How Many Quarters Are In College Football? – American Football Rules

Every American Football game (youth, high school, college, and professional) consists of four quarters. In college and professional leagues, each quarter lasts 15 minutes, with breaks in between them—the breaks after the first and third quarters last 2 minutes and a halftime of 12 minutes. 

Youth league quarters are 8 minutes long; in high school, they advance to 12 minutes, and ultimately to 15 in college and the NFL.

After the first and third quarters, the team that had possession of the ball last in the previous quarter retains it, setting the stage for their offensive or defensive strategies in the following quarter.

After the half-time break, the second half of the game starts as the first, with the kickoff.