So let's talk the end of 1st half clock situation (CFP Final)

[SouthGARef]

Clemson gains a first down with only one timeout remaining and about :15 on the clock when the official signals. The clock continues to run until about :12 at which point it freezes for a pulse or two, then re-starts again before the ball is ready for play and the clock is started by the R.

This is not noticed by the field crew and the Clemson head coach requests a timeout which is granted. The clock shows :06, but is then put to :09 after the officials confer.

What happened here? The S has primary game clock responsibilities. Was he asleep at the wheel? Didn't anyone else on the field find it strange that Clemson was calling a timeout in a situation where the clock should have been stopped?

Should replay have gotten involved using 12-3-6? Can Clemson's Head Coach challenge the game clock if it does not pertain to the end of a period?

Interesting situation. Thoughts?

[TXMike]

It is certainly heating up the internet today...ex:  http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/01/dabo-swinney-field-goal-clock-management-alabama-clemson-video

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/01/11/clemson-alabama-national-championship-game-referee-error


Part of the problem is we only know the clock that the TV screen had. We know that is not always in sync with the real game clock so do we really know what 'should have been"?

According to box score, Clemson called a timeout with :20 left.  Then the next play (2d and 8) was the pass that resulted in the 1st down and clock issue.  Watching the video of the play it took 7 seconds and clock was stopped at :13   What was Clemson doing at that point?  Were they going to go to the line and spike it so they could save the last timeout and then run 1 more play?  I guess so since Clemson was not asking to have clock stopped immediately.

[HLinNC]

My guess Clemson was attempting to save the final timeout to call to bring on their FG team.  When they cranked the clock before they could get to the line (either to spike it or run a play to the middle of the field) their plan was disrupted so they had to go ahead and call the TO then.

[younggun]

What about near the end of second half. Should they have put time back on here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kARQdBa7Ue8

[Legacy Zebra]

Why would they put time back on younggun? The clock stops on the official's signal on a score. While you can argue that they could have signaled sooner, the clock stopped when it was supposed to.

[TXMike]

 Did we ever actually see a TV signal on TV?   

 I still don't    Understand why when Alabama got down close to the goal line, Clemson  did not just let them score?    Their continued attempts to stop the score cost them more time and could have been very costly had they recovered the onside kick following their own touchdown

[Welpe]

I've been hearing a few different things from collegiate officials that the clock being wound before the ball was spotted is something that's been happening in D1 conferences all year and was not improperly done. That doesn't seem to jibe with how I understand it from when we rolled out the 40 second clock in Texas. Was this truly a screw-up or something that is normally done but never noticed until now?

[TXMike]

I watched multiple CUSA games in person this year and saw it done like that routinely.  I don't think it jives with the written rule and now we have a good example of the confusion it can cause doing it that way.  The one thing I don't recall as did not pay close enough attention is if they changed during last 2 minutes of the half

[NVFOA_Ump]

Isn't this issue all part of the "automatic" play clock restart process and the fact that many if not most plays no longer have an explicit ready for play signal from the R?  This whole process seems to have gotten very "informal" and in many time critical situations this season seems to be done very inconsistently.  My recollection of a lot of instances this season is that although the rule refers to the time to start the clock as on the ready for play signal, in lots of cases the ball is no where near ready when the clock is actually started.  The down marker may be in place for the first down, but the crew is certainly not ready for the ball to be snapped.

The rule 2 definition says:

When Ball Is Ready for Play

ARTICLE 4. A dead ball is ready for play when:
a.   With the 40-second play clock running, an official places the ball at a hash mark or between the inbounds marks and steps away to his position.
b. With the play clock set at 25 seconds, or at 40 seconds after an injury to or loss of helmet by a defensive team player, the referee sounds his whistle and either signals to start the game clock [S2] or signals that the ball is ready for play [S1]. (A.R. 4-1-4-I and II)

Doesn't "ready for play" therefore imply that team A can actually snap the ball as soon as 1. the ball is (actually) ready for play, and 2. the signal is then given?

[Andrew McCarthy]

This is a situation where I'm purposely not consistent throughout the game. Generally in the last couple of minutes of each half I will be slow and deliberate. If a team gets a 40-yard gain into field goal range for a first down with 5 seconds left in the game, you can bet I'm holding the wind and giving them a realistic opportunity to spike the ball.

Throughout the balance of the game I'm just signaling first down, making sure the chains are moving, then winding. Nobody besides the officials is watching the clock then anyway.

[Osric Pureheart]

Part of the problem is we only know the clock that the TV screen had. We know that is not always in sync with the real game clock so do we really know what 'should have been"?

Just on this point: I know someone who works in football broadcasting and he tells me that nowadays, they've done away with the TV clock operator; all reasonably new scoreboard systems have a "send clock signals to TV truck" facility; and for stadiums without them, the truck can still auto-run their clocks with Optical Character Recognition and a camera pointed at the official clocks.

[scrounge]

I say just eliminate the clock stopping on 1st down and be done with the whole thing. No, not directly related to this issue per se, but with the 40 sec clock now, what's the point? Still wait till down marker set for RFP, of course.

Not only would this eliminate these issues, but also with the advent of hurry-up offenses, players are routinely seeing 80 plays or more a game. This would reduce player exposure, cutting over a game's worth of plays over the course of a season without a soul noticing the change.

[TxBJ]

This is a situation where I'm purposely not consistent throughout the game. Generally in the last couple of minutes of each half I will be slow and deliberate. If a team gets a 40-yard gain into field goal range for a first down with 5 seconds left in the game, you can bet I'm holding the wind and giving them a realistic opportunity to spike the ball.

So you are consciously helping the offense and hurting the defense by giving them extra time?

[Andrew McCarthy]

So you are consciously helping the offense and hurting the defense by giving them extra time?

No, I'm consciously starting the clock faster than it probably should be when time is not a factor.

[jpgc99]

This is a situation where I'm purposely not consistent throughout the game. Generally in the last couple of minutes of each half I will be slow and deliberate. If a team gets a 40-yard gain into field goal range for a first down with 5 seconds left in the game, you can bet I'm holding the wind and giving them a realistic opportunity to spike the ball.

Throughout the balance of the game I'm just signaling first down, making sure the chains are moving, then winding. Nobody besides the officials is watching the clock then anyway.

Rogers Redding supports this philosophy.  He discussed it in one of last year's CFO videos.  This is the same philosophy most D1 (if not all) conferences follow.

[TxBJ]

No, I'm consciously starting the clock faster than it probably should be when time is not a factor.

I'm good with that but that is not what your post said. You said you would hold the wind so the offense had a realistic chance to spike the ball, which sounds like you are delaying it based on them being ready for the next play rather than when the ball is set and officials are in position.

[Andrew McCarthy]

I'm good with that but that is not what your post said. You said you would hold the wind so the offense had a realistic chance to spike the ball, which sounds like you are delaying it based on them being ready for the next play rather than when the ball is set and officials are in position.

OK- I can see how that wasn't clear.  I'm not so much basing what I'm doing on the offense.  If they are hustling to the line they will have a realistic chance.  If they aren't, they won't.

[yarnnelg]

Watch the replay video. At the bottom of the screen you see the hand first then more of the Wing's arms as he approach the spot. He is clearly waving to stop the clock yet the clock keeps running.

If I know I have a first down and the spot, I always look at the clock to make sure it stops. Especially with seconds left. We don't know what the stadium had.