NCAA scrapping game-shortening rules

[GoshenGipper]

NCAA scrapping game-shortening rules
By THOMAS STINSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/14/07

The NCAA Rules Committee on Wednesday eliminated the year-old battery of regulations intended to shorten game times, acknowledging that the rules' residual effect — the loss an average 12 plays per game — had unfairly altered the course of play.

Most importantly, the committee restored the old regulation that the game clock starts with snap after a change in possession. Last season, the clock would resume running when the ball was whistled ready for play. Additionally, the clock will not start after a free kick until it is legally touched, unlike the new 2006 rule that stipulated the clock-start when the ball was kicked.

These recommendations will be sent on to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which next meets March 12. No rule can be enacted without approval from the oversight panel.

"The changes we made last year, overall, did not have a positive effect on college football at all levels," said Michael Clark, chair of the committee and head coach at Bridgewater (Va.) College, in an NCAA release. "Our charge is to protect the game and do what is best for college football. Last year's game lost too many plays, but it accomplished the need to shorten the overall time it takes to play a game."


New measures recommended

While rule-makers were pleased with an average 14-minute reduction in running time, they recommended new measures to restore the missing 12 plays without effecting game times. Among them:

• Limit the play clock to 15 seconds following a television timeout.

• Kickoffs moved from 35-yard line to 30-yard line.

• Reduced charged team timeouts by 30 seconds.

• Penalties for all kicking team fouls that occur during the kick can be enforced at the end of the run.

• Encourage coaches, officials, game management personnel, media partners to manage the game in a more efficient manner.

• Play clock is started when the ball is handed to the kicker by the umpire on all free kicks.

• Limit instant replay reviews to two minutes to decide to overturn or confirm the ruling on the field.

 

[FleaFlicker]

I think that a lot of the new possibilites are great ones, and would be much more beneficial than the stupid rule they put in place last year. I'm glad they are getting rid of that thing.

Some rules I'd like to see...

1. Limit replay to 2 minutes.
2. Encourage personnel to be more efficient, all around.

 

[weisbankaccount]

thank God!! This year sucked with that BS. Most games could be run out with 6 minutes left!!

 

[GoshenGipper]

Encourage personnel to be more efficient, all around.

I don't think that's ever going to happen. These are the ones I like the best:

• Penalties for all kicking team fouls that occur during the kick can be enforced at the end of the run.

• Limit instant replay reviews to two minutes to decide to overturn or confirm the ruling on the field.

• Limit the play clock to 15 seconds following a television timeout.

 

[leprechaun4life]

I'm glad they are changing the clock rules back how they used to be. TO change them in the first place was BS. THe NCAA declared they wanted to protect the health of the althetes by shortening the game, however not that many athletes get hurt in twelve plays, and by the end of the game subs are usually in. So, they wanted to protect the health of the players, but then they went and added a mandatory twelfth game for everyone. The twelfth game, of course, took away an extra bye week which is far more important to health than deducing the game by twelve plays.

I think some of the rules that should be enforced are:

1) limit the replay to two minutes
2) Encourage efficiency from everyone
3) Limit the play clock after TV timeouts
If they enforced the 30 yard-line kickoff rule, ND would be fucked

 

[dudexcore]

Shorten Or Get Rid Of Tv Timeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GoshenGipper]

Get Rid Of Tv Timeouts

That's not very realistic

 

[dudexcore]

a boy can dream.

 

[SillyIrish]

I just glad those rules are gone I couldn't stand them.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

What about the integrity of the game? I don't care if the game lasts a little longer. Why are we selling out tradition. Could it be for tv purposes......

 

[blmarek]

The new kickoff rule shouldn't affect us too much being we can't kick the damn ball in the endzone under the current rules.

 

[ShivaIrish]

The kickreturn is one of the more exciting plays in football--that rule change should be a good one.

 

[iloveirish_12]

New clock rules.

New clock rules.

I think there is new clock rules going into effect this season. I hope its true cause I hate the old rules.

