New rules have some coaches ticked
By Jorge Milian
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Are you ready for some ... er... a little less football?
With apologies to Hank Williams Jr., that's what college football fans will get this season thanks to two new rules designed to shorten games.
New rules
The two NCAA timing rules that will be in effect this season:
Rule 3-2-5: During kickoffs and free kicks (after safeties), the game clock will start when the foot touches the ball. In previous seasons, the clock started when the receiving team touched the ball.
Rule 3-2-5-e: On changes of possession, the clock will start when the official gives the ready-for-play signal. Previously, the clock started when the ball was snapped.
The first change calls for the clock to start on a kickoff when the ball is kicked. In the past, the clock started when the ball was touched by the receiving team.
The second, and more controversial, alteration requires the clock to start on a change of possession when the referee signals the ball is ready for play, and not on the snap.
"I am appalled at the rule changes," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti told reporters last month. "They are major and very severe and will change the game as we know it."
According to officials from various conferences, the changes will shave 10 to 15 plays and about five minutes from the typical game.
The intention of the new rules is to try to play games within a three-hour window, or close to it, instead of the four-hour marathons that have become common.
"We weren't looking to take plays away from the game," said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, a member of the NCAA rules committee. "We were looking to speed the game up, get away from some of these 3-hour, 45-minute games in hot weather or cold weather. This is obviously an experiment. Anything we do in the rules committee can be changed next year."
Tuberville may want to keep his eraser handy, because few coaches appear to favor the new setup.
"I really don't like the changes," University of Miami coach Larry Coker said. "I don't think our game was bad and I don't think the game was too long."
What effect will the changes have? That depends on who is asked.
Many coaches agree that the end of games will be most affected. With the clock starting immediately after an official marks the ball ready for play following a change of possession, teams coming from behind may be forced to save timeouts to stop the clock.
Without a timeout, a team's defense could stop an opponent in the waning seconds of a game but not get its offense on the field quickly enough before the clock runs out.
"We are going to have to conserve our timeouts a lot better than we have in the past," FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said the new rules could cause more upsets.
"If you're the underdog, obviously you would like fewer plays in the game," Spurrier said.
With fewer plays to run - 70 to 75 instead of 80 to 85 - the record books will be affected as well, according to Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.
"Some of the records that are out there, if you're losing 12 to 15 plays a game, likely won't be nearly as easily broken," Fulmer said at SEC Media Days last month.
Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who strongly opposes the rules changes, said the college game is trying too hard to mimic the NFL.
"I don't like any rule that changes our game and makes us more like the NFL," Tiller told Big Ten reporters last week in Chicago.
"I think we have a great product. We have a unique product. Our fans understand our game and understand our rules. I don't think we need to change anything."
Florida coach Urban Meyer agrees with Tiller.
"The college game and the pro game are different," Meyer said. "That's one of the beautiful things about college football. The more you try to make one like the other, I don't think that's good."
But like it or not, Meyer and Tiller will need to adjust
ACC officials will visit UM this weekend and brief the players and coaches on what they can expect.
"It's definitely going to take a lot of getting used to," UM quarterback Kyle Wright said.
"I could see the rules ruining a game for somebody if they're not on top of it."New rules
The two NCAA timing rules that will be in effect this season:
Rule 3-2-5: During kickoffs and free kicks (after safeties), the game clock will start when the foot touches the ball. In previous seasons, the clock started when the receiving team touched the ball.
Rule 3-2-5-e: On changes of possession, the clock will start when the official gives the ready-for-play signal. Previously, the clock started when the ball was snapped.Lengthy games
Of the 11 NCAA Division I-A football conferences, eight have had increases in the average length of games since 2003:
League 2003 2004 2005
ACC 3:22 3:19 3:22
Big East 3:20 3:28 3:27
Big Ten 3:13 3:17 3:18
Big 12 3:18 3:18 3:35
C-USA 3:15 3:19 3:21
MAC 3:28 3:20 3:18
Mtn. West 3:24 3:41 3:31
Pac-10 3:23 3:19 3:28
SEC 3:19 3:12 3:18
Sun Belt 3:10 3:27 3:14
WAC 3:20 3:25 3:35
By Jorge Milian
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Are you ready for some ... er... a little less football?
