NCAA college football 25: What are overtime rules?
College football overtime rules add an exciting dynamic to the game, offering fans an extra dose of drama and suspense when regulation time ends in a tie. Here's everything you need to CFB 25 Coins know about how overtime works in college football and how the rules have evolved over the years.

When Did College Football Overtime Start?

Before the 1995 season, if a college football game ended in a tie, it was just that - a tie. However, this changed when overtime was introduced ahead of the 1995 bowl season, with the first overtime game taking place in the Las Vegas Bowl between Toledo and Nevada, where Toledo won 40-37. The rule was fully adopted for the 1996 season. While the overtime format remained unchanged through 2018, there have been two major changes since then - once in 2019 and again in 2021 - to keep games fair and reduce the length of overtime periods.

How Does College Football Overtime Work?

In the simplest terms, college football overtime begins when the game is tied at the end of regulation (after four quarters). Each team gets one possession from the opponent's 25-yard line to score points. If one team outscores the other during the first overtime period, they win the game. However, if the score is still tied after one overtime period, another overtime is played with each team again starting from the 25-yard line.

This continues until a winner is determined. Unlike NFL overtime, there is no game clock during college football overtime - each team gets possession regardless of College Football 25 Coins for sale how long the previous series took. However, there is still a play clock for each series.