We are truly in the depths of the offseason, with nothing much to talk about except very premature polls and player arrests. So I would like to argue that the NCAA should consider reintroducing the tie. I can think of at least four reasons to do so:
1. Doing away with the tie and putting in place overtime did away with an important strategic aspect of the game. Say you were a coach down 3 and facing a 4th and goal from the 7 with 5 seconds to go in the 4th. What do you do? When the tie existed, it was a tough call. Take the gimme field goal and the tie or go for 6 and the win? How will this affect your conference and or national ranking? Now its a no brainer - you go for 3 and kick the can down the road into overtime.
2. Sometimes a game ends in a tie due to one team getting cheated and OT gives themselves a chance to seek redemption. But many times, the tie represents a situation where two teams are equally matched. Why not recognize this with the tie? Why put it into overtime, which can go 2, 3, 4 or more rounds? How many times does this end up seeming like two exhausted heavyweight fighters stumbling around in the 15th round, holding on to each other and throwing weak punches in the hopes of a lucky hit? Does this really prove anything?
3. A first corellary to #2. Overtimes exhaust players. Exhausted players are more prone to getting injured. Who wants to see their team win a triple overtime game if it results in the injury of a key player?
4. A second corellary to #2. Overtimes exhaust players. And this often carries over into the following week, where teams are more likely to come out flat and lose the following game due to an inability to bounce back in just a week. Who wants an overtime win when it comes at the cost of a loss to a rival the following week?
I will grant that sometimes we need a winner. Conference championship games or the playoffs, and perhaps bowl games come to mind. But there is no reason not to allow a tie in the regular season games. I for one would like the tie come back in the regular season.
1. Doing away with the tie and putting in place overtime did away with an important strategic aspect of the game. Say you were a coach down 3 and facing a 4th and goal from the 7 with 5 seconds to go in the 4th. What do you do? When the tie existed, it was a tough call. Take the gimme field goal and the tie or go for 6 and the win? How will this affect your conference and or national ranking? Now its a no brainer - you go for 3 and kick the can down the road into overtime.
2. Sometimes a game ends in a tie due to one team getting cheated and OT gives themselves a chance to seek redemption. But many times, the tie represents a situation where two teams are equally matched. Why not recognize this with the tie? Why put it into overtime, which can go 2, 3, 4 or more rounds? How many times does this end up seeming like two exhausted heavyweight fighters stumbling around in the 15th round, holding on to each other and throwing weak punches in the hopes of a lucky hit? Does this really prove anything?
3. A first corellary to #2. Overtimes exhaust players. Exhausted players are more prone to getting injured. Who wants to see their team win a triple overtime game if it results in the injury of a key player?
4. A second corellary to #2. Overtimes exhaust players. And this often carries over into the following week, where teams are more likely to come out flat and lose the following game due to an inability to bounce back in just a week. Who wants an overtime win when it comes at the cost of a loss to a rival the following week?
I will grant that sometimes we need a winner. Conference championship games or the playoffs, and perhaps bowl games come to mind. But there is no reason not to allow a tie in the regular season games. I for one would like the tie come back in the regular season.
