How Long Is a College Football Game?

Although an NFL game lasts a long time, a college football game lasts even longer. Although a college football game has a game clock of sixty minutes, you can expect to watch at home or sit in the stands for triple that amount.
So how long is a college football game? Scott Fujita has got the answer for you. So keep reading to see more!

How Long Is a College Football Game?

The average length of a college game is 3 hours and 24 minutes.

The average length of a college football game is 3 hours and 24 minutes. It consists of 60 minutes of game action.

A college football game is noticeably longer than an NFL game, which has ranged from three hours and three minutes to three hours and twelve recently. 

There are two critical causes for that difference, even though they share the same quarter length (fifteen minutes), play clock length (forty seconds), and total game time (sixty minutes).

First, a college football game has a second halftime break lasting 20 minutes, while the NFL game features a 12-minute hiatus. 

That is because most half-time shows at the college game include the marching band, which performed excellent musical displays mixing visual arts and music. Some college teams even own drum corps that get into competing nationally.

Also, college football rules call for the clock to stop after one team gets a first down, which contributes to the length of each game.

Like the NFL game, college football features some commercial breaks that pause the action on the field. Many believe that commercials are one of the main reasons  NFL and college games last as long as they do.

With several commercial breaks placed into a game, it is not surprising that these games are considerably longer. Without ads, a standard game rarely surpasses the two-hour limit, including half-time.

How Long Is Each Quarter In College Football?

College and NFL games share the same quarter length, with each quarter lasting 15 minutes.

Some viewers and fans might think that because the college football game lasts longer than an NFL game, it also has longer quarters than the NFL. But this isn’t the case.

The truth is that a College football game has the same quarter length as the NFL, with each quarter lasting 15 minutes. It comes out to a match that lasts an hour.

How Many Quarters in College Football?

College football games consist of four quarters, with quarters two and three separated by one halftime. College football, which has 60 minutes of game time, is divided into four 15-minute quarters. That’s what college football games and NFL games have in common.

FAQs

How Long Is a College Football Halftime?

A college football halftime lasts for twenty minutes. This limitation keeps the overall length of a college game from extending too long. 

A college game lasts under three and a half hours, consisting of four quarters, and the 2nd and 3rd quarters are separated by halftime.

For this reason, home teams and bandleaders are warned not to go further than the 20-minute mark.

How Long Is College Game on TV?

If you watch a college game last on your TV, you can expect it to last under three and a half hours, in most cases. In addition, it may also include an extra five-minute introduction and a short period after the game to interview coaches and players.

How Long Is An NFL Game?

An NFL game might last slightly over three hours. Its longest average was in 2015, when the average length was three hours and nine minutes.

The longest game ever recorded was seven hours and eight minutes, while the fastest one recorded was two hours and twenty-nine minutes.

What Factors Can Slow Down A NFL Game?

Some factors significantly affect how long an NFL game lasts, such as:

• Weather.
• Penalties.
• Broadcast.
• Game Flow.
• Style of Play.
• Replay Reviews.

How Long Are High School Football Games?

A high school football game typically lasts from two hours to two and a half hours. They consist of four 12-minute quarters with one halftime between the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

How Long is the Pee Wee Football Game?

A Pee-wee football game takes the least time, especially compared to a college or NFL football game. It only lasts from one to two hours; more than half of this is because of the warmup, which might last an hour.

The Bottom Line

College football is famous for lasting a very long time. Although having a game clock of an hour like the NFL, it tends to stretch beyond three-hour. College football games are considered the longest of any major sport in America.

There are various reasons a college football game lasts longer, but one of the main reasons is the length and number of ads during the games.