1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Game flow
Research · College

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?

62 games · 2026 · Week 7 · pick one to list those games
Went overAll games62100%By halftime12%In Q3711%In Q42235%In OT12%Stayed under3150%
Last 5 minutesCover changed hands813%Over cashed915%Leader lost the game58%
50% went over. Of the 31 overs, 3% had cashed by halftime and 26% by the end of the 3rd quarter. Covers were settled only in the 4th quarter or overtime in 13% of games.

All 62 games

2026 · Week 7 · newest first · showing 50
GameLineTotalPoints by quarterOverCover settledFinal
2026 · Week 7
 ORE -6.5 50.5 072031 U NEB Q1
Lead lost
 14–17
2026 · Week 7
 WAKE -10 54.5 14344148 U WAKE Q1 41–7
2026 · Week 7
 FRES -6.5 46.5 10263349 Q4 SDSU Q1
Late over
 23–26
2026 · Week 7
 UNM -14.5 46.5 3101731 U HAW Q1 21–10
2026 · Week 7
 UTAH -15.5 49.5 7133751 Q4 COLO Q1
Late over
 27–24
2026 · Week 7
 OHIO -17.5 46.5 7274155 Q4 OHIO Q2 48–7
2026 · Week 7
 SJSU -6.5 46.5 772435 U SJSU Q1 24–11
2026 · Week 7
 UTSA -5.5 52.5 7414472 Q4 NAVY Q1 34–38
2026 · Week 7
 LT -13.5 55.5 001424 U LT Q3 24–0
2026 · Week 7
 ND -10.5 47.5 10313752 Q4 BYU Q1
Late over Lead lost
 24–28
2026 · Week 7
 UCLA -1.5 42.5 3101724 U UCLA Q1 7–17
2026 · Week 7
 OU -7 44.5 10172034 U UK Q1 21–13
2026 · Week 7
 HOU -4 62.5 10174567 Q4 OKST Q4
Late cover flip Late over
 32–35
ELON @ STAN
2026 · Week 7
 STAN -33.5 55.5 0142841 U ELON Q1 7–34
2026 · Week 7
 LOU -14.5 56.5 24515160 Q4 SYR Q1 34–26
2026 · Week 7
 MIA -20.5 57.5 728355678 OT FSU Q1
Late over
 35–43
2026 · Week 7
 VAN -5.5 48.5 7284952 Q3 ARK Q2 31–21
2026 · Week 7
 BAY -3.5 50.5 7132323 U TCU Q1 17–6
2026 · Week 7
 USF -20.5 46.5 2121931 U USF Q4 2–29
2026 · Week 7
 NDSU -14.5 42.5 0304148 Q4 NEV Q1 17–31
2026 · Week 7
 ARST -5.5 61.5 6232336 U ARST Q1 23–13
2026 · Week 7
 ORST -18.5 52.5 17375078 Q4 WSU Q1
Late cover flip
 30–48
2026 · Week 7
 UL -3 49.5 7193239 U UL Q1 6–33
2026 · Week 7
 TLSA -3.5 47.5 7384155 Q4 TLSA Q2
Late over
 38–17
2026 · Week 7
 UGA -19.5 50.5 21313851 Q4 AUB Q1
Late over
 27–24
2026 · Week 7
 ALA -7.5 50.5 9222936 U TENN Q1 10–26
2026 · Week 7
 MISS -4 57.5 10242434 U MISS Q2 3–31
2026 · Week 7
 TTU -16.5 50.5 28536078 Q2 TTU Q2 25–53
2026 · Week 7
 VT -8.5 55.5 14274858 Q4 VT Q1 24–34
2026 · Week 7
 DUKE -3 46.5 10242744 U UNC Q1 24–20
2026 · Week 7
 MICH -6 43.5 331739 U PSU Q4 18–21
2026 · Week 7
 WYO -7 42.5 10264464 Q3 WYO Q1 23–41
2026 · Week 7
 AFA -1.5 49.5 3304472 Q4 AFA Q4 31–41
2026 · Week 7
 TOL -7.5 51.5 10384848 U TOL Q1 34–14
2026 · Week 7
 M-OH -9.5 47.5 14244148 Q4 M-OH Q2 14–34
2026 · Week 7
 WMU -7.5 42.5 7142135 U CMU Q4
Late cover flip
 21–14
CIT @ TA&M
2026 · Week 7
 TA&M -46.5 56.5 7283441 U CIT Q1 0–41
2026 · Week 7
 TEM -17.5 47.5 14214269 Q4 CLT Q1 38–31
2026 · Week 7
 BUFF -6.5 43.5 1023303643 U BUFF OT
Late cover flip
 18–25
2026 · Week 7
 MD -5.5 55.5 14365367 Q4 RUTG Q3
Late over
 37–30
2026 · Week 7
 OSU -3 49.5 3172034 U OSU Q3 19–15
2026 · Week 7
 TEX -13.5 51.5 10273451 U FLA Q1 27–24
2026 · Week 7
 LSU -17.5 56.5 14213131 U LSU Q2 0–31
2026 · Week 7
 SMU -10 51.5 3232936 U Push 13–23
2026 · Week 7
 NU -7.5 50.5 10242745 U MSU Q1 24–21
2026 · Week 7
 WVU -1.5 64.5 7354987 Q4 WVU Q4
Late cover flip Lead lost
 42–45
2026 · Week 7
 KSU -3 55.5 24354959 Q4 KSU Q4 24–35
CHSO @ CLEM
2026 · Week 7
 CLEM -42.5 53.5 10343437 U CHSO Q1 0–37
2026 · Week 7
 PITT -6.5 42.5 19263948 Q4 BC Q1 21–27
2026 · Week 7
 ARMY -2.5 55.5 28495980 Q3 ARMY Q2 24–56
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 62

When was the cover settled?

From the end of that quarter on, the side covering never changed
Q1 58% 36
Q2 16% 10
Q3 10% 6
Q4 11% 7
OT 2% 1
Push 3% 2
The team leading at halftime won 74% and covered 61% of 57 games
The team leading after 3 quarters won 84% and covered 70% of 57 games

Going into the 4th quarter

Points the game still needed after 3 quarters, and how often it got there
Points neededGamesWent over
Already over8100% 8
1–34100% 4
4–71090% 9
8–102100% 2
11–14667% 4
15–17250% 1
18–21633% 2
22+244% 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.