This is completely random, just an observation - I don't have any explanation or theory or anything to explain it - but has anybody else noticed that this year there seems to be a lot more overtimes than usual in both college and pro football? Tennessee two weekends ago, AR this weekend, yadda-yadda-yadda. Maybe I'm just now noticing that there are a lot of OTs in football, don't know.

I think it's a vast conspiracy by the furniture industry to drive David over the edge and force him to replace all of his belongings... wink

The Air Force-Utah game with into two or three overtimes. It really pumps up the score when they go for a long time...especially that Arkansas/Kentucky game.

Hmmm....GJ..you may be right because Arkansas has been involved in three of the longest OT games in the history of OT. David, IKEA is calling.

I think we have got to get a better system. I say, that you have to go for two automatically. After two OT's, you move back to the 35 and then the 45. It's too easy apparently to make it from the 25.

In 2002, there were 31 overtime games and 19 (nearly 60%) were decided in just one overtime period. There were 7 two-period games, 4 three-period games, and 1 six-period game. In 2001 there were only 18 overtime games, of which 13 were decided in the first period. The long games get a lot of attention obviously. Last year's FSU-Louisville game had the shortest possible overtime: two plays. FSU had first possession and threw an interception on first play. Louisville scored on a 25-yard run on their first play.

Stats for all years:
2002 - 31 games (19 one / 7 two / 4 three / 1 six)
2001 - 18 games (13 one / 3 two / 1 three / 1 seven)
2000 - 33 games (20 one / 11 two / 2 three)
1999 - 24 games (19 one / 4 two /1 three)
1998 - 24 games (no breakdown available)
1997 - 25 games (no breakdown available)
1996 - 26 games (no breakdown available)

For 1999-2002
106 games (71 one / 24 two / 8 three / 1 six / 2 seven)

With 66% of the OT games being just a single period, I don't see what the issue is.

Jim

[ November 04, 2003, 01:13 AM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

Every time my team goes to 7 overtimes, we win.

Next time take two flasks to the game. Be prepared, that's what I say.

I likes the way you think!! wink

On a separate thread, I stated my feelings on how OT should be managed;

The NCAA should back teams up to the 40 yard line. The current arrangement allows a team to gain no yardage, then kick a FG. I think OT should force a team to gain at least a 1st down to have a good chance at 3 points. Yeah, I know, even at the 40-yd line there are some kickers that can nail a 57-yard FG, but how many of them? Not many.

And as far as the scores that get posted as a result of multiple OT games, I think the NCAA should have a separate OT point structure. For example, all TD's count as 3 points, and all kicks (whether FG's or PAT's) count as 1 point.

This would keep schools from having hard earned season statistical numbers blown out of proportion.

Some good points, AU Tiger. I had said to someone while watching the Ark-UK game that at the very least the teams should start on the 40-yard line. I wouldn't be opposed to making them start on their own 40, for that matter. Teams with outstanding kickers could be rewarded for getting just a couple of first downs.

I hate the college overtime format, and even though my Aggies would probably have never upset Kansas State for the Big XII title about 5 years ago, I still continue to hate it. To be given a ball in field goal range and be able to complete a few successful plays to score just doesn't work for me. Personally, as a hockey fan, I am not exactly offended by a "tie". However, since we are primarily a group of people that demand a result to a game, I say use the NFL's system and kick the damn ball off. Wherever the receiving team gets the ball, good luck! The only thing I don't agree with is the use of a coinflip to determine who gets the ball first. A solution to that could be giving the ball to the team that has the most first downs or the most yardage.

Getting away from the arguments pro and con about OT and how it should be handled, I've often wondered why football (at all levels), alone among the Big 4 sports uses a coinflip to decide first possession.

In baseball, the visiting team always bats first.
In basketball a tipoff utilizes a certain level of skill in determining first possession.
In hockey, the face-off similarly has a level of skill involved.

Why does first possession in football come as a result of a total random event? Why not just have the home team kickoff in the first half and the visiting team kickoff in the second half?

And WHY does college have this "deferred to second half" rule?

Jim

It seems everytime Arkansas is playing, they go to OT..I really enjoy OT, my only suggestion is to lessen the number of overtimes is to have the ball placed 5 yards further as each full overtime is completed.

Probably I am in the minority on this, but I liked the occasional tie in college football. It sometimes made the conference races interesting, & it sometimes changed the 4th quarter dynamic when there was the option of playing for a tie.

As far as the current overtime set-up, I think it is the fastest & fairest way possible, much better than the sudden-death overtime in the NFL. But I do believe that a new system could be devised for keeping score & statistics for games that go to multiple overtimes.