Bethereum’s American Football Betting Series — Part 4: The Differences Between the NFL and NCAA
Have you heard? American football is now available on Bethereum! To help you get ready to win, we started the Bethereum American Football Betting Series.
Have questions about betting on American football? Our American football expert Michael Luchies will be answering your questions in the final part of this six-part series. Ask your questions here!
In this edition of the series, we’ll look at the differences between the two primary forms of American football — NCAA and the NFL. Both forms of American football offer unique opportunities for bettors. Getting to know each will help you understand where these opportunities are. Let’s start by taking a quick look at what each is, followed by the similarities and the differences between the two.
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is the primary form of professional American football. It includes two conferences — the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference includes four divisions (North, East, South, and West) and four teams in each division for a total of 16 teams in each conference and 32 teams in the NFL.
The NFL is overseen by a commissioner. The NFL Commissioner is Roger Goodell.
Here are a few quick things to know about the NFL:
· Players are well-compensated, with many earning millions of dollars a year.
· A team has 53 players, not including their practice squad.
· Teams play a 16-game regular season followed by the playoffs.
· The playoffs consist of 12 total teams and include 4 rounds, ending in the Super Bowl.
· Dirty plays and conduct off the field can result in fines and suspensions.
· Each year, there is an NFL draft. In the NFL draft, players from the NCAA are selected by NFL teams through 7 rounds. The worst team gets the best draft picks, meaning they are more likely to draft better players if they choose correctly.
· Each team is held to a salary cap, which is $188.2 million in 2019. All 53-players must fit within this cap.
· Teams have a wide array of coaches, including special teams, offensive and defensive coordinators, a head coach, and coaches for positions (running back, wide receivers, offensive and defensive lines, etc.).
NCAA
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) football is amateur American football. These players are considered to be “student-athletes.” Players must attend a university and remain in good academic standing in order to play for that school’s team. Although they are not paid and often must pay to attend their college and/or for room and board, there is current legislation being passed in several states that will allow college players to earn money off of their likeness being used in video games, merchandise, and more.
The NCAA is a large organization, structured as a nonprofit, that has rules schools, students, and athletic programs must follow in order to play.
Here are a few quick things to know about NCAA football:
· There are several divisions of college football, but the premier division is known as FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).
· In FBS, there are currently 130 teams that are divided into conferences.
· Although each team is in the same division, not all teams have a chance at winning the championship due to a complicated ranking and bowl system, and due to their only being 4 spots in the playoffs.
· College teams play 12 regular-season games, and if they qualify (6-win minimum), can play in a postseason bowl game at a neutral location.
· Many large colleges attract more fans to a game than NFL teams. There are stadiums that hold 100,000+ fans, while most NFL stadiums hold around 50–70,000 fans.
· Due to a wide variance in the level of competition, college games have much wilder swings, meaning it’s not unusual for a game to end 54–0, while that would be unprecedented in the NFL.
· Games are often faster paced and higher scoring than NFL games.
Similarities Between NFL and NCAA Football
The basics are the same, and watching a game of college or NFL football is very similar. On each play, there will still be 11 players on each team on the field. There are four quarters of 15-minutes and teams still need to earn first downs of ten yards and score points to win a game (all scoring is the same). Teams have the same type of coaching structure and formations and playbooks are similar, although you’re likely to find many different types of unique play styles among the 130 FBS teams than you will in the NFL.
Differences Between NFL and NCAA American Football
There are many seemingly minor changes in the game of college football when compared to the NFL, but it makes a big difference. We’ll start with the fact that the maximum career length of a college football player (there are exceptions) is four years, and many play for less if they are good enough to be drafted into the NFL. NFL players can have careers of 10–15 years or even longer at positions that don’t require speed or are less likely to incur injuries (kicker, long snapper, quarterback).
Additional differences between the NFL and NCAA include:
· Overtime: Both teams get the ball on offense from the opponents 30-yard line in college football. In NFL, play is the same as in regulation, and if the first team to receive the ball scores a touchdown, they win. Ties are also possible in the NFL but not possible in college football.
· There are no team owners in college football. Teams are operated by universities.
· College football has a ranking system (top 25) that is heavily relied upon in the media and for bowl games and the playoffs.
· In college football, players can transfer schools, but they often have to give up a year of eligibility, depending on the circumstances. In the NFL, players get signed by new teams or traded.
· Penalties: In the NFL, pass interference is a “spot foul,” while it’s 15 yards in college football.
Learn more about the differences between NFL and NCAA football here: NFL and College Football Are Not the Same Game (Sports Illustrated)
Bethereum American Football Betting Series
Part 1: Basic NFL Terms and Scoring
Part 2: The Positions and Roles
Part 3: What to Know as a First-Time Viewer
This series of articles is written by Michael Luchies. Read more of Michael’s articles on his Medium.
