Are College and Pro Footballs different?

YES, The NFL and NCAA do not use the exact same specifications for their footballs, meaning the balls used in college football can be slightly smaller.

The NFL ball lacks stripes, and the college ball has two white ones painted halfway around, and although all college footballs have stripes, the balls vary a bit from team to team. That’s unlike the consistency of the NFL, where every team gets the same ball.

One constant is that college balls and NFL game balls — known as “the Duke” in honour of former New York Giants owner Wellington Mara — are all made of genuine leather. But the laces on college footballs are made of polyurethane to provide quarterbacks a better grip, while the Duke’s laces are made of extruded vinyl.

Also, The main distinction between official college footballs and those used in the NFL and other pro leagues is two 1-inch half-stripes located 3 to 3.25 inches from either end of the ball. Pro regulation footballs are made with the same materials and dimensions as the balls used by pro teams all across the continent.