Absolutely not. College OT would be a joke in the NFL. This is professional football! You can not eliminate an integral part of the game for the sake of a fair overtime. Removing kickoffs and punting – eliminating the field control game – would be absolutely criminal at the NFL level.

On the other hand, you can’t subject these guys to another full 15 to 30 minutes of play if you don’t have to. If a change is made, AT MOST it should involve assuring each team a minimum of one possession. If the game is still tied after both teams have the ball once, then sudden death rules apply.

But no, college football OT is entertaining in college, but screw it for the NFL.

and I had never thought about the arguments that Howie makes above. Maybe I should have replied directly to his comment, but oh well.

I don’t like NFL overtime either and I think seeing NFL players doing college overtime would be damn fun and damn entertaining. The shootout in soccer or hockey removes a lot of the elements of the game for the sake of finding a winner, but part of that is because there are (or were) a lot of very low scoring soccer and hockey games, so the shootout at least assures there will be a winner. I guess my point is that I don’t think it would be THAT bad to remove the kickoff/punt/return game/field position elements in order to make a good, fair OT. But I get what Howie is saying about it, and I respect that viewpoint.

Probably the most pragmatic and realistic option is what Howie suggested of giving each team at least one possession. If the team that receives the ball scores, they have to kick it off and let the other team have the ball. But can they do an onside kick? what happens if they do? I mean, seriously. But yeah, that’s probably the most fair.

The two options that make the most sense to me are an extra full (or maybe even half) length quarter or first team to 6 points in OT wins (that way 1 FG can’t win the game).

for OT, it’s the same rules as it is now, including kickoffs and punts ect. BUT if the team that wins the coin toss scores on their first possesion, the other team gets a chance. Howeer, it they score on the 2,3.4 ect, then the game ends.

1. Play an extra quarter or half. 15 or 30 minutes and whoever’s ahead wins.

2. Shootout – just have a FG kicking contest, starting from 30 yards out, then 35, then 40, etc. First one to make it with other guy missing wins. Also, this should be full defenses trying to block the kick, etc. If you block it and run it back, you win.

3. Sudden Death w/ a twist – Same rules as now except each team is guaranteed at least 1 possession. If neither team scores with their first possession, then it’s sudden death and the next team to score wins.

4. Don’t change the rules. Screw it. It’s worked this long w/out producing any problems (just complaints). Lose the toss, lose the game. Too bad. Get over it.

I like the idea of changing the overtime, but I don’t think the college rule is the answer. College overtime is more like arena football than a real game. I like howtheyscored’s idea that each team should get at least one possession, but I think this should be combined with a ban on field goals. I am sick of teams getting to the 20 yard line and then completely shutting down their offenses and going for a field goal. If a team is to win in over time they must score a touchdown (or safety). Now that offenses dominate the game it is too easy to get in field goal range. The rule will result in more ties, but I don’t mind ties, if neither team can score a TD in a quarter then they both deserve a tie.