How Overtime Works at the NFL, College and High School Levels

By 4Football Staff · November 1, 2026 · 10 min read

What happens when football games end tied, from the NFL's timed periods to the college and high school shootout format, with the coin toss, possessions and the details that vary by level.

The clock hits zero and the scoreboard shows the same number for both teams. In some sports, that is the end of it. In football, a tie triggers one of the most dramatic and most argued-over procedures in the game: overtime.

Football has no single overtime format. The NFL plays a timed period in which the next score or a pair of possessions decides the game. College football plays a series of alternating possessions that start close to the end zone. High school football usually follows the college idea with shorter fields, though individual states set their own rules. A fan who moves from one level to another can be surprised by a game that seems to be using a different sport's rules.

This article explains why the formats differ, how each works, and what you should check if you are following a particular league. Overtime rules have been revised repeatedly, so details here are a guide to the logic and should be confirmed against the current rulebook.

Why overtime exists at all

For much of football's history, a tied game was simply a tie. The NFL played its first sudden-death overtime in a championship game in 1958, added a sudden-death period for regular-season games in 1974, and the college game adopted its alternating-possession format in the 1990s. Each step reflected the same wish: to find a winner without leaving the result to a coin or a committee.

Both formats are attempts to answer the same question: how do you decide a football game fairly when the teams are tied? Football makes the question harder than other sports, because the game is played in possessions, and a team that scores quickly may leave the other no chance to answer.

Two ideas shape every format.

1. Fairness of opportunity. Should both teams get at least one chance with the ball?
2. Length of the game. How long can a tiebreaker run before players and schedules are strained?

The NFL and the college game weigh these differently, which is why they look so unlike each other.

The NFL format

The NFL's overtime has changed several times since 1974. The core features, with the usual caveat that you should confirm the current rulebook, are as follows.

• A coin toss. A captain from each team goes to midfield for a coin toss. The winner chooses between receiving the kickoff, kicking, or picking a side of the field. Overtime starts with a kickoff, unlike the college format.
• A timed period. In the regular season, overtime is a single period of limited length, measured in minutes. In the postseason, overtime periods are longer and are repeated until there is a winner.
• Possessions. The central question is whether the first team to receive the ball can win the game by scoring right away. The rules have moved over time toward giving both teams a chance. In the postseason, since a rule change adopted in 2022, both teams get a possession unless the defense scores on the first possession, and after each team has had a chance, the game becomes sudden death. The league has since applied a similar approach to regular-season overtime, so check the current rule.
• Sudden death after that. Once both teams have had their chances, the next score of any kind ends the game.
• Ties. In the regular season, if the game is still tied at the end of overtime, it ends as a tie. In the postseason, the game continues until someone wins, because a playoff game cannot end in a tie.

The earlier versions of the rule are worth knowing because you will hear them discussed.

1. Original sudden death (1974). The first score of any kind won the game.
2. Modified sudden death (2010 for the postseason, 2012 for the regular season). A team that received the ball first and scored only a field goal did not win the game; the other team got a chance. But a touchdown on the first possession ended it.
3. Both teams guaranteed a possession (2022 for the postseason). Even a first-drive touchdown no longer ends the game on the spot.

The reason for the changes was the same each time: critics argued that the coin toss gave too much advantage to the team that won it. Each change tried to make the toss matter less.

The college format

College football settled the same problem in a different way. Instead of playing a timed period, college teams alternate possessions without a clock.

• A coin toss decides the first choice. The winner chooses either to play offense or defense first, or chooses a field position preference. The other team gets the first choice in the next overtime.
• Each team starts at the opponent's 25-yard line. There is no kickoff. The offense takes the ball at the 25 with a first-and-10 and tries to score.
• A possession ends when the offense scores, loses the ball on a turnover, or fails to make a first down on fourth down. Field goals are allowed.
• Then the other team gets its possession from the same spot, going the other way.
• If both teams have scored the same, or neither has scored, another overtime begins. The roles reverse. The team that was on defense first now chooses first.
• A defensive score ends the game. If a defender returns an interception or fumble for a touchdown, the game is over on the spot.
• There are no ties. The process continues until one team is ahead after both have had a possession.

Rules for extra points change as overtimes go on, because very long games are tiring and difficult to schedule. In recent years the rulebook has required teams to attempt two-point conversions after touchdowns in later overtimes, and has set teams to alternate two-point tries in the latest periods. The exact numbers have been revised more than once, so check the rulebook for the season you care about. For a full guide, see our article on college football overtime rules.

The high school format

High school football in most states borrows the college idea: alternating possessions, no clock, no kickoff, and no ties in playoff games. The most obvious difference is the starting point. Many state associations that follow the national high school rule set start each possession at the opponent's 10-yard line instead of the 25. That makes scoring easier and shortens games, which matters for a sport played by students on school-night schedules.

