NFL and college football are not the same but many people think they are. Both of these games take place in large stadiums and are broadcast to a national television audience. This makes it easy for viewers to forget that the NFL consists of the top 2% of players and only 1.6% of all draft eligible college players get drafted each year.
A lot of fans watch NFL and NCAA because they love football and the tradition that goes with it. While betting enthusiasts can enjoy
the thrill of real money sportsbetting on both leagues, there are however some differences between the two and why the NFL is typically easier to win money betting on. We have these listed below.
NFL vs NCAA
- Career Length: In college football the length of a career is between 1 and 4 years. A player’s strengths and weaknesses are uncovered just as he’s about to disappear. In NFL, a player’s career can be anywhere from 8 to 10 years. With NFL fans get to know more about the players too which is what a lot of fans want.
- Number of Teams involved: The NFL has 32 teams that are categorized evenly into eight divisions. This makes it easy to decide the postseason. With college football, the Football Bowl Subdivision has 129 teams and 130 if you count the transitional Liberty Flames. These are spread across 10 conferences and there’s some independents as well. It can be very hard to keep up with them all which is why Joe Duffy offers free NFL picks and advice during each season to make it easier to keep track of teams and games.
- Number of Players on a Roster: In professional football, there are 53 players to a team and 46 of those players are active every Sunday. In college football the rosters can have up to triple digits with some players not even having a unique uniform number. There are too many players.
- Jersey Numbers: Jersey numbers play an important role in the NFL. Numbers in the 20s, 30s, and 40s let people know that these players are running backs on offense and defensive backs on defense. Numbers in the 60s and 70s play in the trenches, and teens and 80s represent the wide receivers. This means that fans can take a look at the field and quickly see what is happening. For coaches and signal callers the numbers help to identify players and it helps with strategizing as well. In college football, the jersey numbers are random and any player in any position can wear any number. You can’t just look at the field and determine what’s happening.
- Game Length: College football games can be really long and this is because of the rule that calls for the clock to stop all the time. In NFL, the game length is set and you know exactly what you are getting and how long it’s going to take. The average game for NFL last 3 hours and 12 minutes with 12 minute halftimes.
- Feet Inbounds for a Catch: In professional football, it’s two feet whereas in college football it’s one foot. If a player straddles the sideline as he runs with the ball, his left foot on the grass and his right foot on the white he is out of bounds. If that same player jumps to catch the ball and comes down with his left foot on the green grass and the right foot on the white he will be inbounds so long as his left foot touched the ground first.
- Overtime: The different here is that with NFL overtime, players keep playing football. In the NCAA, the rules are different. If two teams are tied after the final whistle of the fourth quarter, the teams will meet at the 50-yard line for another coin flip to determine the possession of the first extra period. The teams play extra periods until there is a winner and the order of possession is changed each period. The extra period starts at the 25-yard line and each team is given the opportunity to score a touchdown or field goal. If the teams are still tied, they must play another period.
- Field Width: In a literal sense, NFL and NCAA fields are the same width but in a strategic sense, they are very different. Hash marks dictate where the ball is spotted. In NFL, these are 18 feet, 6 inches apart. In college football, they are 40 feet apart. This means that professional football games always begin near the middle of the field with equal spacing on both sides. It makes for a tight game with balanced formations and coverage to start with. In college football the game can be loose and sloppy. If the ball is all the way over on one hashmark, the formations are spread and can create space on the wide side of the first that can’t be defended.
College Football Conference Odds for 2018
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled to allow states to regulate sports betting, college football conference odds look even more enticing than usual. The first set of odds for
NCAA football teams to win their conferences are now available.
There are some favorites that are standing out so far. In the ACC it’s Clemson. In the Big 12 it’s Oklahoma. The Big Ten favours Ohio State, and the Pac-12 is Washington. The SEC favorite is Alabama. Below we are sharing the full odds for all the college football teams for 2018.
ACC
Clemson: 5/9
Miami: 5/2
Florida State: 9/2
Virginia Tech: 8/1
Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, Wake Forest: 60/1
Duke, UNC, Pittsburgh, Syracuse: 100/1
Virginia: 300/1
Big 12
Oklahoma: 5/7
Texas: 5/2
TCU: 6/1
Oklahoma State, West Virginia: 8/1
Iowa State, Kansas State: 25/1
Texas Tech: 40/1
Baylor: 80/1
Kansas: 100/1
Big Ten
Ohio State: 10/11
Wisconsin: 5/2
Michigan: 4/1
Penn State: 5/1
Michigan State: 12/1
Iowa, Nebraska: 40/1
Northwestern, Purdue: 80/1
Minnesota: 100/1
Indiana, Maryland: 300/1
Illinois, Rutgers: 1,000/1
Pac 12
Washington: 5/9
USC: 4/1
Stanford: 9/2
Oregon: 8/1
Arizona, Utah: 15/1
UCLA: 40/1
Arizona State, Colorado: 50/1
Cal, Washington State: 80/1
Oregon State: 500/1
SEC
Alabama: 5/8
Georgia: 5/2
Auburn: 7/1
Mississippi State: 12/1
Florida, LSU: 18/1
Missouri: 20/1
South Carolina, Texas A&M: 30/1
Tennessee: 100/1
Arkansas, Kentucky: 300/1,br>
Vanderbilt: 500/1
Ole Miss n/a (The NCAA’s postseason ban handed down in 2017 leave the Rebels out)
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