Kirk Herbstreit weighs in on new college football overtime rules

College football fans got their first taste of a really long overtime game under the new rules last weekend, as Illinois knocked off Penn State in nine overtimes. 

Of course, the crazy game sparked national conversation about the new overtime rules, and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has a strong opinion on the matter.

“What’s up with this rule? I just don’t like it,” Herbstreit told Tim May on the Tim May Podcast. “I understand you’re trying to hurry up the game. The A&M-LSU game from years ago went on for 10 hours, and they just said ‘Ok we gotta figure out a way to end these games.’ But I’m not a fan of going 2-point play, 2-point play.”

Herbstreit was referencing a 2018 game between Texas A&M and LSU which lasted seven overtime periods and ended with a final score of 74-72. Both teams kicked field goals in the first and fourth OT, and they scored touchdowns in the second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh extra periods. The game ended after the Tigers failed to convert a 2-point play after their seventh overtime touchdown. Herbstreit was intentionally exaggerating the time the game took, but it did take nearly five hours.

“It’s just so unrealistic,” Herbstreit added. “Teams only carry a handful of 2-point plays to begin with. I just don’t think it’s a fair way to determine a football game. I didn’t like it at all.”

Changes to OT rules new this year

The new 2021 overtime rules are as follows, per the NCAA website:

“Teams will be required to run a 2-point conversion play after a touchdown when a game reaches a second overtime period. Previously, a 2-point attempt was required after the third overtime period… If the game reaches a third overtime, teams will run alternating 2-point plays, instead of starting another drive at the opponent’s 25-yard line. This is a change from the previous rule, which started to use 2-point plays in the fifth overtime period.”

Stanford head coach David Shaw is the chairman of the NCAA Football Rules Committee, the body that created the new rules. Shaw defended the new rule earlier this week, although he did acknowledge no change will be perfect or please everyone.

“I love the soccer shootout, but it does take out the rest of the team,” Shaw said Wednesday, per the Washington Post. “For us, our shootout still involves the offense and the defense. It still involves the majority of players. Everybody has an opportunity to score and to stop a score, with your team. It’s shorter. It’s safer.”

While this game was a little shorter, it was still over four hours long and it was not without injuries. Illinois quarterback Artur Sitkowski is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken arm in the fourth overtime.