2008 Woodie Awards
New clock rules rob us of football
By: Alex Urban
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Sports
When the NCAA decides to change rules in college football, there is usually a small backlash, but people tend to forget about the changes and accept them as part of the game. But this year is different; the new clock rules put in place have changed the way the game is played too much and is ultimately robbing fans of good college football.
Sitting in Death Valley this year, have you noticed how quickly time seems to fly? Has it seemed to you that there are fewer possessions for both teams in the course of a game? The new clock rules are to blame for these odd phenomena.
The new rules this year include changing the old 25-second play clock to the 40-second one favored by the NFL. This clock starts right after the play ends, instead of waiting for the ball to be set. Also, the game clock starts after the ball is set on a play that went out of bounds unless it is under two minutes remaining of either half.
These rules seem minuscule, but they are taking almost 10 plays out of the game and changing the way the game is played. Michigan State's coach Mark Dantonio has admitted that coming from behind is more difficult, because the clock only stops inside two minutes. Sure, it is the same for everyone, but why change the way the game is played for a game that lasts just more than ten minutes less than it did last year?
Florida Coach Urban Meyer also has criticized the new rules, claiming that he was only able to run 46 meaningful, competitive plays on offense according to USA Today. Since 1973, the Gators have played 413 games, and they have run 55 or less plays on offense in only 10 of them. The problem is, three of those games have occurred this year. Teams that rely on the run cannot run as many plays, because they cannot stop the clock as often as they used to. This changes the dynamic of the football being played.
I understand the move to try to speed up games; sometimes football games can seem like marathons that will never end. And I can even accept the fact that 10 fewer plays isn't a terribly huge amount. But that is not my point; my point is that the NCAA shouldn't be robbing fans of ANY amount of football plays when longer games could be solved easily by limiting the amount of commercial breaks allowed during games.
Sitting in Death Valley this year, have you noticed how quickly time seems to fly? Has it seemed to you that there are fewer possessions for both teams in the course of a game? The new clock rules are to blame for these odd phenomena.
The new rules this year include changing the old 25-second play clock to the 40-second one favored by the NFL. This clock starts right after the play ends, instead of waiting for the ball to be set. Also, the game clock starts after the ball is set on a play that went out of bounds unless it is under two minutes remaining of either half.
These rules seem minuscule, but they are taking almost 10 plays out of the game and changing the way the game is played. Michigan State's coach Mark Dantonio has admitted that coming from behind is more difficult, because the clock only stops inside two minutes. Sure, it is the same for everyone, but why change the way the game is played for a game that lasts just more than ten minutes less than it did last year?
Florida Coach Urban Meyer also has criticized the new rules, claiming that he was only able to run 46 meaningful, competitive plays on offense according to USA Today. Since 1973, the Gators have played 413 games, and they have run 55 or less plays on offense in only 10 of them. The problem is, three of those games have occurred this year. Teams that rely on the run cannot run as many plays, because they cannot stop the clock as often as they used to. This changes the dynamic of the football being played.
I understand the move to try to speed up games; sometimes football games can seem like marathons that will never end. And I can even accept the fact that 10 fewer plays isn't a terribly huge amount. But that is not my point; my point is that the NCAA shouldn't be robbing fans of ANY amount of football plays when longer games could be solved easily by limiting the amount of commercial breaks allowed during games.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Dave
posted 10/09/08 @ 8:12 PM EST
I wholeheartedly agree with you. These rule changes not only rob fans who continue to pay inflated ticket prices of plays, but they took out the best parts about college football. (Continued…)
scdavid1969
David
posted 10/15/08 @ 6:54 PM EST
Rule changes with the game of football. It is the coach's job to understand and know the rules and pay attention and make sure the other coaches as well as the quarterback know how much time is left. (Continued…)
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