1. Current System: Guaranteed Possession, Then Sudden Death
A coin flip determines which team gets the ball first. Both teams are guaranteed at least one possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown. If the score remains tied after both teams have had the ball, overtime continues under sudden-death rules. Ties are possible in the regular season if the clock runs out.
2. College Overtime From the 40-Yard Line
Use a college-style format, with each team getting an alternating possession starting at the opponent’s 40-yard line. The home team goes second. Teams continue alternating possessions until one outscores the other in a round.
3. College Overtime From the 20-Yard Line, With No Field Goals
Use a college-style format, with each team getting an alternating possession starting at the opponent’s 20-yard line. The home team goes second. Field goals are prohibited, and every touchdown must be followed by a two-point conversion attempt. Teams continue alternating possessions until one outscores the other in a round.
4. Spot and Choose
The visiting team chooses the yard line where overtime begins. The home team then chooses whether to take possession or play defense. From there, overtime is sudden death: the first team to score wins.
5. Secret Auction
Before overtime, each coach secretly submits a yard line where their team is willing to begin its possession. The team choosing the more disadvantageous starting position earns the ball there. Overtime then proceeds under sudden-death rules.
6. Simultaneous Shootout
Both teams put their offenses and defenses on the field at the same time, starting from opposite ends of the field. There are no clocks or downs; the first team to score a touchdown wins. An interception or fumble immediately awards the game to the opposing team, and a ball crossing the midfield boundary backward also results in a loss.
7. Timed Possessions From Midfield
Eliminate the coin flip. The visiting team starts with the ball at midfield and gets a 90-second possession. The teams then alternate possessions from midfield, each with 90 seconds to score. If the score remains tied after a round, they continue with additional rounds until a winner is determined.
8. College Overtime From the 10-Yard Line, With No Field Goals
Use a college-style format, but start each possession at the opponent’s 10-yard line. The home team goes second. Field goals are prohibited, and every touchdown must be followed by a two-point conversion attempt. Teams continue alternating possessions until one outscores the other in a round.
To their credit, Options 4 and 5 introduce strategic decisions about field position and whether to play offense or defense. That makes them interesting alternatives, even if they don't fully satisfy this criterion.
It's also worth noting that we've eliminated any format in which an opening-possession touchdown can end the game before the opposing offense gets a chance to respond. That's a deal breaker.
CRITERION 3: MAKE THE STAR PLAYERS DECIDE THE GAME
Options 4 and 5 take a significant hit here. Because both use sudden death, the game could end on a routine field goal rather than an exciting play from a star player. A drive into field-goal range could be all it takes.
Options 3 and 8 get bonus points. By eliminating field goals and requiring two-point conversions after touchdowns, these formats remove kicking from the game.They put the emphasis on scoring touchdowns and making plays when the pressure is highest.
The worst of all the options is the current system. The current system still relies on a coin flip, allows regular-season ties, can drag on, and too often ends with a routine field goal rather than a memorable football play. For all those reasons, it earns the bottom spot among the eight options. C tier.
The B tier is reserved for four options that are interesting but flawed: Secret Auction, Simultaneous Shootout, Timed Possessions From Midfield, and Spot and Choose. Some of these risk turning into a sudden-death slog that ends with a routine field goal, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid. The Simultaneous Shootout has a different problem. As discussed earlier, it would be chaotic and difficult to follow, potentially making for a poor viewing experience. Part of what makes football great is the tension that builds between plays, the anticipation of the next snap, and the way the action unfolds. Putting two live plays on the field at once fundamentally changes that rhythm, and not necessarily for the better.
