Stiletto says, “being the defense first is actually a good thing because you get the last shot to score.” In the NFL it’s a different case, the team that wins the coin toss will always choose to take the ball first. A lot of fans agree that a college football game that goes into overtime is more exciting to watch than an NFL game that goes into overtime because the chances to score are even to the
This event divides the great teams from the good teams; it’s all about crunch time. Overtime circumstances in the NFL differ from the NCAA. In the NFL, there is a coin toss to decide which team gets the ball first. If the team that gets possession first scores a touchdown, the game is over, they win, and the PAT (point after touchdown) is not attempted. If that team scored a field goal instead of a touchdown, the other team will have a drive chance as well. If the second team scores a touchdown, the game is over. If they score a field goal, the two teams keep going until a touchdown is scored or a turnover is forced by the winning team. If neither team scores in their first possession, the game is ruled a draw in the regular season (Goodell 16.1). In the NCAA, there are no draws, there are continuous overtime possessions by each team until the losing team fails to score (Redding 3.1). In her article titled “The 7 Major Differences Between NFL and College Football,” Jen Stiletto says, “being the defense first is actually a good thing because you get the last shot to score.” In the NFL it’s a different case, the team that wins the coin toss will always choose to take the ball first. A lot of fans agree that a college football game that goes into overtime is more exciting to watch than an NFL game that goes into overtime because the chances to score are even to the