Football Rules Aren't the Same? College vs NFL
By Daniel Greco
Published: Sept. 30, 2017 at 04:06 a.m. Updated: Sept. 30, 2017 at 02:50 p.m.
Football season means weekends are filled with nearly non-stop games. Whether you're watching college ball or the NFL, football is football. Surely the way it's played is the same?
Not quite. There are some variations in the game that can make NCAA football very different from the pro game.
Every fan is their own living room referee, but let's review some important rule differences, so you know when you should or shouldn't be outraged about a call, depending on whether it's Saturday or Sunday.
Is the player down when he's down?
Is the player down when they're down, or do they need to be touched when they're down? By the way, this has nothing to do with touchdowns. I can kinda see why new fans sometimes feel like learning football rules is like learning a new language.
How many times have we seen NFL plays where defenders assume a wide receiver is down once his knee hits the ground, only for the ball carrier to get up and keep running because they weren't touched and the ref hadn't blown the whistle?
Well, in college football, once the player's knee or elbow hits the turf, they are down and the play is over. No need for a defender to touch them because, y'know, germs.
From Wiki:
Down by contact rule:
NFL: Yes, a player is active until he is tackled or forced down by a member of the opposing team.
NCAA: No, a player is automatically ruled down when any part of his body other than the feet or hands touches the ground
From Rulesofsport.com:
#smhDown by Contact
This is a significant difference between the NFL and NCAA football. In the NFL, you have to be forced down for a play to be over. That means if a player slips or trips without contacting another player, they can pick themselves up and continue the play. In college football, a play is over as soon as any part of the body touches the ground that isn’t the player’s hands or feet. It does not matter whether there was any contact from the opposition or not.
