Editor’s note: To read our tips for “Retro Bowl College,” click here.

I’ve written extensively about New Star Games’ mobile game “Retro Bowl” and have just picked up “Retro Bowl College.” 

If you’re a longtime player of the first game and want to pick up its sequel, here are the biggest differences you’ll notice. 

We’re not in pro football anymore

Like the NFL, “Retro Bowl” has 32 football teams you can play for and against. It also lets you start with any team you want. 

That’s not the case for “Retro Bowl College,” where there is a grand total of 250 teams. You also can’t just start with any team you want — you start right off with a limited amount of offers. So don’t think you’ll be able to necessarily start off with the Alabama Crimson Tide right off the bat. 

Your first big choice is if you want to play in the major or minor conference. I’ve so far only played in the major conference because it includes teams I’m familiar with. 

Hitting the books

You still have to manage your players condition like in “Retro Bowl,” but seeing as you’re in college, you have GPAs to manage as well. If a player’s GPA falls too low, they’ll get suspended. 

Every college is different. The one I started with requires freshman and sophomore to have a GPA of 1.0 and juniors and seniors to have at least a 1.3. In order to lift a suspension, they need to have a 1.7.

Those are low bars to clear for sure, but be sure to keep an eye on your GPAs after each game. They can creep up on you. For my starter school, I intervened whenever they dropped below a 2.0. 

Less games

The current version of “Retro Bowl” reflects the NFL’s current 17-game seasons. However, college is much shorter. 

I have not played as a minor team yet, but in the majors, I’ve gotten 14-game seasons with two bye weeks — which feels overly generous compared to “Retro Bowl.” It also gives you two weeks where you might be able to pick up your player’s GPAs if you need to. 

Different playoff picture

If you’re a wildcard team in the NFL, you might be looking at four playoff games if you make it to the Super Bowl. However, “Retro Bowl” college utilizes the bowl system, albeit under different names. 

The “Retro Bowl” franchise is not officially licensed, so instead of playing in the Orange and Cotton bowls, I’ve played in the Tangerine and Wool Bowls. 

The Bowl system allows a wide variety of teams to be considered champions in their own way, but only the top four teams get to compete for a national championship. 

How it works in “Retro Bowl College” is that the No. 1 and 4 seeds and No. 2 and 3 seeds will compete in bowl games, then the winner of those two games will face each other in the national championship. 

The scholarship system

Perhaps the biggest difference between “Retro Bowl” and “Retro Bowl College” is the fact that you’re managing finite scholarship funds, not a salary cap. 

You start each season with a set number of funds you can use to acquire freshman players, which you have to earn yourself through in-game actions like dilemmas that allow you to fundraise and encourage players to get drafted.

But you start with a cap; for me, this was $50,000. If you raise over this number, it will go to other school programs and you’ll never see it again. You can raise this limit by using coaching credits, but you shouldn’t have to. 

But what makes this system so different is that there’s no free agency. If you cut a player, you will get their scholarship money back, but there will be no one to spend it on until next season. 

Thankfully, “Retro Bowl College” seasons are short.