Texas used to break ties by "penetrations." If teams ended up tied, they'd go to who broke the 20 the most times (only once per possession). If that was tied, they went to first downs. I wasn't officiating then, but I watched several big games end in ties. My home town team "lost" 2 games one year on penetrations -- one in district and the other in the playoffs. The tie in district didn't hurt them as the other team lost. The playoff "loss" was to the eventual state runner up, who did lose to a team that lost earlier that year. My team was the only undefeated team in state but had a 2nd round playoff "loss" to show for it.
While in theory, it made some sense (essentially moved the goal line back 20 yards). However, trust me: you wanted no part of that rule. Teams didn't play to cross the 20, they played to score. They found out mid-way through the 4th that they MIGHT have to play to cross the 20. They found out a few minutes later that they weren't advancing to the playoffs or in the playoffs due to a rule that was impossible to prepare for or defend against because it was indeterminable. The worst OT rule is better than a) a tie game and b) the old penetrations rule.
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