Football Overtime Rules: NFL vs. College Explained
You can never get enough football. That’s why overtime in football is always an added bonus. It’s more football and more fun. Overtime play in the NFL (National Football League) and college, however, are different than regulation play, and different from each other. When overtime begins, it’s like the start of an abridged game with a slightly different format. In professional football, when the score is tied at the end of the game, an extra period is played to try to determine the winner of the game. In college football, there’s no clock in overtime. Below is an explanation for how overtime works in college football and the National Football League (NFL).
NFL Overtime Rules
In the NFL, there’s a separate set of overtime rules for the regular season and the playoffs. In the regular season, it’s possible for games to end in a tie after the overtime is finished. In the playoffs, the game isn’t finished until a winner is declared.
Regular Season
Coin Toss: If the game is tied after 60 minutes of play, captains from each team meet at the 50-yard line for the coin toss. The winner of the coin toss gets to decide if they want the ball on offense first or if they want to defer, which means they let their opponents have the ball first. During the coin toss that opens the game, teams that win the toss often defer, which means they get the ball on offense in the second half. In overtime, winning the toss and getting the ball first is an advantage. The team on defense must kick the ball to the team on offense. Teams always elect to receive the kickoff if you win the coin toss because you win in sudden death if you score a touchdown.
Length: Overtime in the NFL is 10 minutes long.
Timeouts: Each team gets 2 timeouts.
Possessions: Each team gets at least 1 possession unless the team that receives the kickoff scores a touchdown.
Sudden Death: After each team has a possession, the game ends automatically on a successful field goal, safety, or TD.
Tie: If it’s tied at the end of the overtime, the game ends in a tie.
Instant Replay: There are no instant replay challenges from the coaches. The officials initiate instant replay.
Overtime games occurred in a little over 5% of the games in 2024. In the NFL, there were 16 overtime games in 2024 for 272 regular-season games. Nearly 70% of the games were within 8 points or one score during the regular season in the NFL. There weren’t any tie games in the regular season, nor any overtime games during the postseason.
Postseason
Overtime: The game ends when 1 team has scored, and the other team hasn’t. There are 2 minutes between overtime periods.
Coin Toss: There’s a coin toss at the beginning of the overtime and after the 4th overtime period, if the game lasts that long.
Possession: Each team gets a chance to have the ball on offense even if the receiving team scores a TD on their first possession.
Timeouts: Each team gets 3 timeouts.
College Overtime Rules
If the college game is tied after 4 quarters, it goes into overtime. Below are the rules for college overtime.
Coin Toss: Captains from each team gather at the 50-yard line for the coin toss. The winner of the coin toss gets to choose whether they want to play offense or defense first.
Possession: There’s no clock in college overtime. The team on offense starts at the 25-yard line. Each team keeps the ball until they score, or they run out of downs. Both teams get 1 possession and if the teams are tied after overtime, they continue playing until 1 team has scored more points.
Timeouts: Each team gets 1 timeout.
Two-Point Conversion: Teams are required to attempt a two-point conversion after the 2nd overtime if they score a touchdown.
Two-Point Play: After the 3rd overtime, teams get the ball at the 3-yard line, and they run a two-point play. In a two-point play attempt, teams have 1 chance to advance the ball to the end zone.
The History of NFL Overtime
The first championship overtime game in the NFL occurred between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts in 1958. Considered one of the greatest games ever played, the Colts tied the game at 17 with a field goal with 7 seconds left. They defeated the Giants 23-17 after scoring on an 80-yard drive on the second possession of OT. It was a precursor to what fans could expect when the NFL finally implemented overtime. Overtime games are some of the most exciting games in football. Below is a timeline of NFL overtime rules.
NFL Overtime Timeline
1920-1973: There weren’t overtime rules. Games simply ended in ties during the regular season. Postseason games had sudden death OT. That meant that whichever team scored first, whether it was a TD, field goal, or safety, was the winner.
1974: Overtime rules were instituted. The length of the overtime was 15 minutes, or another full quarter. The team captains met at midfield for a coin toss.
2010: The NFL instituted a modified sudden death overtime. Teams could end the game with a first possession TD, but a first possession field goal gave the opposing team a chance to match the field goal or win the game with a TD.
2017: The NFL shortened the overtime period from 15 to 10 minutes.
2022: The NFL changed the overtime rule in the playoffs allowing both teams to have at least 1 possession even if there was a score by the team that received the opening overtime kickoff.
The History of College Overtime
Nobody likes a tie, including the fans, who want to see a winner and a loser. College football addressed the issue of tie games by instituting an overtime system that guaranteed a winner. Below is a timeline of the evolution of college football overtime rules.
College Overtime Timeline
1996: The NCAA institutes the overtime rule. There isn’t a play clock. Teams start from the 25-yard line, and they have a chance to score. Starting with the 3rd overtime, teams must try for a two-point conversion.
2019: Instead of starting from the 25, teams must run a two-point conversion after the 5th overtime. They get 1 play from the 3-yard line to put the ball in the end zone.
2021: Teams must run two-point plays after the 3rd overtime instead of the 5th.
Overtime in college football is perhaps more exciting than in pro football because of the sense of urgency that’s created by putting teams in scoring situations, and by eliminating the possibility of a tie. Sports enthusiasts don’t like ties. They prefer to see a winner and a loser.