Who doesn’t love free football — particularly free postseason football?
The College Football Playoff was introduced in 2014, and the field was expanded from four to 12 teams a decade later. But how many of the all-important contests have reached overtime?
How Many College Football Playoff Games Have Gone to Overtime?
Since the CFP’s inception, four games have reached overtime:
- 2018 Rose Bowl (semifinals): Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 (2OT)
- 2018 National Championship Game: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)
- 2024 Rose Bowl (semifinals): Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT)
- 2025 Peach Bowl (quarterfinals): Texas 39, Arizona State 31 (2OT)
The first two CFP games to reach OT featured Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. His program shattered the Oklahoma Sooners’ run on the back of RB Sony Michel. However, just a week later, they fell to Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide in epic fashion. True freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa stepped in for Jalen Hurts and delivered the greatest 2nd-and-26 play in football history.
That time Tua Tagovailoa and @AlabamaFTBL shattered Georgia’s hearts in overtime of the 2018 CFP National Championship… 😱 pic.twitter.com/VSrR4YOp3y
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) April 22, 2020
The playoff then saw a six-year overtime drought before the Michigan Wolverines ended it against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. RB Blake Corum ran in a 17-yard score on just the second snap of OT, putting all the pressure on the Crimson Tide to respond.
On fourth-and-goal, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe caught a low snap and ran straight into a blue and maize wall two yards short of the end zone, booking Michigan’s ticket to the national title against the Washington Huskies.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Yet, it didn’t take another six years for college football fans to enjoy another CFP OT. After the Texas Longhorns took a 17-3 halftime lead over the Arizona State Sun Devils, it appeared the bout was all but over. Instead, ASU outscored them 21-7 in the second half to force overtime.
Both teams traded blows in the first OT period, but after Quinn Ewers tossed a go-ahead TD to TE Gunnar Helm, safety Andrew Mukuba iced the game with an INT just two yards shy of the pylon.
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