NCAA resets controversial clock rules
By TONY BARNHART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/15/07
In all his years sitting in Sanford Stadium, Walter Corish can't recall ever hearing a fellow Georgia fan gripe about a football game lasting too long.
But the longtime Bulldogs season-ticket holder heard plenty of complaining last fall when NCAA rules changes started cutting his favorite team's games short by a few downs.
"I thought the rules took away part of the game from the kids," Corish said, "and they darn sure took something away from the fans."
Responding to negative reaction by fans and coaches, the NCAA football rules committee on Wednesday recommended completely eliminating the controversial clock rules of 2006 and implementing a new set of time-saving measures.
Last season's rules shortened the average game by about 14 minutes, but they also eliminated about 13 plays and reduced scoring by about five points a game. Coaches overwhelmingly complained that the rules changed the structure and flow of the game too much. After reviewing the data, the committee agreed.
The new rules are designed to put those plays back into the game but still shorten the game by eliminating "a lot of standing-around time," said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, one of two Division I-A coaches on the NCAA committee.
The most unpopular new rule last season called for the game clock to start as soon as the ball was marked ready for play after a change of possession. That rule was eliminated; the clock now won't start until after the first snap of a possession.
"What we lost was the playing opportunities for our athletes," said committee chairman Mike Clark, head coach at Virginia's Bridgewater College. "What we have done now will hopefully put more action into the game but diminish the dead time. At the same time, we plan to work at many levels to maintain the game length [we had]."
The rules changes include:
? Kickoffs will be from the 30-yard line instead of the 35. The clock won't start until the receiver touches the ball; last season it started as soon as the ball was kicked. Tuberville estimates 90 percent of kickoffs will now be returned.
"You'll find that kicking it out of the end zone will be rare, and it will add excitement to the game," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "There will be more pressure on the kick-coverage team and more pressure on the defense because the offense is going to get better field position."
? Coming out of a television timeout, the play clock for the first play of a possession will be 15 seconds instead of the normal 25.
"The teams have been standing out there for almost three minutes during a TV timeout," Tuberville said. "They don't need 25 more seconds to get to the line and run a play."
? Charged team timeouts ? not TV timeouts ? will be cut by 30 seconds. This will be football's version of basketball's 30-second timeout. It will allow a coach to stop the clock but without a long delay. The timeout will last 30 seconds plus the 25 seconds on the play clock.
? On kickoffs, the play clock will start once the kicker is handed the ball by the official. In the past, the kicker could take as much time as he wanted before kicking the ball. Now, he is on the clock and a violation will result in a 5-yard penalty.
"That idea actually came from the coaches," said Rogers Redding, the SEC's supervisor of officials. "They thought a lot of time was being wasted getting the guys in position to kick the ball. This will speed up that process."
? The time allowed for instant
replay reviews will be capped at two minutes. This will save some time but not a lot. The average replay review last season was 1:49, according to the NCAA.
The rules committee also announced that starting in 2008, college football will go to a 40-second play clock like that now used in the NFL. The 40-second clock will start at the end of every play. College football currently uses a 25-second clock that doesn't start until the ball is put in position and declared ready for play.
All of the proposals still need to be rubber-stamped by the NCAA's playing rules oversight panel on March 12.
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By TONY BARNHART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/15/07
In all his years sitting in Sanford Stadium, Walter Corish can't recall ever hearing a fellow Georgia fan gripe about a football game lasting too long.
But the longtime Bulldogs season-ticket holder heard plenty of complaining last fall when NCAA rules changes started cutting his favorite team's games short by a few downs.
"I thought the rules took away part of the game from the kids," Corish said, "and they darn sure took something away from the fans."
Responding to negative reaction by fans and coaches, the NCAA football rules committee on Wednesday recommended completely eliminating the controversial clock rules of 2006 and implementing a new set of time-saving measures.
Last season's rules shortened the average game by about 14 minutes, but they also eliminated about 13 plays and reduced scoring by about five points a game. Coaches overwhelmingly complained that the rules changed the structure and flow of the game too much. After reviewing the data, the committee agreed.
The new rules are designed to put those plays back into the game but still shorten the game by eliminating "a lot of standing-around time," said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, one of two Division I-A coaches on the NCAA committee.
The most unpopular new rule last season called for the game clock to start as soon as the ball was marked ready for play after a change of possession. That rule was eliminated; the clock now won't start until after the first snap of a possession.
"What we lost was the playing opportunities for our athletes," said committee chairman Mike Clark, head coach at Virginia's Bridgewater College. "What we have done now will hopefully put more action into the game but diminish the dead time. At the same time, we plan to work at many levels to maintain the game length [we had]."
The rules changes include:
? Kickoffs will be from the 30-yard line instead of the 35. The clock won't start until the receiver touches the ball; last season it started as soon as the ball was kicked. Tuberville estimates 90 percent of kickoffs will now be returned.
"You'll find that kicking it out of the end zone will be rare, and it will add excitement to the game," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "There will be more pressure on the kick-coverage team and more pressure on the defense because the offense is going to get better field position."
? Coming out of a television timeout, the play clock for the first play of a possession will be 15 seconds instead of the normal 25.
"The teams have been standing out there for almost three minutes during a TV timeout," Tuberville said. "They don't need 25 more seconds to get to the line and run a play."
? Charged team timeouts ? not TV timeouts ? will be cut by 30 seconds. This will be football's version of basketball's 30-second timeout. It will allow a coach to stop the clock but without a long delay. The timeout will last 30 seconds plus the 25 seconds on the play clock.
? On kickoffs, the play clock will start once the kicker is handed the ball by the official. In the past, the kicker could take as much time as he wanted before kicking the ball. Now, he is on the clock and a violation will result in a 5-yard penalty.
"That idea actually came from the coaches," said Rogers Redding, the SEC's supervisor of officials. "They thought a lot of time was being wasted getting the guys in position to kick the ball. This will speed up that process."
? The time allowed for instant
replay reviews will be capped at two minutes. This will save some time but not a lot. The average replay review last season was 1:49, according to the NCAA.
The rules committee also announced that starting in 2008, college football will go to a 40-second play clock like that now used in the NFL. The 40-second clock will start at the end of every play. College football currently uses a 25-second clock that doesn't start until the ball is put in position and declared ready for play.
All of the proposals still need to be rubber-stamped by the NCAA's playing rules oversight panel on March 12.
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