Most Points Scored In a College Football Game

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Texas A&M wide receiver Quartney Davis (1) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the seventh overtime of an NCAA college football game against LSU, in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M won 74-72.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Chase Kiddy @chaseakiddy Oct 03, 2024, 3:46 PM

In 2018, Texas A&M and LSU played a famous seven-overtime shootout that resulted in 146 points of offense. Itโ€™s the most points scored in a (modern) college football game.ย 

Texas A&M ultimately won 74-72. Soon after, the NCAA changed the college football overtime rules so that each team didnโ€™t have to keep playing a full offensive possession from the 25-yard line.

Have there been higher-scoring games over the past 175 years? Sure. Who could forget Harvardโ€™s famous 158-0 win over Phillips Exeter in 1886?ย 

However, the 2018 SEC game is the highest-scoring game in living memory. It might never be topped.

Here in 2024, James Madison and North Carolina combined for 120 points of offense in a wild shootout in Week 4.ย 

That will surely prove one of the highest-scoring games of the 2024 season, but it doesnโ€™t quite crack the list of the highest-scoring college football games of all time. The prevalence of the modern spread offense has produced some truly cracked results.ย 

Highest-Scoring College Football Games (Modern Era)

Total PointsGame ScoreYear
146Texas A&M 74, LSU 72 (7OT)2018
140SMU 77, Houston 632022
139Western Michigan 71, Buffalo 68 (7OT)2017
137Pittsburgh 76, Syracuse 612016
136Boise State 69, Nevada 672007
136Navy 74, North Texas 622007
135UNLV 69, Wyoming 66 (3OT)2016
134Arkansas 71, Kentucky 63 (7OT)2003
133Western Kentucky 67, Marshall 66 (OT)2014
133West Virginia 70, Baylor 632012
133San Jose State 70, Rice 63 2004
133Middle Tennessee 77, Florida Atlantic 562016
132Michigan 67, Illinois 65 (3OT)2010
130UCLA 67, Washington State 632019
129Toledo 66, Western Michigan 632011

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About the Author

Chase Kiddy

Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.