My lack of support for the 40" clock, on the high school level, began 10+ years ago when it was introduced into the NCAA. I was the game clock operator at a DIII school back then with the play clock kept on the field. The NCAA mandate was a play clock needed to be added to the field along with employing a field clock operator. With a 7-man crew, 4 ball boys and now field play clocks, I didn't notice any difference to the pace of the game. I asked several crews if improved anything with the only response being that it kept them honest.
When the 40" clock began to rise it's head at the NFHS level, I contacted 3 NCAA officials that had began their officiating for Maine's high schools. Their opinions were that it would be a challenge. There aren't any fields in Maine with field play clocks, many schools still hire only 4 man crews (sub-varsity is all 3-man), and ball boys only show up on rainy/snowy/muddy games. There has not been any coach, official ,or state support for the 40" clock and with the removal of the RFP whistle (been there since 1953) would be confusing.
I would support a rule change that improves safety or fairness regardless of the challenge of adjusting. I don't feel the 40" clock would do that in Maine. A motto hung over Charles O. Finley's desk (ole' Oakland A's owner) that read :
"IF TWO MEN AGREED ON EVERYTHING ONLY ONE IS NEEDED"
Ralph,
Those are all perfectly legitimate points of discussion.
As for the difference in FBS games, the pace of the game may not have changed, but the issue of the crew getting the ball ready and the team having to wait for a whistle to snap the ball disappeared. That was huge. Our staff wasn't getting hammered constantly about getting the ball ready consistently. I could focus on substitutions, etc., instead. I loved it. But, indeed, we had competent PCOs.
As for HS, Texas was very similar to your situation, in that so many schools did not have play clocks, and certainly not operators. Once the governing body (U.I.L.) took the plunge and decided to go with the 40-second clocks, they gave the schools a couple of years to procure the clocks, i.e., in year "NN," they said that in year NN+2, all schools would be required to have play clocks, and, obviously, operators. That gave the schools time to budget and procure the clocks.
The training/skill of the operators varies widely. Some are as good as any that we encountered at FBS games. However, sadly, some appear to have zero training or experience. The game clock is either: start it when an official signals, or on the snap, and stop it on a T/O/incomplete signal or a score. Pretty simple. Unfortunately, the play clock requires much greater knowledge and practice than the game clock. Compounding the problem is that the PCOs, generally, have no good way to get practice, since the teams don't often use the play clock in scrimmages, etc. But, somebody is getting it, because, like I said, some of the PCOs are as good as any in FBS games.
Varsity in Texas is crews of 5 (vast majority), or 7. Even 6-player football uses 5 officials (almost all of the time, but some crews of four are necessary). Sub-varsity is, indeed, a challenge. Some larger schools have a PCO for those. But smaller schools often do not, and they just expect the game crew to time the RFP period. In those cases, we may not be very picky about delays-of-game, i.e., unless Team A is obviously consuming time deliberately, we won't have a DOG. I hate that, but it is the only reasonable thing we can do with crews of 3, 4 (and an occasional crew of 5).
For varsity, ball persons are almost always available, although many are just young kids, and usually just one per team. Ideally, we'd have at least 3 per team (one for each sideline, and a 'runner,' to keep the balls balanced between the sidelines). (We usually had 5 per team for FBS games!) But, even the large schools only muster up 2, at most, and they stay on their own sideline. The coaches/administrators don't like their ball persons being on the other team's sideline. So, we have to adjust to having a ball person only on the offensive sideline during any particular series. With a fleet and active back judge, and with attentive ball persons, that isn't too much of a problem. But, lacking those two things, we'll end up pumping the clock up somewhat frequently.
But, personally, I much prefer the inherent consistency of the 40-second clock, rather than the built-in inconsistency of the R declaring the ball ready.
Coaches don't like change. Period. Even if it is for their own good, they resist change (usually because it keeps them from cheating).
Honestly, officials aren't much different. We don't like change, either. But, we adapt, and we usually see the good in the change, in time.
But, however it goes in Maine, I hope all goes well. With the other life-and-liberty threatening things happening in the world, this a pretty insignificant.
Robert