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College game flow: when games go over and when the cover is settled

When do games go over, and when is the cover settled?

Pick a season and week, then choose when the game went over to see those games. FBS games from the past four seasons with quarter scores and a closing line.

When did they go over?

59 games · 2026 · Week 5 · pick one to list those games
Went overAll games59100%By halftime00%In Q31119%In Q42339%In OT00%Stayed under2542%
Last 5 minutesCover changed hands58%Over cashed1119%Leader lost the game35%
58% went over. Of the 34 overs, 0% had cashed by halftime and 32% by the end of the 3rd quarter. Covers were settled only in the 4th quarter or overtime in 12% of games.

All 59 games

2026 · Week 5 · newest first · showing 50
GameLineTotalPoints by quarterOverCover settledFinal
2026 · Week 5
 HAW -2.5 51.5 0143036 U SJSU Q1 20–16
2026 · Week 5
 ARIZ -7 56.5 7102441 U ARIZ Q2 7–34
2026 · Week 5
 ASU -3.5 49.5 17376174 Q3 BAY Q1 55–19
2026 · Week 5
 TXST -10 57.5 13204160 Q4 SDSU Q3
Late over
 29–31
2026 · Week 5
 WSU -2.5 44.5 3121932 U FRES Q1 26–6
2026 · Week 5
 IU -24.5 56.5 10234462 Q4 IU Q3 47–15
2026 · Week 5
 UL -4.5 49.5 7172343 U ARST Q2 20–23
MCN @ LSU
2026 · Week 5
 LSU -53.5 62.5 14356377 Q3 MCN Q1 14–63
2026 · Week 5
 MIA -14 49.5 13233054 Q4 MIA Q3
Late over
 41–13
2026 · Week 5
 TTU -13.5 50.5 10101936 U TTU Q4 29–7
2026 · Week 5
 USC -7.5 58.5 10244346 U WASH Q1 21–25
2026 · Week 5
 BOIS -19.5 50.5 14384155 Q4 USU Q4 18–37
2026 · Week 5
 USF -5.5 50.5 3132030 U TEM Q1
Lead lost
 17–13
2026 · Week 5
 LT -1.5 46.5 14214360 Q4 LT Q2 29–31
2026 · Week 5
 BYU -5.5 48.5 0141727 U BYU Q4
Late cover flip
 17–10
2026 · Week 5
 TA&M -13.5 51.5 21313841 U TA&M Q2 7–34
2026 · Week 5
 UTSA -11.5 56.5 13232330 U RICE Q1 16–14
2026 · Week 5
 GASO -2.5 53.5 10273455 Q4 GASO Q4
Late over
 31–24
2026 · Week 5
 USA -12.5 57.5 28457387 Q3 USA Q1 35–52
2026 · Week 5
 ORST -7 60.5 21496282 Q3 ORST Q2 56–26
TXSO @ FAU
2026 · Week 5
 FAU -47.5 62.5 31596976 Q3 FAU Q3 10–66
2026 · Week 5
 SC -2.5 52.5 1430445469 Q4 UK Q3
Late cover flip Late over Lead lost
 35–34
2026 · Week 5
 ILL -9.5 62.5 3202341 U PUR Q1 24–17
2026 · Week 5
 NEB -15.5 52.5 23515171 Q4 NEB Q4 23–48
2026 · Week 5
 UNM -23.5 47.5 14213768 Q4 UNM Q3 7–61
2026 · Week 5
 FLA -5.5 57.5 6304062 Q4 MIZ Q1
Late over
 17–45
2026 · Week 5
 JMU -14.5 55.5 17525562 Q4 JMU Q2
Late over
 17–45
2026 · Week 5
 OSU -14.5 46.5 16233045 U OSU Q3 31–14
2026 · Week 5
 TENN -6 54.5 0102438 U TENN Q3
Late cover flip
 14–24
2026 · Week 5
 UNLV -1.5 51.5 14314270 Q4 UNLV Q2 31–39
2026 · Week 5
 LOU -5.5 56.5 3204959 Q4 NCSU Q1 28–31
2026 · Week 5
 UVA -1.5 51.5 7243845 U FSU Q2 7–38
SAM @ UAB
2026 · Week 5
 UAB -30.5 54.5 17273047 U SAM Q1 14–33
2026 · Week 5
 NDSU -17.5 44.5 7172028 U NDSU Q3 0–28
2026 · Week 5
 CMU -6.5 47.5 0284558 Q4 CMU Q2 17–41
2026 · Week 5
 MASS -5.5 49.5 7213552 Q4 EMU Q1
Late over
 38–14
2026 · Week 5
 OHIO -3.5 50.5 3132323 U KENT Q3 13–10
2026 · Week 5
 M-OH -10.5 41.5 0161944 Q4 BGSU Q1
Late over
 24–20
2026 · Week 5
 GAST -1.5 51.5 17315252 Q3 GAST Q1 10–42
2026 · Week 5
 TOL -20.5 52.5 13253963 Q4 BALL Q1
Late over
 39–24
2026 · Week 5
 WMU -13.5 46.5 14242437 U BUFF Q1 20–17
2026 · Week 5
 UGA -25.5 49.5 14354252 Q4 VAN Q1 14–38
2026 · Week 5
 WIS -8.5 43.5 14202734 U WIS Q1 3–31
2026 · Week 5
 ND -21 46.5 21354763 Q3 UNC Q1 37–26
2026 · Week 5
 ALA -5.5 62.5 21456579 Q3 ALA Q1 56–23
2026 · Week 5
 HOU -10.5 50.5 7103144 U UCF Q1 17–27
2026 · Week 5
 SMU -21.5 55.5 16232941 U BC Q1 16–25
2026 · Week 5
 KU -21.5 51.5 3203455 Q4 KU Q3 0–55
2026 · Week 5
 ISU -3 53.5 14355687 Q3 Push
Late cover flip Lead lost
 42–45
2026 · Week 5
 WAKE -14.5 54.5 15324660 Q4 WAKE Q1
Late over
 3–57
Final score is away–home. Points by quarter are combined points at the end of each quarter; the highlighted one is when the over cashed.Show 59

When was the cover settled?

From the end of that quarter on, the side covering never changed
Q1 44% 26
Q2 20% 12
Q3 22% 13
Q4 12% 7
OT 0% 0
Push 2% 1
The team leading at halftime won 79% and covered 72% of 57 games
The team leading after 3 quarters won 93% and covered 77% of 56 games

Going into the 4th quarter

Points the game still needed after 3 quarters, and how often it got there
Points neededGamesWent over
Already over11100% 11
1–35100% 5
4–71100% 1
8–107100% 7
11–14560% 3
15–17633% 2
18–21667% 4
22+186% 1
Quarter scores from ESPN for the past four seasons; closing lines from the ESPN odds feed. Timing is to the quarter: an over that cashed with 10 seconds left in the 3rd counts as Q3. “Settled” means the team covering at the end of that quarter covered the closing spread at the end, with no change in between. Last 5 minutes (4th quarter, plus overtime) compares the score with 5:00 left, from ESPN scoring plays, with the final. History, not a prediction: none of this has shown an edge against the market.