Longest College Football Game Without Overtime

NCAA football overtime rules were first introduced on 16th February 1996. It was implemented after Division I-A made it compulsory for all games to have OT.

An experiment of the OT rules was carried out in the Las Vegas Bowl on 14th December 1995. Toldeo Rockets and Nevada Wolf Pack were tied at 34 each after the end of regular time.

Overtime was implemented, and the Rockets took the game, scoring 40-37.

NCAA football OT rules at the start stated:

• A coin toss is made where the away team captain calls the toss. He has to choose to play either offense or defense. Or, he can the side of the field.
• Each team will get the offensive possession in an OT at the opponent’s 25-yard line.
• After the third OT, each team must go for a 2-point conversion following the touchdown.
• There exists no game clock in OT. Only the play clock is used.
• Each team gets one timeout per OT.

In 2019, the alternating two-point conversion rule was introduced. Each team must go for a two-point conversion instead of offensive play after the fifth OT.

Likewise, the OT rule was revised in 2021. The alternating two-point conversion now starts after the third OT. Also, each team must attempt a two-point conversion starting from the second OT.

For example, when the game between Team A and Team B ends in a tie, they will head to OT. A toss takes place, and teams choose the play and sides.

After that, suppose A starts with offense and scores in the first OT. B must score equal points to take the game to the second OT.

In the second OT, B starts and scores a touchdown. They must now follow it with a 2-point conversion. The same goes for A.

Starting from the 3rd OT, A, and B will have alternating 2-point conversions. If anyone fails and another succeeds, they win the game.

How Long Is College Football Overtime?

College football overtime has only a play clock that tracks the time between each scrimmage. There is no game clock like that of the regulation time.

There is no time bound for the OT. It can last for quite a while until any of the two teams fails, and another team capitalizes on the opportunity and outscore the opponent.

Yes, you can kick a field goal in college football overtime. A team can score via a field goal in the first and second overtime periods.

But, if the opponent scores a touchdown, the team with a field goal will lose in points difference.

Likewise, no team can go for a 1-point safety in the second OT. The improvised rule dictates that both teams must attempt a two-point conversion. It was implemented to reduce the overtime succession and wrap up the game in fewer OT periods.

Record for most overtime in college football is nine. The Illinois Fighting Illini and Penn State Nittany Lions game lasted four hours and eleven minutes.

The contest between Illini and Nittany Lions took place on 23rd October 2021. When the regulation time ended, the score was 10-10.

Penn State opened the score in the first quarter. They scored a touchdown, followed by a one-point conversion. They scored a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Illinois returned in the second quarter with a touchdown and a point conversion. They scored a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, making the score an even 10.

In the first OT, Penn State scored a 31-yard field goal when they were handed the ball. Illinois converted a 39-yard kick to tie the score.

Likewise, the second OT saw both teams score a field goal. After that, no team could convert the two-point conversion for the next five OTs.

The Illini broke the deadlock on the eighth OT as the Brandon Peters pass found Isaiah Williams. The Nittany Lions also scored, with Noah Cain driving the ball to the end zone.

In the 9th OT, Penn State failed to score, while Casey Washington scored for Illinois, scoring 20-18.

Longest overtime in college football went over five hours and ten minutes. The game between Florida A&M Rattlers and Hampton Pirates went for six OTs.

The match was held on 5th October 1996. The Rattlers defeated the Pirates by a point, scoring 59-58.

College football longest overtime games are:

• Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (20-18), 23rd October 2021 – Nine OTs
• Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats vs. Virginia State (63-57), 26th September 1998 – Eight OTs 
• Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs. Bowling Green Falcons (59-57), 10th September 2022 – Seven OTs
• Texas A&M Aggies vs. LSU Tigers (74-72), 24th November 2018 – Seven OTs
• Western Michigan Broncos vs. Buffalo Bulls (71-68), 7th October 2017 – Seven OTs
• North Texas Mean Green vs. Florida International Golden Panthers (25-22), 7th October 2006 – Seven OTs
• Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kentucky Wildcats (71-63), 1st November 2003 – Seven OTs

Most point scored by a college football team is 222. On 7th October 1916, Georgia Tech Engineers recorded 222-0 against Cumberland Bulldogs.

The second match to cross the 200-point margin came six years later, on 21st October 1922. King College (now King University) gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 206-0 score.

Likewise, St. Viator College defeated Lane College with a landslide of 205-0 on 14th October 1916.

The 1910s period saw the teams crossing the 100-point mark 96 times. Twelve other teams have crossed the 150 points margin in a single game. They are:

• Central Oklahoma Broncos (twice)
• Tulsa Golden Hurricane (twice)
• Oklahoma Sooners (twice)
• Albion College
• Arizona Wildcats
• Bowling Green Falcons
• Dayton Flyers
• Harvard Crimson
• Millikin University
• Missouri S&T Miners
• Pittsburgh State Gorillas
• Stevens football team

In the modern era, the teams have become more competitive, and the rules dividing the football programs into different divisions have created an entirely different scenario. Because of that and the different iterations of the rule, it is extremely rare to imagine a team scoring such a mammoth score.

Highest scoring college football game since 2000 is the match between West Texas A&M Buffaloes and Abilene Christian Wildcats. It had a combined score of 161.

The contest was held on 22nd November 2008, and the Wildcats won the match. They outbid the Buffaloes’ score of 68 by 93 at the end of the regulation period.

Highest scoring NCAA football games include the following:

• Texas A&M Aggies (74) vs. LSU Tigers (72), 146 points – 24th November 2018 
• Hartwick College (72) vs. Utica University (70), 142 points – 10th November 2007
• Rose-Hulman (74) vs. Illinois College (68), 142 points – 14th September 2014
• Weber State Wildcats (73) vs. Portland State Vikings (68), 141 points – 27th October 2007

Championship

Highest scoring NCAA football championship game was held on 11th January 2016 and saw a combined total of 85 points.

The CFP National Championship tie was played between Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers, where the former won by 45-40.

Similarly, the biggest blowout in a college football national championship game is the 2022 FBS national championship contest.

Georgia Bulldogs won against TCU Horned Frogs by a 58-point margin. The final score was 65-7.

Most points scored in a Bowl game

Most points scored in a college football bowl game is 125 in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. Marshall Thundering Herd defeated the East Carolina Pirates 64-61.

The game was held at Ladd-Pebbles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on 19th December 2001 and saw an attendance of 40,139 people.

The contest was tied at 51 each after the end of regulation time. In the first OT, both teams scored rushing touchdowns.

In the second OT, the Herd defense stopped the Pirates and made them take the field goal. In return, the Herd drove an 8-yard passing touchdown, winning the thriller.

Most points scored in a college football playoff game include the 2011 Alamo Bowl, where Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies scored 123 points.

The 29th December fixture at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, saw the Bears put 67 points on the board while the Huskies only managed to get 56.