NFL Overtime Rules...And You Thought the BCS was Awful

Full disclosure here: I am a college football fan.

I love college football. I love everything about it. I even like the postseason.

This includes the overtime rules. I love it. Both teams get a chance. Both teams get an equal chance.

When it first came about, it had one flaw: There was a chance of a six or seven overtime game. This would almost guarantee a loss the following week for both teams.

That was fixed; now teams must go for two points after the second OT.

What does professional football do?

It plays football for three hours to a tie, and then decides which team will have a decided advantage on a coin flip?

Whoever wins the toss has the chance to go down the field, kick a field goal, win the game, and the other team never gets the ball.

How is this fair? Please explain this to me.

I've heard the lame arguments. I've heard that these are professionals and if they can't stop the other team, they don't deserve to win.

Or the argument that we don't want the game to drag on for too long because both teams will be dog tired next week. Tell that one to Minnesota and see if it goes over—it would have had an off week next week if it won.

Now it has about 25 weeks off.

The real reason it's done this way is that the NFL does not want 1 PM games bleeding over too far into 4 PM games. Again, what does this have to do with tonight? If you want to use this ridiculous system in the regular season, at least have the decency to scrap it for the playoffs.

How are Vikings fans supposed to feel right now? They've waited maybe their whole lives to reach a Super Bowl. If they're old enough, it's been at least 30 years. They've never won one. They have a 40-year-old QB who was brought in for one shot at this, and he never got the ball.

This is horrible!

In the NBA, does the game end as soon as somebody scores?

In the big leagues, does the game end if the visiting team scores in the top of the 10th?

I know there is sudden death in hockey, but in hockey, possession changes every two seconds. Has anybody ever scored off the faceoff?

Until this ridiculous rule is fixed, do not ever complain to me about the BCS—college football is 100 times more fair than this.