Time period of games:
How long do football games last? That question has been asked many times over. The answer isn’t always clear. Some people believe that the length of a game depends on how intense it is. Others believe that the answer depends on the weather conditions at the time.
A football game actually consists of 4 halves which are normally 15 minutes each. This is true for the NFL and college games, however, one of these venues where they’re the exact same. So a professional football game is actually an hour and half long (4 x 15 min = 1hr). But how long do football games last when overtime or special overtime situations occur?
Overtime situation or rule:
Usually, overtime occurs when one team scores more points than the other team. In the NFL, overtime can take place with 5 minutes to play in regulation. In college football, overtime only takes place if the game is tied after four quarters. In these situations, the game will continue until either team wins by a score of greater than the other team. However, overtime is rarely used as a rule in the NFL.
College rules state that overtime situations will be decided by the discretion of the officials. Each crew is then given a series of review rules. If there is a foul against the team taking to overtime, the game will be stopped immediately and the officials will sit down with the teams to decide the outcome of the game. The outcome of the game is usually decided in the last few seconds of the game.
In college football, overtime can last as long as the game is live. Most games that end in overtime are played beyond the regular length of the game. There are also special overtime situations that need to be called out of a football game. For example, if a team is playing on their fourth quarter and the game is being played to even strength, overtime may be mandatory.
Overtime in NFL:
The overtime scenario is very dramatic in the NFL. Usually the game is stopped for the final play of the extra period. There are some football games where overtime can last longer than five minutes. The Super Bowl is a great example of this. Every play is overtime unless the play is declared illegal. These extra overtime periods are exciting for fans but can cause the fans to lose track of the regular length of the game.
Many people watch football games in a very casual manner. Most people do not realize how much time is actually spent during the course of a typical game. When overtime situations are added into the mix, it can really get to people. In addition, the added time can also cause fans to lose track of how long the actual play lasted.
Quarterback rule:
While overtime is used very frequently in the NFL, many fans do not appreciate how long do football games last. It can take a lot of overtime sessions to get a game to go long enough to be considered an overtime game. However, overtime makes the game much more exciting for fans.
During extra overtime sessions, there are several plays that may be initiated by the offense. The offensive players may try to kick the ball out from the defensive team. When this does not work, the defense may try to tackle the quarterback or any other player. The defense may even sack the quarterback. This type of situation can end up going on for several minutes with neither team scoring a touchdown.
When the overtime session ends, then the game is declared a “OT win”. The overtime sessions usually last about two to three minutes. If there is not a lot of traffic on the field prior to the overtime session began, then the game may last only a few seconds. Most football games end up being pretty full-filled overtime sessions.
One-way thing:
Some overtime sessions may last as little as a few seconds. In most cases, there is only one team trying to win the game. This means that overtime is usually a “one-way thing”. For example, if one team scores a touchdown and the other team also scores a touchdown, the team that scores the first touchdown will need to score another touchdown in order to win the game.
How long do football games last? It really depends on the rules of the game. If overtime is allowed, then the game will go on until either team has scored a touchdown. If not, then the game will continue to the next overtime session until one team has scored a touchdown.
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