The Longest NCAAF Championship Games Ever

College football has been one of the most polarizing sports throughout its history, and even more so now. Between the expansion of the College Football Playoff (CFP), conference realignment, shuffling of head coaches and even the relaunch of the old video game, all eyes are on the upcoming NCAAF season. With that in mind, now is a great time to look back at the longest NCAAF Championships ever.

#1. 2017 Clemson vs. Alabama (4 hours, 8 minutes)

Given how the landscape of college football has changed, most notably how the postseason is formatted, it’s important to note how we broke down the longest NCAAF Championships ever. We have information starting in 1998 with the BCS Championship Games, as well as the CFP Championship Games beginning in 2014.

We’re going to share the longest NCAAF Championships ever in terms of the longest BCS Championship Game, the longest CFP Championship Game in terms of time elapsed and the longest CFP Championship Game in terms of game length.

Let’s start with the CFP Championship Games, as they are the freshest in fans’ minds. When the new era began in 2014, it seemed as though Alabama and Clemson would be featured every year. Once, their meeting was the 2017 CFP Championship Game, and it was an epic one.

So, the longest NCAAF Championships ever took place on January 9, 2017, between the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide. It was a tight 35-31 victory for Clemson, coming just a year after losing the title to Alabama in a 45-40 matchup. However, the Tigers’ win elapsed far more time, and in fact, it’s the only one to surpass the four-hour mark.

#2. 2018 Alabama vs. Georgia (Overtime – 3 hours, 50 minutes)

The above was the longest NCAAF Championship Game ever in terms of time from kickoff to finish, but there was one title game in the CFP era that went to overtime. That makes it the longest in terms of game length, and unsurprisingly, Alabama was involved yet again.

This time, they were on the winning end of it, and it was a classic SEC rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs. It came just a season following their loss to Clemson, and the Crimson Tide got the 26-23 overtime win. It was an instant classic, especially given how the two programs have proven to be among the most elite over the past several seasons.

Despite Alabama being held in such high regard, the Bulldogs went into the half with a 13-0 lead. However, this was the famous QB replacement situation, with head coach Nick Saban replacing starter Jalen Hurts with Tua Tagovailoa. The future Miami Dolphin led the second-half comeback, and in overtime, the Alabama defense held Georgia to a field goal following a three-and-out.

That meant that the Crimson Tide could win the game with a touchdown, and they did just that. It was even more impressive that it came after a Tagovailoa sack, bringing them 41 yards away from the endzone. Even still, he connected with the future Philadelphia Eagle Devonta Smith for the game-winning touchdown. 

#3. 2003 – Ohio State vs. Miami (Double Overtime)

We mentioned that we’d also have one of the longest NCAAF Championships ever from the BCS era, which ran from 1998 to 2013. It was the only one to force overtime, and there were two extra sessions. It also featured the top two programs of the era.

Ohio State and Miami could be considered the Alabama and Georgia of the early 2000s, and this matchup lived up to the hype. It wasn’t quite the Miami featured in the 30-for-30 documentary of the 1980s, but the team was as polarizing as it gets. There was no shortage of future NFL players either – Frank Gore, Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vince Wilfork and Jonathan Vilma were among the most notable.

That was far more than was featured on the Buckeyes, yet Ohio State came away with the 31-24 victory. In this Fiesta Bowl matchup, the Hurricanes also saw their 34-game winning streak snapped, making it even more impressive.