RaychelSnr's Blog
You've just played 60 minutes of hard nosed-tough football and yet you and your opponent have decided nothing.
The game is tied.
And now, it's time for overtime so it's time to switch sports because you are no longer playing football.
For some reason, no one has a clue about how to actually solve a football game that finds itself tied after regulation ends. Every other sport? They're pretty well set on how to do it properly.
Baseball and Soccer just keep playing until a winner is found. Ditto for the NHL and NBA who have well thought out overtime rules.
To the NFL's credit -- the overtime in football got a lot better this offseason when the playoff overtime rule was adjusted to include the entire regular season.
Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, the NFL overtime rule still needs some serious work. It is still composed at least halfway of how lucky you are in the coin toss. College football's overtime is more competitive, but it doesn't actually mirror the game that was just played for 60 minutes but rather an absurd cross of baseball and football.
So what is the solution?
At the very least, college football should adopt an overtime like the NFL's to actually have, you know...kickoffs and punts and stuff in overtime.
But I think the NFL's overtime could do with some changing as well.
I personally would rather see NFL teams play a full half quarter (we'll give em 8 minutes just to be fair) and instead of a coin flip deciding who gets the ball first, give the ball to the team which gained the most total yards. Games should be earned on the field, not decided by a lucky break on winning a coin toss.
Basically, play the eight minutes out and whoever is ahead at the end of the 8 minute period is the winner -- unless of course the game is tied again. In the regular season, this is a tie. Problem solved.
In the post-season, if the game is still tied after your overtime period only then can you go to a sudden death format to decide the fate of the football universe.
College Football's overtime is the worst in all of sports, because it takes away the essence of the game and instead just plops teams on the right side of the 50 and tells them to go score. At the very least, with college football being nearly impossible to change (see: the 120 year playoff fight), the overtime possessions should at least start where you have to earn a first down or two to actually get in field goal range.
So start college teams back at the 50 at least, although I'd personally rather have college football mirror pro in the suggestion I listed above -- but improvement is needed either way.
Without a doubt, it's amazing to me how jacked up football overtimes are compared to the rest of sports which seem to take a rather straightforward approach to the extra period.
Are you happy with football overtimes as is? What would you change if you could?
# 2
TheRegan @ Jul 16
I really don't like ties in sports. I think they need to move the ball to the 50 in College Football. The NFL model would be decent if the other team got a shot at the ball after the first team scores, regardless of it being a Touchdown or a field goal.
# 3
SanderBaarsma @ Jul 16
Soccer has penalties (shoot outs in the US), which is a sollution thats brings a lot of and atmosphere to both the players and the fans.
Personally, I would go for one possession for each team from say the 30 yard line. No field goal allowed. The team that gains the most yards (TD being the best of course) wins. Both teams score a TD? Bring in the kickers and start shooting a field goal from the 30 yard line. One misses, they lose. Both score or fail? Go to the 35 yard line. Tie? Go to the 40 yard line and so on. Talk about tension AND picking a kicker as your first round draft pick!
Personally, I would go for one possession for each team from say the 30 yard line. No field goal allowed. The team that gains the most yards (TD being the best of course) wins. Both teams score a TD? Bring in the kickers and start shooting a field goal from the 30 yard line. One misses, they lose. Both score or fail? Go to the 35 yard line. Tie? Go to the 40 yard line and so on. Talk about tension AND picking a kicker as your first round draft pick!
# 4
GrandMaster B @ Jul 16
Just put the football at the 50, line up both teams at the 25 and have a mad rush for the ball. Team that gets the ball is on offense. Imagine the dirty play going on for that ball. lol
# 5
Alliball @ Jul 16
Sander your idea is as logical as ending the World Series with a homerun hitting contest. Games should end with full teams on the field or ice, not some gimic.
# 6
SanderBaarsma @ Jul 16
Alliball, personally I feel that field goals are a part of the game. So cant call it a gimic. Thats how it works with soccer for decades and nobody is complaining. I dont know if you are an American, but maybe there's the difference. We Europeans like dramatic endings. Penalties are a part of the game. Call it a gimic if you want to. But one that brings all aspects of the game into play. And it's just a footballer and a keeper, no full teams. The full teams had a shot in regular and overtime, so lets take the specialists and let them decide. But no sweat, just my idea. Logic doesn't concern sports. It's not always the best team that wins. But it should be thrilling to watch!
# 7
kunner @ Jul 16
I think a shorter quarter, 7-9 minutes, over and over until a winner is decided is the way to go. Then you keep the game the same way, and it isnt too long of a time to figure it out
# 8
wicks582 @ Jul 16
They should just go into the overtime period left off from where they were as if it was a change from the 1st to 2nd quarter. If Team A has the ball at the 40, they start there on the same down they left off of. Sudden death. The first team to score is the winner.
