Can't you make that same educated guess based on the other players on the field in NCAA? If I see 4 WRs + Percy Harvin, I can make a pretty good guess that he's either going to be in the backfield or a fifth WR. That doesn't make a significant difference to my play call. Yes, because of some of the limitations of NCAA you're sometimes screwed on alignment, but, in this example, I need to plan for 5 WRs, regardless of whether one of them is actually lined up at RB.
Similarly, the difference between Shotgun - Normal and Shotgun - Y-Slot is 4 WR versus 3 WR/1 TE. I have to make a judgement call based on that package whether to treat 3 WR/1 TE as 4 WR threats, or as 3 WRs plus a TE that my LB can cover. Whether that TE is Aaron Hernandez, Gronk, or Jake Ballard probably will influence that decision. Whether Gronk shows up as a TE or a 4th WR is probably less important to that decision. In my opinion.
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