With apologies to Hank Williams Jr., that's what college football fans will get this season thanks to two new rules designed to shorten games.
New rules
The two NCAA timing rules that will be in effect this season:
Rule 3-2-5: During kickoffs and free kicks (after safeties), the game clock will start when the foot touches the ball. In previous seasons, the clock started when the receiving team touched the ball.
Rule 3-2-5-e: On changes of possession, the clock will start when the official gives the ready-for-play signal. Previously, the clock started when the ball was snapped.
The first change calls for the clock to start on a kickoff when the ball is kicked. In the past, the clock started when the ball was touched by the receiving team.
The second, and more controversial, alteration requires the clock to start on a change of possession when the referee signals the ball is ready for play, and not on the snap.
"I am appalled at the rule changes," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti told reporters last month. "They are major and very severe and will change the game as we know it."
According to officials from various conferences, the changes will shave 10 to 15 plays and about five minutes from the typical game.
The intention of the new rules is to try to play games within a three-hour window, or close to it, instead of the four-hour marathons that have become common.
"We weren't looking to take plays away from the game," said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, a member of the NCAA rules committee. "We were looking to speed the game up, get away from some of these 3-hour, 45-minute games in hot weather or cold weather. This is obviously an experiment. Anything we do in the rules committee can be changed next year."
Tuberville may want to keep his eraser handy, because few coaches appear to favor the new setup.
"I really don't like the changes," University of Miami coach Larry Coker said. "I don't think our game was bad and I don't think the game was too long."
What effect will the changes have? That depends on who is asked.
Many coaches agree that the end of games will be most affected. With the clock starting immediately after an official marks the ball ready for play following a change of possession, teams coming from behind may be forced to save timeouts to stop the clock.
Without a timeout, a team's defense could stop an opponent in the waning seconds of a game but not get its offense on the field quickly enough before the clock runs out.
"We are going to have to conserve our timeouts a lot better than we have in the past," FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said the new rules could cause more upsets.
"If you're the underdog, obviously you would like fewer plays in the game," Spurrier said.
With fewer plays to run - 70 to 75 instead of 80 to 85 - the record books will be affected as well, according to Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.
"Some of the records that are out there, if you're losing 12 to 15 plays a game, likely won't be nearly as easily broken," Fulmer said at SEC Media Days last month.
Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who strongly opposes the rules changes, said the college game is trying too hard to mimic the NFL.
"I don't like any rule that changes our game and makes us more like the NFL," Tiller told Big Ten reporters last week in Chicago.
"I think we have a great product. We have a unique product. Our fans understand our game and understand our rules. I don't think we need to change anything."
Florida coach Urban Meyer agrees with Tiller.
"The college game and the pro game are different," Meyer said. "That's one of the beautiful things about college football. The more you try to make one like the other, I don't think that's good."
But like it or not, Meyer and Tiller will need to adjust
ACC officials will visit UM this weekend and brief the players and coaches on what they can expect.
"It's definitely going to take a lot of getting used to," UM quarterback Kyle Wright said.
"I could see the rules ruining a game for somebody if they're not on top of it."New rules
The two NCAA timing rules that will be in effect this season:
Rule 3-2-5: During kickoffs and free kicks (after safeties), the game clock will start when the foot touches the ball. In previous seasons, the clock started when the receiving team touched the ball.
Rule 3-2-5-e: On changes of possession, the clock will start when the official gives the ready-for-play signal. Previously, the clock started when the ball was snapped.Lengthy games
Of the 11 NCAA Division I-A football conferences, eight have had increases in the average length of games since 2003:
League 2003 2004 2005
ACC 3:22 3:19 3:22
Big East 3:20 3:28 3:27
Big Ten 3:13 3:17 3:18
Big 12 3:18 3:18 3:35
C-USA 3:15 3:19 3:21
MAC 3:28 3:20 3:18
Mtn. West 3:24 3:41 3:31
Pac-10 3:23 3:19 3:28
SEC 3:19 3:12 3:18
Sun Belt 3:10 3:27 3:14
WAC 3:20 3:25 3:35
