Colleges shifting to 40/25 second rule this season, which may help offenses, says NCAA rules official
Offenses figure to benefit when college football shifts to a 40/25-second play clock this season, especially no-huddle offenses.
The play clock will be the most noticeable rule change this season, and figures to be a topic of conversation at SEC media days, which begin Wednesday in Birmingham. Some coaches wanted the change because officials used different amounts of time to mark the ball ready for play.
At the end of every play, the 40-second clock will start, as is the rule in the NFL. College rules will still use the 25-second clock after a stoppage, such as a change of possession or a penalty. Under college's old rules, only a 25-second clock was used and it did not start until the officials marked the ball ready for play.
"The game is going to be more in control of the offense than it's ever been," said Rogers Redding, the NCAA secretary-rules editor and SEC coordinator of football officials. "Once the ball is put down and the official steps away, the offense is in control.
"If they're in a hurry-up mode, they can get the ball off faster. Or they can eat more time off the clock from 40 (seconds) rather than 25. We may find that more teams go to a no-huddle offense so they have more control and can read the defense at the line."
In another clock change, after a player runs out of bounds, the game clock will now start when the ball is ready for play. This will not apply in the final two minutes of each half. Previously, the game clock did not start until the ball was snapped.
More control to offenses occurs as more teams have gone no-huddle. Some teams call plays after their offense reaches the line of scrimmage, allowing time to evaluate the defense's alignment and personnel.
Auburn made the change to a no-huddle offense last December with new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
The new rule change is "probably going to be a little bit of an advantage for us," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Instead of getting up there with 22, 23 on the play clock, you'll be up there with 30. You can stand around, fiddle around, and figure out what the other team is doing."
Worried about the impact of the new play clock, Florida coach Urban Meyer had officials speak to his staff during the offseason.
"Everybody says it's like the NFL. No, it's not. It's not like the NFL because there's a multitude of times where it's a 25-second clock. Wouldn't you be worried if you're calling plays?"
Redding said he suspects the change will not drastically affect the game. "When the NFL went to the 40-second clock, they found it didn't have much impact on total elapsed time," Redding said. "It was a matter of getting more plays in, and that's up to the offense. It's not as if we're reinventing the wheel. We've been able to see how it's worked in the NFL for a number of years."
Adopting rules from the NFL is unpopular with some college coaches who believe their sport is resembling pro football too much.
"It seems like whenever the NFL boys are doing it, we always seem to want to do it, too," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said.
Redding defended the change and said the NFL is now adopting some rules from college. Among them: Eliminating force-out rule decisions on pass completions out of bounds, and allowing the team that wins the coin toss to defer its choice until the second half.
"I think it's less us being like the NFL and more let's see what things in our game we need to change," Redding said.
Offenses figure to benefit when college football shifts to a 40/25-second play clock this season, especially no-huddle offenses.
The play clock will be the most noticeable rule change this season, and figures to be a topic of conversation at SEC media days, which begin Wednesday in Birmingham. Some coaches wanted the change because officials used different amounts of time to mark the ball ready for play.
At the end of every play, the 40-second clock will start, as is the rule in the NFL. College rules will still use the 25-second clock after a stoppage, such as a change of possession or a penalty. Under college's old rules, only a 25-second clock was used and it did not start until the officials marked the ball ready for play.
"The game is going to be more in control of the offense than it's ever been," said Rogers Redding, the NCAA secretary-rules editor and SEC coordinator of football officials. "Once the ball is put down and the official steps away, the offense is in control.
"If they're in a hurry-up mode, they can get the ball off faster. Or they can eat more time off the clock from 40 (seconds) rather than 25. We may find that more teams go to a no-huddle offense so they have more control and can read the defense at the line."
In another clock change, after a player runs out of bounds, the game clock will now start when the ball is ready for play. This will not apply in the final two minutes of each half. Previously, the game clock did not start until the ball was snapped.
More control to offenses occurs as more teams have gone no-huddle. Some teams call plays after their offense reaches the line of scrimmage, allowing time to evaluate the defense's alignment and personnel.
Auburn made the change to a no-huddle offense last December with new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
The new rule change is "probably going to be a little bit of an advantage for us," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Instead of getting up there with 22, 23 on the play clock, you'll be up there with 30. You can stand around, fiddle around, and figure out what the other team is doing."
Worried about the impact of the new play clock, Florida coach Urban Meyer had officials speak to his staff during the offseason.
"Everybody says it's like the NFL. No, it's not. It's not like the NFL because there's a multitude of times where it's a 25-second clock. Wouldn't you be worried if you're calling plays?"
Redding said he suspects the change will not drastically affect the game. "When the NFL went to the 40-second clock, they found it didn't have much impact on total elapsed time," Redding said. "It was a matter of getting more plays in, and that's up to the offense. It's not as if we're reinventing the wheel. We've been able to see how it's worked in the NFL for a number of years."
Adopting rules from the NFL is unpopular with some college coaches who believe their sport is resembling pro football too much.
"It seems like whenever the NFL boys are doing it, we always seem to want to do it, too," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said.
Redding defended the change and said the NFL is now adopting some rules from college. Among them: Eliminating force-out rule decisions on pass completions out of bounds, and allowing the team that wins the coin toss to defer its choice until the second half.
"I think it's less us being like the NFL and more let's see what things in our game we need to change," Redding said.
