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Football Officiating => NCAA Discussion => Topic started by: matrixwalker on January 25, 2015, 10:07:04 PM

Title: 1st down clock stoppage rule still needed?
Post by: matrixwalker on January 25, 2015, 10:07:04 PM
Just my opinion, I actually liked some of the clock rules back in 2006 that sped up the game.  One rule I keep wondering is what if college football got rid of the clock stoppage after first downs?  Some of these pass happy games where teams get first downs every 1-2 plays causes the clock to barely run at all and games lasting 4+ hours.  What if the NCAA opted to get rid of the first down clock stoppage rule outside the last two minutes of each half, how much could that speed up the game?

Ideally, I'd like to see these clock rules outside of two minutes in each half:
Start clock on ready after change of possession
start clock on kickoff as soon as ball is kicked
start clock on ready after incomplete pass
keep clock running on first downs
run the clock on the ready for the extra point

Obviously, inside two minutes or even inside last five minutes of the game, revert back to the stop clock rules.


Title: Re: 1st down clock stoppage rule still needed?
Post by: Rulesman on January 26, 2015, 07:32:55 AM
Many of these were actually implemented back in 2006 and last exactly one year following the outcry from those coaches who didn't like 2 1/2 hour games. While I personally like those modifications, I don't see it happening again any time soon.
Title: Re: 1st down clock stoppage rule still needed?
Post by: bossman72 on January 26, 2015, 07:52:07 AM
Just my opinion, I actually liked some of the clock rules back in 2006 that sped up the game.  One rule I keep wondering is what if college football got rid of the clock stoppage after first downs?  Some of these pass happy games where teams get first downs every 1-2 plays causes the clock to barely run at all and games lasting 4+ hours.  What if the NCAA opted to get rid of the first down clock stoppage rule outside the last two minutes of each half, how much could that speed up the game?

Ideally, I'd like to see these clock rules outside of two minutes in each half:
Start clock on ready after change of possession
start clock on kickoff as soon as ball is kicked
start clock on ready after incomplete pass
keep clock running on first downs
run the clock on the ready for the extra point

Obviously, inside two minutes or even inside last five minutes of the game, revert back to the stop clock rules.





I think all of those might be a little excessive.  If we just got rid of the stoppage on a first down, it would be all that was needed (if any).

Are the games really that much longer now?  I remember when they went to NFL timing, the game time was very long.  Is it that bad now again?
Title: Re: 1st down clock stoppage rule still needed?
Post by: APG on February 24, 2015, 06:00:12 AM
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/25063815/how-long-is-too-long-a-college-football-game

Quote
Football Bowl Subdivision games averaged 3 hours, 23 minutes in 2014, up six minutes from 2013 and fueling talk again from conference commissioners on how to shorten the game into a more fan-friendly window.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is so concerned about long games that he's advocating the NCAA adopt the NFL policy of a running clock after first downs. Scott also wants college football to consider the NFL's replay system in which coaches have a limited number of challenges so not every play in theory gets reviewed.

FBS game lengths have fluctuated in recent years, although they have not gotten this high during the past decade, according to NCAA statistics. Over the past six years, the average game was 11 minutes longer as scoring, plays and television commercials have increased.
Title: Re: 1st down clock stoppage rule still needed?
Post by: BoBo on February 26, 2015, 10:20:45 PM
Ummmmm.......cut down the amount of media timeouts???
Instant replay has also added time to games.

If they really want to know if the games have lengthened then look at D-III games where none of the outside factors affect the game.

That will give you a better reading on if the game length is an issue