It was October 2021, and Beaver Stadium was turning into a twilight zone. If you were watching Penn State and Illinois that afternoon, you probably thought you'd be home for dinner. Instead, you witnessed a marathon that broke the record for the most overtimes in college football history. Nine. That is how many times they had to go back and forth before a winner emerged. It wasn't exactly a high-scoring masterpiece—the final score was 20-18—but it was a historic slog that fundamentally changed how we think about the "extra football" we all claim to love until it's 1:00 AM and our eyes are bleeding.
Honestly, the "most overtimes" title used to be a shared crown. For years, seven was the magic number. It felt like a ceiling no one could crash through. Then the NCAA changed the rules, and suddenly, games could rack up double-digit overtime "periods" in about twenty minutes of real-time.
The Current Record: Illinois vs. Penn State (9 OTs)
On October 23, 2021, Illinois traveled to No. 7 Penn State. Nobody expected a classic. Penn State was a massive favorite, but the game stayed stuck in a 10-10 mud-fight through regulation. What followed was essentially a two-point conversion shootout. Under the new rules adopted just that year, teams start alternating two-point tries beginning in the third overtime.
It was ugly.
Both teams missed. Then they missed again. And again. From the third overtime through the seventh, neither team could convert a single two-point play. It was five straight rounds of "stop me if you've heard this one before." Finally, in the eighth overtime, both teams actually scored. In the ninth, Illinois' Casey Washington caught a pass from Brandon Peters to end the misery. Nine overtimes. A new record. But if you ask a purist, they’ll tell you it didn’t feel like the longest game ever because of those quick two-point rounds.
The Eight-Overtime Thriller: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (2024)
More recently, in November 2024, the "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" rivalry between Georgia and Georgia Tech nearly toppled the record. This one was a bit different from the Illinois/Penn State defensive battle. Georgia was down 17-0 early and had to claw their way back just to force the extra sessions.
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They went to eight overtimes.
Think about that for a second. That is eight times the players had to line up, hearts pounding, knowing one mistake ends the season. Eventually, Georgia pulled it out 44-42. It currently sits as the second-most overtimes in college football history, and unlike the Illinois game, it felt like a heavyweight prize fight the whole way through.
The Era of the Seven-Overtime Marathons
Before the 2-point conversion shootout rule, "seven overtimes" was the gold standard for insanity. These games were brutal. They involved full possessions from the 25-yard line, which meant players were running full offensive and defensive series over and over.
- Arkansas vs. Ole Miss (2001): This is the one many fans remember best. Arkansas won 58-56. A young Eli Manning was the quarterback for Ole Miss. It lasted nearly five hours.
- Arkansas vs. Kentucky (2003): Arkansas again. Seriously, the Razorbacks in the early 2000s were the kings of the long game. They beat Kentucky 71-63 in seven overtimes just two years after the Ole Miss game.
- Texas A&M vs. LSU (2018): This is arguably the most famous overtime game ever. It ended 74-72. The teams combined for 146 points. It was so long and so high-scoring that the NCAA basically said, "Okay, we have to change the rules before someone dies of exhaustion."
After that 2018 A&M/LSU game, the NCAA moved the mandatory two-point conversion attempt to the second overtime and introduced the "shootout" format for the third overtime and beyond. They wanted to protect player safety and, let’s be real, make sure the games didn't run into the next day's television window.
How the Rules Actually Work Now
If you’re watching a game today and it goes to OT, here is the breakdown of what you're seeing. It’s not just a free-for-all.
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- First Overtime: Each team gets the ball at the 25-yard line. They can kick a field goal or go for a TD.
- Second Overtime: If it’s still tied, they do it again, but if a team scores a touchdown, they must try a two-point conversion. No more easy extra points.
- Third Overtime & Beyond: This is where it gets wild. No more drives from the 25. The teams just trade two-point conversion attempts from the 3-yard line.
This explains why Illinois and Penn State were able to hit nine overtimes. Since each "period" is just one single play, you can blast through three or four overtimes in the time it used to take to play one. It’s basically the college football version of a penalty shootout in soccer.
Why Arkansas Still "Owns" the Record in Spirit
Even though Illinois and Penn State have the numerical record for most overtimes in college football, most long-time fans still look at the Arkansas games of the early 2000s as the real endurance tests. In those games, teams were playing actual football—first downs, punts (rarely), and full red-zone drives—seven times over.
When Arkansas played Kentucky in 2003, they ran 198 total plays. By contrast, the 9-OT Illinois game featured plenty of plays, but the "overtimes" themselves were just individual snaps. It’s a different kind of tired. In the old system, offensive linemen were playing nearly two full games worth of snaps.
The Impact on the Teams
Long games aren't just fun trivia. They ruin seasons. When a team plays seven, eight, or nine overtimes, they are physically spent for the following week. You often see a "hangover" effect where the winner of a marathon game loses their next matchup because their legs are gone.
Coaches hate these games. They’ll tell the media it was a "gritty win," but behind closed doors, they’re looking at the injury report and the snap counts with pure terror. That’s why you see more coaches going for two in the first overtime nowadays—they want to end it before it turns into a history-making slog.
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Summary of the Longest Games
To keep it simple, here are the heavy hitters:
- 9 OTs: Illinois 20, Penn State 18 (2021)
- 8 OTs: Georgia 44, Georgia Tech 42 (2024)
- 7 OTs: Texas A&M 74, LSU 72 (2018)
- 7 OTs: Western Michigan 71, Buffalo 68 (2017)
- 7 OTs: Arkansas 71, Kentucky 63 (2003)
- 7 OTs: Arkansas 58, Ole Miss 56 (2001)
If you're looking for the absolute most overtimes in college football history, Illinois holds the trophy. If you're looking for the game that forced the rules to change because it was too much for the human body to handle, that's Texas A&M and LSU.
Moving forward, keep an eye on those two-point shootout rules. With the current format, we might actually see a 10 or 11-overtime game soon, simply because it’s so easy for both defenses to stop a single play from the 3-yard line. It won't take five hours, but it'll definitely keep you on the edge of your couch.
Next time you're watching a game that heads into a second or third extra period, check the snap counts of the defensive line. You can usually tell who is going to win by seeing which big man in the middle is leaning on his knees between plays. That’s where these games are actually won—not in the playbook, but in the weight room.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check the official NCAA record book for updated "Shootout" stats, as these records are being broken more frequently now.
- If your team is heading into a 3rd OT, watch the "Success Rate" of their 2-point conversion plays throughout the season; it’s the only stat that matters at that point.
- Monitor the fatigue levels of key players if they played more than 4 overtimes, as it significantly increases injury risk for the following week's game.