ATHENS —College football overtime games will have a different look this season starting with the teams’ second possessions after the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the changes this week.
The teams will open the overtime period operating from one another’s 25-yard line, like before, but on the second possession, they will be required to attempt a 2-point conversion play after a touchdown.
The previous rule was that the 2-point attempt was required after a touchdown in the third overtime period.
Another change to the overtime rule that takes effect this year is that if the game should still be tied after two overtimes, teams will no longer default to each’s respective 25-yard line to begin the next possession.
Instead, the teams will begin running alternating 2-point conversion plays in the third overtime until the game is settled. Previously, the alternating 2-point conversion attempts began in the fifth OT period.
Georgia hasn’t played an overtime game since the 2019 season, when current UGA senior analyst Will Muschamp led South Carolina to a 20-17 double-overtime win over the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia is 8-7 all-time in overtime games, including its 54-48 Rose Bowl win over Oklahoma in the 2018 College Football Playoffs, and subsequent 26-23 overtime loss to Alabama in the CFP Championship Game.
It would seem Georgia’s school record of 28 points scored in overtime (1996 vs. Auburn) is safe with the new rules in place, as is Robert Edwards’ record for most overtime points (18).
Another rule that takes effect this season is aimed at snarky scoreboard and lighting system operators in the stadiums.
The scoreboard and lighting system operators will be subject to unsportsmanlike infractions, as the rule book was changed to include them among the personnel who “may not create any distraction that obstructs play.”
Per the NCAA release, the panel has also supported a proposal that will enable a school (or conference) to request video reviews related to questionable actions related to feigning injuries.