Read the opposing argument from Loyal Homer about whether college football or the NFL has a better system for overtime.
The NFL’s overtime procedures are far superior to those used in college football. NFL overtime is in general simpler, faster, and, most importantly, a more valid tool for determining which team is better than overtime in college football.
It does not take a rocket scientist to understand the overtime procedure in the NFL, but you might need some advanced schooling to understand the college system. In the NFL if regulation play ends with a tied score, teams play an additional 15 minute period and the first team to score is declared the winner. If no one scores, the game ends in a tie with the exception of playoff games, where additional periods are added until a winner is established. Simple enough, right? I was able to clearly explain it in just two sentences.
Overtime in college football, however, is far more convoluted. In college football multiple overtime periods are the norm rather than the exception. In the name of “fairness” (which I will address later) one team is given a chance to score and then the other. The first team is given control of the football at their opponent’s 25-yard line and has one possession to score. After that possession ends, the second team is given an attempt to score from their opponent’s 25-yard line. If the score is tied after the first overtime period the game drags on to a second overtime. If after the second overtime period the score is still tied (and if any spectators are still awake at this point) a third period is added, where teams must also attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown. This quid pro quo process continues until one team fails to match or exceed the other’s score and a winner is determined. Bearing in mind that overly complex rules are not fan friendly, all these unnecessary overtime periods and artificial possession changes suck the excitement from the game.
College football’s overtime procedures alter the game so much that in the end it no longer resembles regulation play as much as it resembles a game of H-O-R-S-E. Think about it. It greatly diminishes special teams by removing kickoffs and punts. Likewise, it dictates teams’ field positions and even play calling (the 2-point conversion rule). In my opinion, college overtime barely even qualifies as football at that point, and certainly does not accurately determine which is the better team. On the other hand, the NFL keeps game play virtually the same and institutes a sudden death type scenario. So it is clear that the NFL overtime system is a far more valid means for identifying who is the better team.
One of the most common – and fundamentally flawed – arguments in favor of the college system is that it is somehow more “fair” than the NFL’s overtime. Critics of the NFL’s overtime system often point out that it gives an unfair advantage to the team who begins with possession of the ball. This could not be further from the truth. Defenses are expected to stop a team from scoring all game long, so why is it assumed that they are incapable of doing this during overtime? Defenses can still score on fumbles and interceptions, giving both teams an equal opportunity to score. Similarly, they can and should limit opposing offenses to four and outs, giving them an equal shot on offense to win the game. So the NFL is able to maintain fair play without distorting the game itself, a feat that the college system is unable to pull off well.
Another major criticism of the NFL system, that deserves debunking, is the false assumption that ties are somehow unfair. Whoa! I know most of you are probably shocked I am defending a tie (which for the record I still think ties suck), but for the sake of this debate I think they make sense. In the NFL, if no one scores after the extra 15 minute overtime then the game ends in a tie. But, games are supposed to determine which team is superior. If the scores remain tied after 75 grueling minutes of play, is it fair to consider the teams evenly matched? I know I would. So on the rare occasion that sudden death is not enough motivation for one team to prove their better, the NFL simply says rank them equally.
Even if I have not made you into a supporter of ties, you can at least admit that the NFL’s sudden death system is still much better than the abomination that is the college overtime system.
In the end, this debate boils down to one central argument – which system is better? Both systems have weaknesses, but the NFL’s overtime is far superior in its ability to determine the better team without fundamentally altering the game.
