ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico --The
NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed several rules items intended to
restore the number of plays while limiting the amount of elapsed time
needed to play a college contest. The committee voted to eliminate
provisions used last year that helped shave 14 minutes off of game
times. All rules proposals will be considered by the Playing Rules
Oversight Panel March 12 before taking effect.
“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.
After
approving these proposals, the committee addressed reducing some of the
dead time in the game with the intent to have overall game times in
2007 comparable to those in 2006. The group approved the following
items to address this issue:
Action Taken |
Elapsed Time Eliminated |
Playing Time Impact |
Limit the play clock to 15 seconds following a television timeout. |
Three minutes (about 20 timeouts per game and about 10 seconds per timeout). |
No effect on playing time. |
Kickoffs moved from 35-yard line to 30-yard line. |
One minute (Average of 11 kickoffs per game; more kickoffs will be returned.) |
No effect on playing time. |
Reduced charged team timeouts by 30 seconds. |
3-6 minutes, depending on how many timeouts are taken in a game. |
No effect on playing time. |
Penalties for all kicking team fouls that occur during the kick can be enforced at the end of the run. |
About two minutes per game. |
No effect on playing time. |
Encourage coaches, officials, game management personnel, media partners to manage the game in a more efficient manner. |
Variable, but would reduce total elapsed time. |
No effect on playing time. |
Play clock is started when the ball is handed to the kicker by the umpire on all free kicks. |
About two minutes per game (about 10 seconds per kickoff with 11 kickoffs per game). |
No effect on playing time. |
Limit instant replay reviews to two minutes to decide to overturn or confirm the ruling on the field. |
Caps the review time to eliminate lengthy delays. |
No effect on playing time. |
Total |
11-14 minutes. |
No effect on playing time. |
The
committee briefly considered moving to a federated process for its
rules, as the changes made last year primarily affected Division I
institutions.
“Separating
our rules by division is not something the committee is in favor of
pursing,” Clark said. “NCAA football includes all the divisions and we
have always had tremendous cooperation at all levels. This will
continue.”
In
other news, starting in 2008 the committee approved a
40-second/25-second play clock combination. The committee, reviewing
strong support for a 40-second/25-second play from coaches, officials
and administrators, approved this move to achieve a more uniform pace
of play.
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