College Football Overtime Rules

By 4Football Staff · October 4, 2026 · 11 min read

How college football settles a tie: possessions from the 25-yard line, the coin toss choice, the two-point requirement in later periods, and how it differs from the NFL and high school.

Regulation ends, the scoreboard shows a tie, and the stadium does not empty. Players gather at midfield for a coin toss, fans who thought they were heading to the parking lot stay put, and a game that looked finished starts over in a very different form. College football overtime has produced some of the longest and strangest games in the sport, and it follows a set of rules that are quite unlike the pro game.

This guide walks through the format step by step, including how a possession starts and ends, what the coin toss decides, why later overtime periods become two-point shootouts, and what coaches think about when the game is tied. It also explains how the system came about, because college football did not always have overtime. One reminder: the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules committee adjusts the overtime procedure from time to time, particularly in the later periods, so confirm details in the current rulebook if a specific situation matters to you.

A quick history: from ties to a tiebreaker

For most of its history, college football simply accepted ties. A game that was level at the final whistle went in the books as a tie, and the season went on. One of the most famous games in the sport's history, the 1966 contest between Notre Dame and Michigan State, ended 10-10, with the closing minutes played conservatively by the team with the ball rather than risking a turnover. The result is still discussed as an example of how a tie could feel unsatisfying.

Over time, support grew for a way to produce a winner. Overtime was introduced in the mid-1990s in the top division, and the system adopted then, with some adjustments, is the one in use at the college level today. After its adoption, tie games essentially vanished from college football.

The design goal was to give both teams a fair chance and to avoid the sudden-death feel of a coin toss deciding everything. The solution borrowed ideas from other sports and invented a few new ones: both teams get a possession, and each possession starts close to the end zone, so the game does not turn on a long drive or a single punt.

The basic format

Here is how a standard college overtime period works.

1. A coin toss takes place at midfield with the team captains. The winner chooses either to start on offense or defense, or to select which end of the field to use. The loser gets the other choice.
2. The ball is placed at the 25-yard line. Each team's offense starts a possession at the opponent's 25-yard line, as if it had just received a kickoff and the ball were already inside the red zone.
3. The first team gets its possession. It keeps the ball until it scores, loses the ball or fails to convert a fourth down.
4. The second team gets its possession, from the same 25-yard line, at the same end of the field.
5. Compare the results. If one team scored more than the other, the game is over. If the score is still level, the teams play another overtime period.

There is no game clock in overtime, though the play clock still runs. Games cannot end on expiration of time; they end when both teams have had their possessions and one is ahead.

A possession ends in several ways:

• A touchdown (followed by a conversion attempt, which is optional in early periods)
• A field goal, made or missed
• A turnover, such as an interception or fumble lost
• A failure to make a first down on fourth down
• A safety, in rare cases

A key point is that a team can score without ever snapping the ball if the defense forces a turnover and returns it to the end zone. A defensive touchdown during overtime, such as an interception returned to the end zone, ends the game immediately if it puts the defense's team ahead, because the other team no longer has a possession left to answer with.

What the coin toss really decides

In the first overtime, the winner of the toss gets one decision, and teams most often choose to play defense first. Why? Because the second team to possess the ball knows exactly what it needs. If the first team scores a touchdown, the second team must also score a touchdown to keep the game going, and it will go for it on fourth down. If the first team kicks a field goal, the second team has a clear target. Information is an advantage.

Coaches have weighed the choice in different ways over the years, and there is no single right answer. Some prefer offense first to put pressure on the opponent with a touchdown. Some have confidence in their defense and kicking game. Others choose the end of the field, for reasons like wind or crowd noise. The decision depends on the team and the matchup.

In the second overtime, the team that lost the first toss receives the first choice, so the advantage alternates. After that, the choice continues to alternate in later periods. This keeps the system from favoring one team throughout.

Starting position and the shortened field

The 25-yard line creates a particular style of football. A team starts inside its opponent's territory. A touchdown needs a quick-strike drive of 25 yards, and a field goal attempt from the 25 would be a kick of roughly 42 yards when you count the end zone and the snap, a distance many college kickers can make but not all.

That shape of field creates familiar patterns:

• Offenses try to get points on every possession. Because a field goal is within range, teams rarely come away empty-handed unless they turn the ball over or miss a kick.
• Kickers are enormous factors. A missed field goal in overtime can end a game. Special teams coaches often prepare for overtime as a distinct situation.
• Fourth downs matter. A team that fails to convert on fourth down gives up its chance to score on that possession. Coaches decide whether to kick or go for it at every step. For more on this, see our guide to fourth-down decision making.
• Red zone execution wins. Teams that are strong in the red zone or at converting short yardage generally benefit.

The touchdown and the conversion

After a touchdown in overtime, the scoring team can go for a point after (kick) or two points (run or pass), as in regulation. The conversion spot is the same as during the game, the 3-yard line for a two-point try.

In early periods, teams normally kick the extra point to bank the single point. That changes when the game goes long. A team that trails by one point after the other team's possession must decide whether to try for two to win the game on its own possession rather than extend the game. We discuss the two-point option in the two-point conversion explained.

Later overtime periods: the two-point requirement

As overtime stretches on, the rules change to end games sooner. This is one of the most unusual parts of the format.

