After many years of research and discussion, many of the leaders in college football are proposing rules changes that would significantly change the way way college football games are played. These changes, should they be adopted, would be implemented as soon as this fall. This would give coaches across the country a short time to make alterations to their style of play. The four proposals under consideration:
Prohibiting consecutive timeouts (i.e. icing kicks)
No untimed down at end of the first and third quarter
Clock runs after 1st downs, except inside of 2 mins in a half
Clocks runs on incompletions once ball is spotted
The rule changes are essentially clock-related changes and have been proposed to increase safety and decrease overall game length. The changes were apparently discussed in great detail during the American Football Coaches Association convention back in January.
The first proposed change is one that already exists in the NFL. NFL coaches are not allowed to call back-to-back timeouts during the same dead ball period. This practice is often used in college football to “ice the kicker.” This move, in theory, can cause the kicker to miss a kick.
The next proposal is one that would have a negligible effect on the game. The untimed down is a rare occurrence in football. The rule in football is that, if the clock expires while a play is in progress, the play continues untimed until the ball is dead. Accordingly, at the end of a quarter or a half, if a defensive foul occurs during that play, the offense is then entitled to an untimed down. This is a play that just does not happen much.
The third proposal is one that makes a great deal of sense. Allowing the click to run after a first down, except when the clock is under two minutes left in each half, makes the college rules line up with the NFL. It would speed up the game in a way that has not been seen since the advent of the play clock. This rules seems to have the most support of the four proposed changes.
The final proposal is the most controversial one. The NFL does not allow the clock to run after an incompletion. The national high school rules do not allow for this either. For college football to have this rule be allowed, would create a completely new dynamic. There is a great amount of division of support for this rule proposal, with strong opinions on both sides.
According to an article by Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated:
“These proposals are emanating from a working group commissioned by the College Football Officials (CFO) Board of Managers, a 12-member group made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and two FCS commissioners. The group is tethered to the College Football Playoff. If approved, these changes come on the heels of the CFP’s decision to expand the playoff to 12 teams, adding two more rounds and eight games.”
If these changes are to be made this fall, the CFO Board of Managers will have to make a decision soon. The college football game may get faster, but at what cost?