A 60 minute game is already arbitrary... one team could be leading for 59 minutes and 59 seconds, but if the other team kicks a last second field goal, they are the better team. So just play a few extra minutes to see who was the leader at the end of 60+ minutes. I realize that this would take away from teams trying to rush at the end of a game to score, so this would never happen, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
A 60 minute game is already arbitrary... one team could be leading for 59 minutes and 59 seconds, but if the other team kicks a last second field goal, they are the better team. So just play a few extra minutes to see who was the leader at the end of 60+ minutes. I realize that this would take away from teams trying to rush at the end of a game to score, so this would never happen, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
# 9
Layoneil @ Jul 16
the college rules are terrible because that's not real football.
i don't like the NFL rules either but i get it, football is not like the other sports, there's a reason they play 16 game seasons and the other sports have 82 and 162. adding 15 minutes of play time to a 16 game season is pretty significant in comparison to say a tripe OT hockey game.
the change i would implement is "when the score is not tied, the game ends on the next turnover." that's it.
i don't like the NFL rules either but i get it, football is not like the other sports, there's a reason they play 16 game seasons and the other sports have 82 and 162. adding 15 minutes of play time to a 16 game season is pretty significant in comparison to say a tripe OT hockey game.
the change i would implement is "when the score is not tied, the game ends on the next turnover." that's it.
# 10
sparkdawg777 @ Jul 16
You really think total yards should be a factor in deciding a football game? The point of football is to score TDs/keep the other team from doing the same thing. It's not about yards, I don't care if we give up 500 yards as long as we keep them out of the endzone and score more points. It would be like baseball solving a tie by looking at who had the most hits or basketball saying whoever's had the most shots hit the rim. Almost and effort doesn't count in sports, only scoring. Come on guys.
Now to respond to the question, I do agree that the OT in college football is not the right way to solve it but it is better than a tie. I hate ties, I think they should be removed from all sports, (well I guess that's only soccer). To me the OT right now is a lot like shootouts in hockey or soccer, they aren't fair but they are fun to watch and do eventually find a winner.
Maybe it would be better to play 1 more full quarter and if that is not decided then go to 25 yard line and do it that way.
It's really hard though because football is such a demanding sport, but you could argue the same for hockey.
Now to respond to the question, I do agree that the OT in college football is not the right way to solve it but it is better than a tie. I hate ties, I think they should be removed from all sports, (well I guess that's only soccer). To me the OT right now is a lot like shootouts in hockey or soccer, they aren't fair but they are fun to watch and do eventually find a winner.
Maybe it would be better to play 1 more full quarter and if that is not decided then go to 25 yard line and do it that way.
It's really hard though because football is such a demanding sport, but you could argue the same for hockey.
# 11
psymin1 @ Jul 16
I might be in the minority here, but I love college football overtime rules, and I wish the NFL would adopt them. They may not perfectly replicate the game that was played for the previous 60-minutes, but either does hockey (4-on-4 as opposed to 5-on-5), and that works out fine. College football overtime is the most exciting in any mainstream sport, and, most importantly, it keeps everything 100% equal. Frankly, I don't care what the rules are as long as they give both teams a fair chance to win the game.
# 12
Layoneil @ Jul 17
OT playoff hockey is not 4 on 4. i don't have a problem with OT rules being different for the playoffs but i don't think football needs that.
# 13
Cardot @ Jul 17
sparkdawg777: "You really think total yards should be a factor in deciding a football game?"
It is better than a coin toss. It doesn't necessarily have to be yardage, but anything is preferable to pure randomness. It could be the least penalized team, or some other stat. Or as js3512 suggested, bake it into homefield advantage. Teams earn those playoff home games, and each team gets 8 regulular season home games...so that is fair.
It is better than a coin toss. It doesn't necessarily have to be yardage, but anything is preferable to pure randomness. It could be the least penalized team, or some other stat. Or as js3512 suggested, bake it into homefield advantage. Teams earn those playoff home games, and each team gets 8 regulular season home games...so that is fair.
# 14
Skyliner80 @ Jul 17
I prefer if they do one of two things; Leave things how the were before this recent change (sudden death) or how it's done in college/high-school. What's "Not football" about it? They've been doin' it for years, why change it? So what if you get the other team gets 'lucky' on the coin toss. You have a defense which doesn't have to let the other team score, remember? Part of the reason I think they did this in the NFL is to try and end the game as soon as possible within reason, otherwise OT would be another full quarter of regular play. Personally, the only thing I fear in OT are pass interference calls. I think they shouldn't be spot fouls but that's another story.
# 15
charter04 @ Jul 17
I know it's a weird overtime system but, I love college football's overtime. Two of the most exciting games I have ever seen were the Ark v Ole Miss and Ark v Kentucky 7 overtime games. The overtime in both those games was more exciting than the regulation part. Even though they start teams on the 25 everything else is exactly the same. You could punt (I know now one would) and you still have FG's in the first 3. Sure KO's are taken out but, there has been discussion about taking those out of the game anyway. I don't want the NFL to adopt NCAA overtime rules but, I sure hope college football doesn't adopt the NFL's.
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Could you imagine if the Super Bowl went into multiple OTs like they did in hockey. "The _______ win the super bowl with a last second FG in the 5th overtime quarter!"