Rule Book 2023

[JasonTX]

In case you haven't seen it, the 2023 rule book is available for download.

http://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4669-2023-ncaa-football-rules-book.aspx

[Legacy Zebra]

Just scanning the blue highlights, but there are at least 2 editing issues, both coincidentally have to do with ARs. 1. 1-4-5-a-2 refers to AR 1-4-7-VIII. Which would be great except for the fact that 1-4-7-VIII doesn't exist. And secondly, tell me what's wrong with AR 2-23-1-II:

3/5 @ B-25. QB A12 is in shotgun formation. Center B5 legally starts the backward motion of the snap with a quick and continuous motion. During this backward motion (a) the ball slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball, or (b) the center clutches or pauses before releasing the ball and the ball subsequently slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball.

RULING: (a) Legal Snap that becomes a backward pass. Team B’s ball, 1/10 @ B-29. (b) Team A dead-ball foul, illegal snap. Team A’s ball, 3/10 @ B-30. To be a legal snap, the ball must be handed or passed backward from its position on the ground with a quick and continuous motion and the ball leaving the snapper’s hands in this motion. If the ball, during the backward motion of a legal snap, slips from the snapper’s hand, it becomes a backward pass, and the ball is in play. Any other action or motion by the snapper such as not releasing the ball, pausing, restarting, or breaking the continuous motion of the ball during the snap is considered an illegal snap.

[ajv]

How often is a Team B player the center?

Is "center" even defined by rule?

[Kalle]

Is "center" even defined by rule?

It isn't, and funnily the A.R. uses the term "center" just once and then uses the term "snapper" which is defined by rule...

[ElvisLives]

Just scanning the blue highlights, but there are at least 2 editing issues, both coincidentally have to do with ARs. 1. 1-4-5-a-2 refers to AR 1-4-7-VIII. Which would be great except for the fact that 1-4-7-VIII doesn't exist. And secondly, tell me what's wrong with AR 2-23-1-II:

3/5 @ B-25. QB A12 is in shotgun formation. Center B5 legally starts the backward motion of the snap with a quick and continuous motion. During this backward motion (a) the ball slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball, or (b) the center clutches or pauses before releasing the ball and the ball subsequently slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball.

RULING: (a) Legal Snap that becomes a backward pass. Team B’s ball, 1/10 @ B-29. (b) Team A dead-ball foul, illegal snap. Team A’s ball, 3/10 @ B-30. To be a legal snap, the ball must be handed or passed backward from its position on the ground with a quick and continuous motion and the ball leaving the snapper’s hands in this motion. If the ball, during the backward motion of a legal snap, slips from the snapper’s hand, it becomes a backward pass, and the ball is in play. Any other action or motion by the snapper such as not releasing the ball, pausing, restarting, or breaking the continuous motion of the ball during the snap is considered an illegal snap.

1. Yeah, looks like they forgot to add AR 1-4-7-VIII to the book. It probably exists in the NCAA ether-world somewhere. Somebody just forgot to plug it in to the book, I would guess. I'll bet we get a bulletin to add the AR to the book. I wonder what it might be? How about: "Any team that allows their players to play without fully covered and protected knees, per rule, will be fined a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence." Or, swinging the other way: "Game officials shall not have jurisdiction or responsibility for the failure of any player to wear, or properly wear, any required uniform or equipment. Neither shall game officials have any jurisdiction or responsibility in the event any player wears uniform or equipment not prescribed by rule." Place your bets...

2. AR 2-23-1-II is simply a new AR. Other than the use of informal colloquial terms ("QB" and "Center"), there isn't anything wrong with the AR. Did we need this one? Not as much as we need some other clarifying ARs. I would have hoped that ALL NCAA officials knew this, already. But, I have heard that there is an NCAA staff somewhere that now includes a person that has never worked a down of football in "their" life. (Look at me - using gender neutral terms. You didn't see that coming, did you?) Such a person might benefit from this new AR, I suppose.
I have always despised the use of informal colloquial terms in the book. Dave Nelson and John Adams were better than that. In those days, officials were expected to be intelligent and educated enough to read and understand language (English) containing words greater than one syllable. And they always used rule-defined terms in the rules, ARs, and bulletins. I miss those days.

[Etref]

Educate me,

How the heck is B5 a center, snapper or what ever they want to call him?

[ElvisLives]

Educate me,

How the heck is B5 a center, snapper or what ever they want to call him?

Hehehehe. Overlooked that. That will be a 'highlighted' editorial change for 2024.

[AlUpstateNY]

, I suppose.
I have always despised the use of informal colloquial terms in the book. Dave Nelson and John Adams were better than that. In those days, officials were expected to be intelligent and educated enough to read and understand language (English) containing words greater than one syllable. And they always used rule-defined terms in the rules, ARs, and bulletins. I miss those days.

Alas, it seems sometimes that  current "progress" requirements have decided to elevate the position of "Pettifogger" to somehow become a necessary staple.

[Etref]

Let’s play nice!