The Bright Spot

[Stallion]

no one except for me in a previous post has really said much about this but there is an important rule change that Mack Brown for instance(see DMN Home Team Page) said could cause games to be up to 20 plays shorter. The clock will now restart when the play is blown ready for play after a first down. I HATE THIS RULE it is simply bowing to the TV interests. College Football has always had a much better 2:00 minute game instead of the NFL where everybody keeps running to the line to throw an incompletion-a complete perversion of the game. However, against Tech this could have a BIG effect on the game and significantly "shorten' the game. Might be a reason to take SMU against the line if you are waivering. I don't bet so don't blame me if SMU gets blown out.

[ReedFrawg]

I mentioned this in one of my posts on this board a couple days ago. Not only will Tech run fewer overall plays, but their opponent can now eat up a lot more clock and keep the Tech offense off the field for bigger chunks of time. This could really hurt the spread offenses that try to simply outscore their opponents.

[ThadFilms]

Oh crap. THAT IS TERRIBLE NEWS. I love that rule.* There's some much other crap that can be gotten rid of (to save time) ... but none of it should be actual game time!!!

* - I guess I should now say, I "loved" that rule. Just horrible. A bunch of bull monkey, if you ask me.

[Stallion]

why the NFL and College Football want crap being displayed at the end of a potentially close game is a mystery to me. Well its spelled MONEY-the networks want want more games that fit into a specific allotted time. SMU's victory over UAB and UT's National Championship would have been impossible with the new rule. Why are we ruining such great finishes?

[ALEX LIFESON]

I thought about that too Stallion, because Tech likes to average 85 to 90 snaps per game. This will make it more difficult to do that.

[SMU Football Blog]

This rule is bogus. Equally stupid is the new rule that on kickoffs the clock starts running at the kick and not when the ball is caught. So if a team scores and takes the lead with just a few seconds left; they can just boot it out of bounds on the kickoff and effectively end the game.

The real time killer has always been the timeout after change of possession.

[mrydel]

This rule is bogus. Equally stupid is the new rule that on kickoffs the clock starts running at the kick and not when the ball is caught. So if a team scores and takes the lead with just a few seconds left; they can just boot it out of bounds on the kickoff and effectively end the game.

The real time killer has always been the timeout after change of possession.

And the 7 minutes of commercials they run during the change of possession time out. They are cutting game minutes to keep the commercial time available and even expand it. What is really bogus is the statement that the time is being cut for the benefit of the spectators. Just be open and admit you want to make more money in the same alloted time.

[White Helmet]

Im confused. I thought the clock started once the chains were set? So the new rule is the clock doesnt stop at all for a first down?

[PonySoprano]

The clock will still stop on a first down, but it will start when the ref sets the ball and signals play is ready.

Here is the updated rule:

Rule 3-2-5-e, When Clock Starts
Change: When Team B is awarded a first down, the clock will be stopped and will start on the ready for play signal.

Rationale: By starting the clock, the committee estimates it will shorten the game by about five minutes, according to studies by several Division I-A conferences.

So I read that to mean that the clock will stop on a first down, but will start when the ref sets the ball and starts the play clock. Isn't that the way it was last year?

[me@smu]

This rule is bogus. Equally stupid is the new rule that on kickoffs the clock starts running at the kick and not when the ball is caught. So if a team scores and takes the lead with just a few seconds left; they can just boot it out of bounds on the kickoff and effectively end the game.

Can't do that since the game doesn't end on a defensive penalty which the kicking team essentially is. However, concepts the same...some squib down the middle to kill the clock.

Agree though plenty of other places to cut time off the game, no need to ruin what makes college football unique.

[GoRedGoBlue]

no one except for me in a previous post has really said much about this but there is an important rule change that Mack Brown for instance(see DMN Home Team Page) said could cause games to be up to 20 plays shorter. The clock will now restart when the play is blown ready for play after a first down. I HATE THIS RULE it is simply bowing to the TV interests. College Football has always had a much better 2:00 minute game instead of the NFL where everybody keeps running to the line to throw an incompletion-a complete perversion of the game. However, against Tech this could have a BIG effect on the game and significantly "shorten' the game. Might be a reason to take SMU against the line if you are waivering. I don't bet so don't blame me if SMU gets blown out.

I concur

[GoRedGoBlue]

Is that on ANY play, or just a play that ends with the ball in play (that is, not out of bounds).

The pros have a weird screwy hybrid...the clock stops on a ball run out of bounds, but a pass play out of bounds gets started when the ball is set..wait, can someone confirm...