Any rule/case book play that has the words "except" or "exception" in them.
I'm compiling a list right now of every time these words appear in the Rule Book. It's "scary"... 
REPLY: While you're at it, don't forget other words that conote an exception ("other than...", "unless...", etc.). Also, don't forget those clandestine exceptions like PSK. That's an exception to loose ball play enforcement, but the Fed would never admit it. I did an analysis of exceptions a few seasons ago. Here's what I found:
The popular myth is that the NCAA rules are fraught with exceptions and the Federation book is free from them. While admittedly there are more exceptions in the NCAA rules, the difference is not as extreme as some might think, especially when considering that the NCAA rule book is 36,223 words long, and the Federation rule book is only 30,646. Hence, the NCAA rule book, beginning with Rule 1 through the end of Rule 10, is 18.1% longer than the Federation rule book. But I believe it’s more a question of the difference in style used by the two editors. Not every exception is expressed using the word “Exception:” There are several different constructs used by the respective editors to specify an exception. Just as a means of comparison, here’s that difference expressed in the number of times an exception construct is used:
Use of the construct:"Exception:".......Federation: 10.......NCAA: 91 (the biggest disparity, the one most people consider, and the one that propels the myth)
“except for/when”...........Federation: 20.......NCAA: 25
“other than”......Federation: 45.......NCAA: 38
“unless”...........Federation: 65.......NCAA: 35
Generally, the NCAA editor uses the explicit word “exception” where the Federation editor will use one of the other ‘softer’ constructs to specify what’s still in fact an exception to the general rule. Here’s the difference in style illustrated using the definition of blocking in the back as an example.
Federation:Blocking in the back is a block against an opponent when the initial contact is in the opponent’s back, inside the shoulders and below the helmet and above the waist, and not against a player who is a runner or pretending to be a runner.NCAA:A block in the back is contact against an opponent occurring when the force of the initial contact is from behind and above the waist (Exception: Against the ball carrier).Notice that the NCAA editor uses an explicit “Exception:” in his definition, while the Fed editor avoids it by using a different construct. Is this any less an exception in the Federation book because the word “exception” is missing? Of course not. Both codes ‘except’ contact with the ball carrier from the definition.
Is there any question that the NCAA book is more complex? No...just look at its length. No question it's a more complicated code, but not solely because of its ‘exceptions.’ Surprisingly, proportional to their respective lengths, there are 4.5 exceptions per 1000 words in the Federation book and only 5.2 exceptions per 1000 words in the NCAA book. So it’s really not as extreme as some might think.
(And who says I don't have too much time on my hands!)