Beyond that, the details are set by state associations, and they differ.

• Regular-season ties. Some states may allow a tie in certain circumstances, such as a game stopped by weather or a curfew, while others always play to a winner.
• Limits on periods. Some states may limit the number of overtimes in certain games and use another tiebreaker if the game is still tied after several.
• Different formats. Some states use their own variants, so a player who moves between states may find the rules unfamiliar.
• Timeouts and clocks. The number of timeouts and the way the game is run in overtime differ.

If you are a player, parent or coach, the only reliable source is your state association's football rules, along with the local league's tournament handbook. Our article on overtime in high school football goes into more detail.

Side-by-side comparison

The most important line in the table is the first one. In the NFL a team has to move the ball nearly the length of the field, while in college and high school it starts close to a score, which is why the college and high school games tend to end in a series of touchdowns and field goals.

A worked example: the college format

Suppose two made-up teams are tied after regulation and one wins the toss.

1. Team A chooses to play defense first. Team B goes on offense from the 25-yard line.
2. Team B drives and scores a touchdown, then kicks the extra point. It leads 7-0.
3. Team A now takes the ball at the other team's 25. It needs at least a touchdown and extra point to tie, since a field goal would leave it behind.
4. Team A scores a touchdown and kicks the extra point. The score is tied 7-7, so a second overtime begins.
5. In the second overtime, Team A chooses first, since Team B chose first in the first one. The process repeats until one team leads after both have had a possession.

The example shows the advantage of going second: the second offense knows exactly what it needs. That is why some coaches choose to play defense first when they win the toss, although the best choice depends on the teams.

A worked example: the NFL format

Now picture a made-up playoff game under the postseason rule. Team A wins the toss and receives. It drives and kicks a field goal. Team B now gets a possession, even though Team A has scored, and needs a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win. Suppose it kicks a field goal. Both teams have had a possession and the score is tied, so the game becomes sudden death: the next score of any kind wins. If Team A gets the ball back and scores, the game is over.

Under the original sudden-death rule, Team A's field goal would have ended the game immediately. The 2010 to 2012 version would have given Team B its chance in this example, as the current rule does, but it would have ended the game at once had Team A scored a touchdown; the postseason rule gives Team B a possession even then.

Strategic questions

Overtime creates its own decisions.

• Which choice after winning the toss? Under the NFL's earlier rules, a team that won the toss usually chose to receive. When both teams are guaranteed a possession, the choice is less obvious. In college, some coaches prefer to play the second possession because they will then know exactly what they need.
• Go for it on fourth down? In the college format a failed fourth down ends the possession with no points, but a field goal attempt may not be enough. Decisions that look aggressive are often the correct ones.
• When to go for two. Under the college rules about later overtimes, two-point tries are sometimes forced. A team that is trailing may need one.
• Timeouts. The number differs in overtime and by level, so teams need to know how many they have. Our article on timeouts explains the basic idea.

Common misconceptions

"Overtime is the same everywhere." It is not. A fan who learned the college shootout and then watches an NFL game may expect each team to start near the goal line, and the kickoff comes as a surprise.

"The first score always wins." That was the original NFL rule, but it is not the rule now in the postseason, and it was never the rule in the college format.

"A field goal in college overtime ends the game." Only if the other team then fails to match or beat it. The second team gets its possession from the same spot.

"Overtime stats do not count." In most cases they do, but check how your league's record keepers treat them.

"Coin toss luck decides everything." The toss matters, but each format was designed to make it matter less.

"A tie is a failure of the rules." In the NFL regular season a tie is an accepted outcome with its own place in the standings. Playoff games cannot end that way because someone must advance, and college games are played to a winner.

How overtime affects the record

In the NFL, a game still tied after overtime counts as a tie in the standings, which has its own effect on winning percentage. We cover that in our article on how ties count in the NFL standings. College and high school games decided in overtime count as wins and losses, and statistics from overtime count toward individual totals in most cases, though the rules for stats can differ by level and by league.

What to check

Overtime rules change, and local rules differ. Before a game that matters to you, check:

1. The current rulebook or league announcement for your level.
2. Your state or conference handbook for the exact format, timeouts and tiebreakers.
3. Whether the game is regular season or postseason, since many leagues use different formats for each.

You can follow overtime games live on our scores page, and the standings page shows how ties and extra-period wins feed into the season record. For college and high school games, start from the college or high school pages.

The short version

• Football has no single overtime: the NFL plays timed periods starting with a kickoff, while college and high school play alternating possessions with no clock.
• In college overtime each team starts at the opponent's 25-yard line; many high school codes use the 10.
• The NFL has repeatedly changed its rule to give both teams a possession, and the postseason version has no ties.
• College overtime has no ties, and later periods change the extra-point rules.
• High school rules vary by state, including whether ties are allowed.
• Always confirm the current rule for the level and the game you are watching.