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Overthinking Overtime

The only change I would make to college ot would be to move the start back to the 35 yard line or maybe even the 40. That would reduce the number of ot’s.

I like the format.

The NFL should just play an extra quarter.
 
I have a hard time getting upset that a defense can’t stop someone from going 75 yards. Maybe if it was college and the team started from the 25 and if they scored a TD it was over, I would be mad. I watched the Chiefs have about 20 yards of offense in the first half, then let the Patriots convert third and long over and over again in overtime, but Chiefs fans blame the OT rules.

The NFL OT is a product of people crying about player safety. So until people quit over emphasizing CTE and other things, that’s going to be tough to change.
Agree with your argument, and it does settle it because of how it is. Who's to say the other team doesn't March down and score also. Maybe have mandatory 2 pt conversions.
 
I have a hard time getting upset that a defense can’t stop someone from going 75 yards. Maybe if it was college and the team started from the 25 and if they scored a TD it was over, I would be mad. I watched the Chiefs have about 20 yards of offense in the first half, then let the Patriots convert third and long over and over again in overtime, but Chiefs fans blame the OT rules.

The NFL OT is a product of people crying about player safety. So until people quit over emphasizing CTE and other things, that’s going to be tough to change.

In the playoffs, I think you keep playing a regular, 15 minute timed quarter until it's over. If it's still tied, you keep playing.
 



"It's just when you go beyond two (overtime possessions), it's too much."
Well maybe this is too simple, but given this, why not play it as is and then after two possessions each in OT, if it is still tied, it is a tie!
 
I'd sure like to see these numbers. Are they out there somewhere?

1) College correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
2) NFL correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
 
College OT is my favorite out of all the major sports, I really hope they dont screw with it. How often do games go past 2 OTs anyway?
 



I'd sure like to see these numbers. Are they out there somewhere?

1) College correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
2) NFL correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
It not mattering is why I roll my eyes. It’s like a 54% win rate in the NFL and 52% in college.
 
If it is a tie after three overtimes... the game ends in a tie...

Trying to get "perfect justice" (replay review of officiating) and "no game shall end in a tie - its like kissing your sister" ruin the game.

I think the current format works well. I cannot agree with sequentially going out further distances. If that is the case, then they should start from the 35 or 45 in all sessions of OT. It can be argued that the 25 is too close. Perhaps 35 or 40 might be better.
 
"It's just when you go beyond two (overtime possessions), it's too much."
Well maybe this is too simple, but given this, why not play it as is and then after two possessions each in OT, if it is still tied, it is a tie!

Nobody wants ties in CFB. That era was stupid and the game is better now. This is one rule change they mostly got right, with few unintended side effects.

I still dont understand NFL OT rules and why they can still end in a tie. Dumb.
 
I'd sure like to see these numbers. Are they out there somewhere?

1) College correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
2) NFL correlation between winning the OT coin toss and winning the game.
Found this which was interesting regarding regular season OT in the NFL. There's simply not enough data to draw conclusions on playoff games as the author points out.

Because someone was arguing that playoff games are different from regular season and so I shouldn't include ties (I honestly don't know what the argument is on why ties should be omitted, but whatever), I omitted playoff games and looked solely at the regular season. Note that there are 8 playoff games and 7 have been won by the team with the first possession (5 by opening drive TDs). Definitely not a big enough sample size to say anything there, but we can look at the regular season games alone:



Regular Season (110 OT games):

  • Wins by team that possesses the ball first: 52 (47.3%)
    • Of these wins, 18 were on an opening drive TD (34.6% of team with first possession wins, 16.4% overall overtime games)
  • Wins by team that possesses the ball second: 51 (46.4%)

  • Ties: 7 (6.4%)
(excuse the rounding error adding up to 100.1%)
 
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Only one rule change needed...only the very first TD scored in OT has a choice of PAT or 2-point conversion, all subsequent TD's must go for a 2-point conversion. If we score first, we can kick the PAT or go for 2, but no matter what the result, all subsequent TD's are accompanied only by 2-point conversion attempts.
 
I think they should remove kickers from the equation in college. Not a good position for a pimply-faced 19yo to be in. Plus, kicking shouldn’t decide a game that blood, sweat and tears were spilled in. It would be like having a free throw shooting contest decide basketball. No one likes hockey shootouts for that reason. Move ‘em back, all tds followed by 2pt conversions, three downs instead of four.....all would help.

As for the pros, being on D is different than earlier in the game. A TD and it is over. The DC is unlikely to play anything other than vanilla D. You could be fired if you cost your team a chance at the Super Bowl if you call a blitz and a quick slant turns into an easy touchdown. It was pretty easy for the Pats to dunk and dunk their way down the field. Kinda handcuffed on D.
 

The LSU v. Texas A&M game this year was crazy. 7 overtimes, 74-72 Aggies. The game was nearly 5 hours long.
 

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