Football is the most popular sport in the USA. To make it as clear as possible for those outside America, American football is as popular as football (meaning soccer) in the old continent. Obviously, in the States there are other sports which generate a strong following, such as basketball, baseball or hockey, but football has deeper roots and is liked by more fans, in each and every layer of the society.
The NFL, or National Football League, is the pro league, where professionals play. Here the fans can admire tremendous athletes, paid millions of dollars each season and capable to do things a lot of humans can only dream of, like jumping over a 2-metres defender or launching a football down the gridiron for 60 metres and putting it exactly in the hands of a receiver, running at full speed. The NCAAF, or National Collegiate Athletic Association Football, is the college league, reserved to student-athletes who still have to graduate from their university. This championship is reserved for students waiting to graduate, but it is extremely popular in the US, in certain areas way more than the NFL.
It is not easy to say which is more popular
Something peculiar about American football is that the NCAAF is as followed as the pro league. Going back to our comparison with football in Europe we can point out this striking difference. Not even the biggest soccer fan in England, Spain or Italy follows the youngsters with the same passion he or she uses to support the first team. In the USA, however, a lot of people, such as old students or locals, love their Alma Mater’s team as much as they do their NFL franchise of favour.
This stays true also for bettors, who can easily predict scores from the tournament they prefer. People can try their luck also with the NCAAF competition. It is possible to make predictions on the outcome of matches. For a complete overview, you can check out the following page: https://www.oddschecker.com/us/football/college-football to read all the statistics and the latest news on college football and other sports. Even during the offseason, Oddschecker regularly updates his website to keep every user informed.
When are games played in NCAAF and NFL
The NFL season and the NCAAF one are almost simultaneous. In college, teams open hostilities at the end of August, while the NFL kickoff is during the second week of September. The pro plays typically on Sundays, with a game played on Thursday (TNF, or Thursday Night Football) and another on Monday (MNF, for Monday Night Football). During the holidays, such as Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas, NFL franchises play on different days. Since 2023, there has been a Black Friday Game, aired exclusively on Amazon Prime, during Black Friday’s night.
NCAAF gamedays are usually on Saturdays. The NCAA chose this day in order to not create any problems to NFL programming, since several college teams play on the turf used by the local NFL franchise. Plus, it is a way to give fans the chance to watch both their favourite college and NFL team.
Since the NCAAF season begins early, it also ends before the NFL tournament does. The championship game was played on the 20th of January and Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in Atlanta. The Super Bowl, the final chapter of the NFL season, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, is scheduled for the 9th of February.
The season is already finished for college teams and it is coming to a close also in the NFL. In both tournaments we haven’t seen a lot of surprises. Eagles and Chiefs were among the favourites between the pros and the same could be said for Ohio State in NCAAF. Notre Dame was a bit of an outsider, but the Fighting Irish put on an amazing season and deserved their chance at the title. The Ohio State Buckeyes, though, were simply the better side.
