NCAA Football 10 Basics

There's a general rule when it comes to two-point conversions: don't do it unless it actually matters. There are many real-life coaches who don't bother, even if the score dictates they should, until the 4th quarter. This is mainly common sense: why go for a risky 2 when you can get a sure 1?

If you want the chart the professional (and collegiate) coaches use, however, we have provided it here. Basically, it comes down to number of possessions it would take for you to tie with the opponent. For example, say the score is 15-7 against you (five field goals against you to one touchdown), and then you score a touchdown. It makes the score 15-13: if you go for one, what's the point, because you'll still be down by a single point. Ergo, you'll want to go for two, because making it would tie you up.

The chart only covers differences of 20 points or less. If the difference is more than that, you should always just kick regardless of whether you're ahead or behind. If you're ahead, there's no reason to run up the score; if you're behind, you have bigger problems than worrying about two-point conversation and you need every single point you can get to survive.

To the chart!