College Football Overtime Format Set Apart from NFL's Version

In the high-stakes world of college football rivalry games, teams may need to rely on sudden-death overtime periods beyond 60 minutes to settle the outcome. However, unlike the National Football League's (NFL) version of overtime, which features a single 10-minute period, college football takes a unique approach to determining a winner.

During regular season NFL games, the overtime format mimics the fourth quarter as closely as possible. The clock is reset after each possession, and the teams continue playing until one scores more points than the opposing team in the overtime phase.

In stark contrast, college football's overtime mechanism involves alternating possessions with no running clock during these periods. Teams take turns driving down the field to score as many points as possible before the opposing team has a chance to possess the ball. This format is similar to a penalty shootout in soccer or an extra-inning scenario in baseball, where each round of play adds up until one team outscorses the other.

This distinct overtime format is intended to ensure that all participating teams have equal opportunities to win, given that both footballs are spotted at the 25-yard line after each quarter. Should this mechanism result in an equal score at the end of four quarters, or if a team scores more in overtime than they did during the allotted regulation time, then a sudden-death period ensues.

Teams now take turns driving down the field to eventually outscore their opponent, with a total limit of three overtime periods established by NCAA regulations.