I’m a white kid from Minnesota named Carlson, and it should be no surprise that I bleed purple. Unfortunately, Viking fans have shed mostly tears after yet another loss in an NFC championship game. It’s the Vikings’ own fault, though. This year it was turnovers, five of them. In 1998 Gary Anderson blew a chip shot field goal, which resulted in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But even though the Vikings continue to shoot themselves in the foot, the format of NFL overtime isn’t exactly easing the heartbreak.

Overtime should be the most exciting point of any sport. The athletes are fatigued and the competition is fierce. In the NFL it’s the exact opposite. I cringe when an NFL game reaches overtime. Possession is determined by the flip of a coin. No big deal, right? Wrong, because NFL overtime is a sudden death situation where the first team to score in any manner wins. A team can win with their opponent never possessing the ball.

This very scenario played out in this year’s NFC championship, which pitted the Vikings against the New Orleans Saints. The game was hotly contested, and by way of many mistakes and missed calls emerged the dreaded sudden death session. The Vikings called “heads” and the coin landed with “tails” up. The Saints elected to receive and proceeded to pick apart the Viking’s defense and march down the field. With the help of a pass interference penalty, the Saints reached field goal range. Garrett Hartley kicked a 35-yard field goal, sending the Saints to Miami to play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. The Vikings went back to a cold and soggy Minneapolis and a future riddled with question marks. Will Brett Favre play another season? Will we get a new stadium? Will we ever win a Super Bowl? One thing is certain: Valhalla must wait.

Simply put, sudden death overtime and football do not mix. Sudden death should be reserved for sports where the change of possession is a fluid exchange. Hockey is a good example. In football, possession is of all importance and a turnover is a critical mistake. In a game like hockey, a turnover, while still a mistake, is not nearly as devastating as it is in football. Turnovers happen much less often in football and are much harder to recover from. Football overtime should be more akin to baseball and use an inning-based system. That may sound bizarre, but it already exists in college ball.

College football overtime does not revolve around sudden death. Each team is guaranteed one possession to score. Possession is granted at the opponent’s 25-yard-line, with a coin toss determining who goes first. There is no game clock, but there is a play clock. A team can score in any way, but can still forfeit their possession with a defensive take away or failure to get a first down. Teams must also attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown. PAT kicks are not allowed. The team with the higher point total at the end of both possessions wins. If the teams are tied at the end of the possessions, the cycle repeats until there is a winner.

I’m not recommending the NFL adopt the college style of play. it’s far too drastic, and the conferences are different in style.

But there are other things the NFL could change. One idea would be to have each team receive a kickoff and the team that has a better return would get the ball first. From there sudden death would commence. Another idea would be that teams could only score touchdowns in overtime while still keeping sudden death intact.

I wouldn’t bank on the NFL changing anytime soon, though. People will still buy tickets and games will still sell out. It’s our nation’s most popular professional sport (NASCAR doesn’t count because they drive cars). NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is too concerned with tradition, profit and making sure superstar quarterbacks don’t host illegal dogfights. It’s a disservice to fans and it needs to change. The game has to evolve as players become more skilled and technology advances. Just look at the implementation of the replay challenge. It’s definitely not tradition, but it was enacted to maintain the accuracy of officiating and ultimately, the sanctity of the game.

To the fans of other teams that are eliminated during the first possession of overtime games: I feel for you. To the Vikings: just hold on to the ball next season.