 

[cuss444]

Here is the quick write up from "The blue-gray sky". Looks to me like the rule is going away.

"Hurrah! The NCAA has decided to scrap Rule 3-2-5e. For those not up to speed on their NCAA regulations (shame on you!), Rule 3-2-5e is the one-year-old collection of regulations that were designed to shorten the length of games. Studies showed that while the games were in fact shorter last year (dropping nearly 14 minutes on average), the time saved came at the expense of actual football rather than from the interminable commerical airtime. Football games were, on average, 12 plays lighter last season.

With fans and coaches up in arms over the new rules, the NCAA Rules Football Committee decided to repeal the new regulations at their yearly meeting, currently underway in Albuquerque.

“The changes we made last year, overall, did not have a positive effect on college football at all levels,” said Michael Clark, chair of the committee and head coach at Bridgewater (Virginia) College. “Our charge is to protect the game and do what is best for college football. Last year’s game lost too many plays, but it accomplished the need to shorten the overall time it takes to play a game. The changes we have made for 2007 balance both of these issues.”

In Rule 3-2-5-e, the committee altered its rule to have the clock start on the snap after a change in possession, as opposed to the 2006 rule which started the clock when the referee signaled the ball ready for play. Also, the committee returned its rules on free kicks to 2005 standards, starting the clock on kickoffs only when the ball is legally touched in the field of play.
The proposed changes still need to be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel on March 12th before becoming the new law of the land."

 

[seniorle]

Here is a summary of all the changes and the effects - a pretty good right up.

I think the rules really help those with strong return games and with Tate and AA coming in, I'm thinking ND is going to really like the new changes, I hope so at least.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/02/14/new.rules/index.html

 

[irish4ever]

I hope that these changes go into effect. I hated the rule change on the clock starting as soon as the ref signaled the ball in play. Kicking off from the 30 would really make things interesting ... a lot more action on kick-off returns.

 

[brownkj002]

Thank God. I think that rule last year hurt ND big time because the O was the strength of the team and it took plays away from them.

 

[rattfink]

I'm somewhat disappointed. I love the shorter games and hoped they would keep the rules, but perhaps with a reversion to the old rule in the last 5 minutes of each half.

 

[brownkj002]

I'm somewhat disappointed. I love the shorter games and hoped they would keep the rules, but perhaps with a reversion to the old rule in the last 5 minutes of each half.

Are you single? You must be or your lady/dude(lol) must be pretty cool. The longer the games, the less time I have to do something I don't want to. I know it's only around 15 minutes longer each game. However, since I watch about three games a day that gives me an extra hour of sitting on the couch not having to get groceries or shop at the mall.

 

[rattfink]

Are you single? You must be or your lady/dude(lol) must be pretty cool. The longer the games, the less time I have to do something I don't want to. I know it's only around 15 minutes longer each game. However, since I watch about three games a day that gives me an extra hour of sitting on the couch not having to get groceries or shop at the mall.

LOL! Actually I married but my wife is a big college football fan also, so she's watches about as many games as I do. Plus, we have season tickets to Boise State and she comes with me to every game. So I don't have the problem of using the game as a pass on "honeydoes".

Sadly, now that football is over the honeydo is coming out in force.

 

[goirish#1]

I don't like the new rules I think they hurt the team that is losing near the end of the game. They shold go back to the old way so there will be more combacks and the last few minutes are more fun to watch.

 

[portlaNDgal]

One of the big reasons for longer games is the commercial breaks. I know it's not the only reason, but the lengths of some of the games is ridiculous. Some of the lower caliber ND home games shouldn't be more than 3 hours IMO. (I think they were shorter in 06 than in recent years.) Can't the schools negotiate a better deal with the TV networks?

 

[sonomairishfan]

Shorten Or Get Rid Of Tv Timeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my thoughts as well. tell the greedy bastards to limit tv spots and the game will be 2 hours shorter. especially on nbc.