Yes, overtime counts in betting for almost every full-game market: the moneyline, the point spread, the game total and most player props are all graded on the final score including overtime, unless the market says regulation only. The markets that leave overtime out are the ones built around a slice of the game, such as halves and quarters, and a small set of regulation-time lines. What differs is how many points overtime adds, and the NFL and college football could hardly be further apart.
Which bets include overtime
A full-game bet is graded on the official final result, which includes every period played:
- Moneyline. The team that wins in overtime wins the bet.
- Point spread. The final margin, overtime points included, decides the cover.
- Game total. Every point scored in overtime is added to the combined score.
- Team totals and most player props. A receiver's yards and a running back's touchdown in overtime count toward his line, unless the market is labeled regulation only.
BettorEdge writes this into its general rules: football markets are settled on the result including overtime unless stated otherwise, and the same holds for basketball and hockey.
Which bets do not
Overtime is left out of any market defined by a part of the game. A first-half bet is settled at halftime and never sees overtime, and our NFL first half betting guide covers those markets. The other common exclusion is a regulation-time or three-way line, which adds a tie as its own outcome and grades at the end of the fourth quarter. In soccer the default flips: match bets are settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time, and extra time and penalties only count on markets like "to advance" or "to lift the trophy". If the market name mentions a period or regulation, overtime does not count.
NFL overtime: ten minutes, and a tie is possible
In the NFL regular season, a game tied after four quarters gets one ten-minute overtime period. Since 2025, both teams are guaranteed a possession even if the first team scores a touchdown, and if the score is still level once both have had the ball, the next score wins. If the ten minutes run out with the score still level, the game goes into the books as a tie. Playoff games keep playing fifteen-minute periods until someone wins.
A tie matters for the moneyline. On BettorEdge, a tie voids positions on the winner market, and how a sportsbook grades a tied two-way moneyline is a push question, covered in what is a push in betting. Spreads and totals grade normally on a tie, since a margin of zero and a combined score still exist.
College football overtime: untimed, and it never ends in a tie
College overtime has no clock. Each team gets a possession from its opponent's 25-yard line, and the teams keep playing rounds until one of them is ahead at the end of a round. From the second overtime, a team that scores a touchdown must go for two. From the third overtime on, there are no more drives: the teams trade single two-point attempts from the 3-yard line.
Bet the prop against people, not the house.
Books shade the popular props the hardest. On BettorEdge you take the other side of real bettors at a fairer number, and you are never limited for being right.
Worked example: the same tie, two very different totals
Take an NFL game with a total of 44.5 that ends regulation tied 20-20. The combined score is 40, so overtime has to add 5 points for the Over to cash. A college game with a total of 52.5 that ends regulation tied 24-24 sits at 48, and it also needs 5.
In the NFL, a field goal on the first drive followed by a stop ends it 23-20, for 43 and an Under. An opening touchdown and a stop ends it 27-20, for 47 and an Over. Traded field goals and then a third one makes it 26-23, for 49. The clock caps how much can happen.
In college, a field goal answered by a miss ends it 27-24, for 51 and an Under. A touchdown and extra point answered by a stop ends it 31-24, for 55. Now let both teams score touchdowns in the first overtime, then both score again in the second, with one two-point try good and the other short. That game ends 39-37, and the combined score is 76, which is 28 points above where regulation left it.
Same starting point, same 5-point threshold. The NFL clock keeps outcomes in a tight cluster; college rounds can stack far past it.
Why college overtime totals run so wide
NFL overtime is short and can end with nothing added, so its results bunch a few points above regulation. College overtime always adds points, and when both offenses keep scoring, the rounds stack. Texas A&M beat LSU 74-72 in seven overtimes in 2018 after a 31-31 regulation, so overtime alone added 84 points to the total. The format has changed since then to cut those marathons short, and the two-point rounds add far less: Illinois beat Penn State 20-18 in nine overtimes in 2021 after a 10-10 regulation, with overtime adding 18. The college football board prices both possibilities, and our guide to college football totals covers the rest of what pushes those numbers high.
What it means for spreads and props
Overtime turns a tied game into a win by a small margin, most often a field goal or a touchdown. On the NFL board, a small spread on a game tied after four quarters usually comes down to which team wins the extra period, so the favorite's regulation edge matters far less than it did at kickoff. For props, the extra period is a bonus: a quarterback in overtime keeps adding yards toward his Over, and an anytime touchdown scored in overtime still counts.
Overtime betting FAQ
Does overtime count in betting?
Yes, overtime counts for full-game bets, including the moneyline, point spread, game total and most player props, unless the market is labeled regulation only. Bets on a part of the game, such as the first half, and three-way regulation lines are settled before overtime starts, and soccer match bets exclude extra time by default.
Does the total include overtime in the NFL?
Yes, an NFL game total includes every point scored in overtime, so a game tied 20-20 that ends 27-20 in overtime is graded as 47 points. Regular season overtime is a single ten-minute period, and if it ends scoreless the total stays at the regulation score.
How does overtime affect college football betting?
College football overtime counts toward the spread, total and props, and because it is untimed and always produces a winner, it can add far more points than NFL overtime. Each round gives both teams a possession from the 25-yard line, two-point tries are required from the second overtime, and from the third overtime teams trade single two-point attempts.
A game that goes to overtime is decided by a handful of points, which is why the price you paid for the total or the spread matters as much as the side you picked. On BettorEdge community odds you set your own number against another real bettor, with no house margin sitting on top. Open BettorEdge and get this price for real, peer-to-peer.
Bet the prop against people, not the house.
Books shade the popular props the hardest. On BettorEdge you take the other side of real bettors at a fairer number, and you are never limited for being right.