College Football Overtime Rules and How They Differ From the NFL
College football overtime gives each team one possession from the opponent's 25-yard line, with no game clock, and repeats until someone wins. Starting with the second overtime, a team that scores a touchdown must go for two. From the third overtime on, there are no more drives: teams alternate single two-point plays from the 3-yard line until one converts and the other does not. College games cannot end in a tie.
The NFL does it differently, and the gap between the two rulebooks goes well beyond overtime. Here is how college overtime works under the 2026 NCAA Football Rules, followed by the biggest college vs. NFL differences.
How does college football overtime work?
College football overtime starts with a new coin toss at midfield, with up to four captains per team and the visiting team calling it. Under Rule 3-1-3 of the NCAA rulebook:
- The toss winner cannot defer. It chooses either offense or defense, or which end of the field both possessions will use. The loser takes the other choice.
- Every possession starts at the opponent's 25-yard line, snapped from anywhere on or between the hash marks.
- A team keeps the ball until it scores or fails to make a first down. There is no game clock in overtime, only the play clock.
- Both teams get a possession in each overtime period, unless the defense scores (for example, an interception return), which ends it.
- Timeouts reset. Each team gets one timeout in the first overtime and one in the second. From the third overtime on, each team gets one timeout for the rest of the game. Unused regulation timeouts do not carry over, and unused overtime timeouts do not roll into the next period.
The team with more total points after an overtime period wins. If it is still tied, the teams play another period.
College football overtime rules by period
The rules change as a game goes deeper, which is why the second and third overtimes feel so different.
| Overtime | Where the ball starts | Scoring rules |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Opponent's 25-yard line | Normal scoring. After a touchdown, a team may kick for one or go for two |
| 2nd | Opponent's 25-yard line | A touchdown must be followed by a two-point try. A one-point kick does not count |
| 3rd and later | Opponent's 3-yard line | Each possession is one two-point play. Teams alternate until one converts and the other fails |
When did the college football overtime rules change?
The current college football overtime rules date to 2021. According to NCAA.com, the 2021 change moved the mandatory two-point try up from the third overtime to the second, and replaced full drives with alternating two-point plays starting in the third overtime. Under the previous rule, alternating two-point plays did not start until the fifth overtime.
Overtime itself is younger than many fans assume. It arrived in the 1995-96 bowl season, and the first overtime game was the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl, where Toledo beat Nevada 40-37 with a field goal. Overtime was added to regular season games in 1996, which ended ties in college football.
What's the most overtimes ever in a college football game?
The most overtimes in an FBS game is nine. Illinois beat No. 7 Penn State 20-18 in nine overtimes on October 23, 2021, the first season of the current rules, per NCAA.com's record list. Both teams failed on their two-point tries in the third through seventh overtimes, both converted in the eighth, and Illinois won it with a stop and a conversion in the ninth.
Before that, the record was seven overtimes, a mark that included Texas A&M's 74-72 win over LSU on November 24, 2018.
Overtime has also decided some of the sport's biggest games. Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime for the 2018 CFP national title, Georgia beat Oklahoma 54-48 in the first overtime Rose Bowl, and Texas beat Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime in the Peach Bowl, the first overtime CFP quarterfinal, according to NCAA.com. For how that bracket is built, see our guide to the College Football Playoff format.
College football overtime vs. NFL overtime
College football overtime and NFL overtime share almost nothing beyond the coin toss. The NFL plays a timed period that starts with a kickoff, and its regular season games can still end tied. The table compares the 2026 NCAA rulebook with Rule 16 of the 2026 NFL rulebook.
| Overtime rule | College football | NFL regular season | NFL playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Possession at opponent's 25-yard line | Kickoff | Kickoff |
| Game clock | None, play clock only | One 10-minute period | 15-minute periods, as many as needed |
| Does each team get the ball? | Yes, one possession each per period | Each team gets the opportunity, but the period ends at 10 minutes even if the second team has not had the ball | Yes, at least once |
| Can it end in a tie? | No | Yes, if tied after 10 minutes | No |
| Timeouts | 1 per team in each of the 1st and 2nd OT, then 1 for the rest of the game | 2 per team | 3 per team per half |
| Two-point rules | Required from the 2nd OT, alternating plays from the 3rd OT | Normal try rules | Normal try rules |
In both NFL formats, a safety on the receiving team's first possession wins the game for the kicking team. For the full pro breakdown, read our NFL overtime rules guide.
Other college football vs. NFL rule differences
These are the college football vs. NFL rule differences fans ask about most.
| Rule | College football (2026 NCAA rules) | NFL (2026 NFL rules) |
|---|---|---|
| Catch inbounds | Touch the ground inbounds with any part of the body, so one foot is enough | Both feet, or another body part other than the hands, completely inbounds |
| Two-point try spot | Opponent's 3-yard line | Opponent's 2-yard line (kicks from the 15) |
| First downs and the clock | The clock stops for a first down only after the Two-Minute Timeout in the 2nd or 4th quarter, then restarts on the referee's signal | First downs are not on the NFL's list of clock stops |
| Late-half stoppage | Two-Minute Timeout in the 2nd and 4th quarters | Two-minute warning in the 2nd and 4th quarters |
| Helmet hits | Targeting (Rules 9-1-3 and 9-1-4): 15 yards plus automatic disqualification, confirmed by replay | No rule called targeting; impermissible use of the helmet is 15 yards, and "the player may be disqualified" |
| Ties | Impossible, overtime continues | Possible in the regular season |
Targeting changed again in 2026. Under an experimental rule for this season, an upheld targeting foul still disqualifies the player for the rest of the game, but a second-half foul no longer carries over into the next game. A player's second targeting foul in the same season adds a disqualification for the first half of the next game, and a third brings an automatic one-game suspension. The same 2026 changes cut offensive pass interference to 10 yards and added a fair catch kick.
Watch overtime in your team's colors
Two-point shootouts are more fun in your own team's colors. Our college football jerseys page covers the big programs, including the Texas Longhorns Arch Manning jersey and the Georgia Bulldogs Nate Frazier jersey.
Frequently asked questions
Do both teams get the ball in college football overtime?
Yes. In the first two overtime periods, each team gets one possession from the opponent's 25-yard line, and the period only ends early if the defense scores. From the third overtime on, each team gets one two-point play per round, so both teams always get an equal chance before a winner is decided.
Where does the ball start in college overtime?
The ball starts at the opponent's 25-yard line in the first and second overtime periods, and the offense can choose any spot on or between the hash marks. Beginning with the third overtime, each possession is a single two-point try snapped from the opponent's 3-yard line, unless a penalty moves it.
Can you kick an extra point in college overtime?
Only in the first overtime period. After a touchdown in the first overtime, a team can kick for one point or go for two. Starting with the second overtime, the NCAA rulebook requires a two-point try after every touchdown, and a one-point kick attempted then will not count as a score.
Can a college football game end in a tie?
No. College football added overtime to the regular season in 1996, after first using it in the 1995-96 bowl season. Games now continue through as many overtime periods as needed, with alternating two-point plays from the third overtime, until one team finishes a round ahead.
What is the longest overtime game in college football history?
The longest FBS overtime game went nine overtimes: Illinois beat No. 7 Penn State 20-18 on October 23, 2021. It was the first FBS game to reach nine overtimes, according to NCAA.com. Before 2021, the FBS record was seven overtimes, including Texas A&M's 74-72 win over LSU in 2018.