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College Football Rules vs. NFL: Key Differences

Even though the game on the field looks the same, there’re some subtle rule and field specification differences between college and professional football. Those differences affect the strategies that coaches use on offense and defense. National Football League (NFL) games are shorter in overall duration, averaging 3 hours and 12 minutes in 2024. College games averaged 3 hours and 27 minutes. The NFL averaged 153 plays per game in 2023. In 2024, a college game averaged 175 plays. The compacted action means that there’re fewer points scored per team in the NFL. In 2024, the NFL averaged 22.9 points per team. The top 97 college teams averaged over 22.9 points per game in 2024. Because there’re fewer plays and less scoring, NFL offenses must be more disciplined and precise.

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Field Dimensions & Equipment Specifications

NFL football fields are slightly larger than college fields, but their rosters are smaller. Below is a description of some of the main differences between the field dimensions and equipment in the NFL and college.

 

  • Field Dimensions: A college football field is 120 yards long and 53.5 yards wide. The playing area for a football team is 100 yards. Each end zone is 10 yards deep. In the NFL, the field is 120 by 60. The extra 6.5 yards of width in the NFL gives receivers and running backs more room to make plays on the outside because the field is less crowded. It also makes covering punts and kicks more difficult because there’s more space to cover.  

  • Hash Marks: Hash marks are white lines drawn into the field that help officials spot the ball after a play is dead. In the NFL, the hash marks are 18 feet 6 inches apart. In college, the hash marks are 40 feet apart. Officials usually mark the ball on the hash marks for every play. Because the NFL hash marks are narrower, the game is played more in the center of the field. That can make a difference in what plays the coaches call on offense. 

  • Football: An NFL football can be slightly bigger than a college football. College footballs are 10.5 inches to 11.5 inches long and they’re 27 to 28.5 inches in circumference. An NFL football is 11 to 11.25 inches long and they’re 28 to 28.5 inches in circumference. College footballs have white stripes painted on them and NFL footballs don’t. The stripes can make the football easier to see. College receivers who make it to the NFL sometimes have difficulty adjusting to the bigger size, which makes it harder to catch the football. 

  • Roster Size: The NFL has 53 players on each of its rosters with 46 available for game day. College football has a roster size of 120, all of whom can be on the sidelines for games and are eligible to play.

 

Key Differences Between College Football Rules & NFL Rules

Perhaps the most significant difference between the NFL and college football is the overtime rule. NFL games in the regular season can still end in ties. In college, the overtime is sudden death. Sudden death means that both teams get a chance to score. If one team scores, and the other team doesn’t score, the game ends with the last team to score as the winner. Here’s some other key differences between the NFL and college:

 

  • Overtime: College football has a sudden death overtime rule without a clock. The NFL has one 15-minute overtime period that could end in a tie if neither team scores. In the post season, the NFL overtime rule is sudden death, but the clock is still used. In college, teams start at the 25 and have four downs to score. In the NFL, the game resumes the same way it was played in regulation after a coin toss and kickoff. The only difference between regulation and overtime is that the OT quarter is 10 minutes. In regulation, the quarters are 15 minutes. 

  • Clock Management: In college football, the clock stops after a team makes a first down. In the NFL, the clock doesn’t stop after a first down. This makes it easier for college teams to move the ball down the field in the final minutes of the half if they’re trailing and need to score.  

  • Catching the Football: In college, a receiver only needs to catch the football with 1 foot inbound for it to be a legal pass. In the NFL, a player needs to come down with both feet inbound for it to be legal. 

  • Defensive Holding: In the NFL, defensive holding is a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down. In college, defensive holding is a 10-yard penalty and an automatic first down. 

  • Pass Interference: In college, the penalty is 15 yards and an automatic first down. In the NFL, it’s a spot foul and an automatic first down. A spot foul means the ball is moved to where the foul occurred. For instance, if a defensive player commits pass interference at the 1-yard line, the ball is placed at the 1. 

  • Down by Contact: In the NFL, an offensive player with the football can keep the play alive if their knee touches the ground but they aren’t touched by a defensive player. In college, the play ends when the ball carrier’s knee touches the ground. 

  • Extra-Point Kicks: In the NFL, the ball is placed at the 15-yard line for an extra point. Since the uprights are placed at the back of the endzone, which is 10-yards deep, it’s a 32-yard kick. It’s 32 yards because the center snaps the ball to the kicker, who’s 7 yards out. In college football, the ball is placed at the 3-yard line, making it a 20-yard kick. 

  • Kickoffs: In 2024, the NFL instituted the dynamic kickoff rule to try to give the receiving team a chance to make long kickoff returns. Kickoff returns for touchdowns are some of the most exciting plays in football. The dynamic kickoff rule means that the kicking team can’t start running downfield until the ball is touched, or it hits the ground. In college football, the kickoff team can start running downfield as soon as the ball is kicked. 

  • Booth Review: Any play in college football can be reviewed by officials in a booth who have access to the instant replay. If necessary, the officials can reverse an incorrect call. Those reviews are initiated by the officials. In the NFL, coaches must initiate a booth review. They have two challenges per half to try to change a call on the field. If the challenge fails, the coach is charged a timeout. In the last 2 minutes of a game, booth reviews are initiated by the officials in the NFL.

 

The rules will continue to change in both the NFL and college. College football will limit roster sizes to 105 starting with the 2025 season and the NFL is considering changing its overtime rules. Both leagues constantly monitor how the rules affect the overall game. They’re always trying to make the game better for players and fans.