• In the early periods, each team gets a regular possession from the 25-yard line.
• Starting in a later period (the third overtime in the original design), teams are required to attempt a two-point conversion after any touchdown. The extra point kick is no longer an option.
• In still later periods (the fifth overtime, under changes made by the rules committee in recent years), the possessions themselves are replaced. Instead of running a drive, each team simply alternates two-point attempts from the 3-yard line. The team that converts when the other does not wins. If both convert or both fail, they go again.

The reason for these changes is player safety and fatigue. Games with many overtimes can mean players are on the field for dozens of extra plays, and the rules committee wanted a way to finish a game without extended wear on the participants. The exact period in which these changes kick in has been adjusted before, so rely on the current rulebook for the number. The principle has remained the same: later periods are shorter and more decisive.

Coaches prepare for this phase with a package of two-point plays. Teams often keep a list of goal-line calls and practice them with the idea that a game could be decided by one snap from the 3-yard line.

Timeouts, substitutions and delays

Even though the clock is not running in overtime, the stoppages are regulated. A few key points:

• Timeouts are limited, and the allotment resets in some situations by period. The NCAA rulebook specifies how many each team has in each overtime, and the number has varied; check the current rules.
• Substitutions work like regulation. Teams can substitute freely, subject to the usual rules on formations and the 11-player limit.
• Delay of game still applies. A team that fails to snap the ball before the play clock expires is penalized, and the penalty can matter enormously in a short field.
• The officials review plays using replay in the same way as in regulation. Because plays near the goal line often determine the result, replay reviews are common in overtime.

Penalties in overtime

Penalties operate on the same basic principles as during the rest of the game, with an important extra step: the 25-yard line start makes yardage penalties more consequential. A holding penalty that pushes a team back 10 yards can turn a touchdown possibility into a long field goal. A penalty on the defense, like pass interference in the end zone, can put the ball near the goal line with a fresh set of downs.

Enforcement follows the usual rules, including half the distance to the goal when a foul would otherwise carry the ball behind the goal line, and certain defensive fouls give the offense an automatic first down. For more on those penalty enforcement basics, see penalty enforcement: half the distance, spot fouls and automatic first downs.

A hypothetical walk-through

Imagine a game tied after regulation. Team A wins the coin toss and chooses defense. Team B starts at the 25-yard line.

• Team B runs three plays, gains 12 yards, and then a pass is incomplete on third down from the 13. It kicks a field goal. Team B leads 3-0 in overtime.
• Team A now takes over at the 25-yard line. It knows a touchdown wins the game and a field goal ties it. It drives to the 8, faces fourth and 2, and chooses to kick a field goal to tie the overtime. Both teams have scored three points in the first overtime, so the game continues.
• In the second overtime, Team B has the choice, since Team A made the first one. Team B chooses defense. Team A starts at the 25-yard line and scores a touchdown. It kicks the extra point.
• Team B must now match with a touchdown and a point, or score a touchdown and attempt a two-point conversion to win, and so on.

This is a hypothetical, but it shows the structure. Each team must respond to what the other did, and that makes late-period decisions intricate.

Differences from the NFL and high school

Overtime is one of the most visible differences between college football and the NFL, and it differs from high school as well.

If you play or coach at the high school level, remember that state associations can set their own overtime rules, and some modify the national federation's model. See our guide on overtime in high school football, and for a side-by-side look at all three levels, read how overtime works at the NFL, college and high school levels.

Strategy notes for fans

If you are watching an overtime game, a few ideas help you read what is happening.

• Watch the first possession. A touchdown by the first team puts all the pressure on the second, which will likely go for it on fourth down if it needs to.
• Count the possessions. If the game goes into the third overtime, the two-point requirement changes everything. Remember that extra points are no longer an option.
• Watch the kickers. In a field-goal range game, the kicker is the star.
• Look for the clock. There is none, so teams cannot hurry or run out the clock, and long plays are less important than reliable ones.
• Pay attention to the coin toss. The team that wins the first toss often chooses defense, and the alternate choice in the second period can change who has the information advantage.

You can follow overtime finishes and other results on the scores page, and our college section lists conferences and teams.

Common misunderstandings

• "The game ends when someone scores first." Not in college football. Both teams get a possession unless the defense scores to end it.
• "There's a clock in overtime." There is no game clock, only the play clock.
• "A tie game is a draw." In college football, ties no longer exist in the regular format. The game continues until there is a winner.
• "Kicking the extra point is always an option." Not in later periods, when the two-point attempt is required.
• "Overtime is the same everywhere." NFL, college and high school all use different procedures.
• "The rules never change." The committee has revised the later-period rules before and may do so again.

The short version

• Since the mid-1990s, college football has used overtime to settle ties, with a winner always declared.
• Each team gets a possession from the opponent's 25-yard line, with no game clock, and the higher score after both possessions wins.
• A coin toss decides the first choice, and the choice alternates in later periods.
• Later periods bring a two-point conversion requirement, and still later periods use alternating two-point plays instead of full drives; the exact period numbers have changed over the years.
• A defensive score can end the game on the spot.
• The NFL and high school systems differ, and state associations set their own high school procedures.
• Confirm the current overtime language in the NCAA rulebook before relying on specific numbers.