Keep the clock running after a first down. I’ve never understood why the college game does this. It drags the game out. You want more upsets? Keep the clock moving. Limit the number of possesstions the “better” teams receives or the amount of time the “better” team has to come back. Bottom line, keep the damn clock moving after first downs. The college games have gotten too long. The BCS Bowls were unbelievable this year. Did the Orange Bowl end yet?

Proposal #5 is far and away the best one for the fans.

Shortening halftime will make no real difference.

The 40 second playclock might actually slow the game down, depending on how efficient the refs are in setting the ball. In any event, the change there would be nominal.

Stopping the clock for first downs is a key advantage for the team behind at the end of the game. Removing that rule would make it more difficult for teams to come back, and could make endings less exciting.

Stopping the clock for out of bounds (outside of the last 2 minuts/5 minutes) wouldn’t bother me that much, but I also don’t think it’d shave that much time off of games. I’ve seen with my own eyes refs use “forward progress” to keep the clock running on plenty of early-game out of bounds plays. I think in some ways, that rule is sort of in place already on an ad hoc basis.

The TV timeouts are really the one thing that slows the game the most. Notice how the article doesn’t break down tv games by network – I’d bet dollars to donuts that the average CBS game is 10 minutes longer at a minimum than the average JP game.

The comparison to the NFL is appropriate. The NFL knows it needs to keep the games moving, so the TV timeouts are severely restricted. Every time I’m at a Falcons game in person I’m amazed at how short the timeouts on the field are compared to the little dude in the red hat at Georgia SEC games. The NFL keeps games moving because it has bargaining power. Slive’s comment about how they can’t draw back on commercials shows a lot about his own negotiating stance. It’s weakness.

We’ve always loved the JP experiment from a few years back where they ran games without commercial breaks and sold sponsorships for time brackets. The logo appeared in the corner and unobtrusively provided ad space without interrupting the game. They stole the idea straight from soccer and it was a dream to watch.

Did you actually just use “thoughtful” and “AJC” in the same sentence? That’s got to be like the seventh sign doesn’t it?

Not to be exceedingly obvious, but um, if we killed the TV timeout guy and dragged his body off the field, wouldn’t we theoretically get rid of TV timeouts? I also know I’m not the only one who has ever thought of this while you’re standing on your seat, waiting to see a 3rd and 5 play and yet are kept in a state of suspended animation while some jackass in a white hat holds 90,000 people hostage. All I’m saying is, I’m just saying- ya know?

Dan—it should be, but it’s actually a pretty good piece. Every time we raised a doubt or a question, the next paragraph answered it. Not often can you say that about an AJC piece.

If they changed the out-of-bounds stoppages to the last 2 minutes/5 minutes of the first and second halves respectively, and did the same for the clock stoppage on first down, the game would probably be shortened by 5 minutes. Add a 5 minute reduction in halftime and cut out maybe one TV timeout and you have a 12 minute savings, maybe more. Not too hard.

I’ve been a long-time Texas season ticket holder, and I dread national, network TV games.

The tv timeouts are interminable, and they suck the life right out of a crowd (especially when it’s hot).

They don’t need all those freaking commercials. The scary thing is that we could get the NFL model. TD+extra point ->COMMERCIALS -> Kickoff -> MORE COMMERCIALS.

“They don’t need all those freaking commercials. The scary thing is that we could get the NFL model. TD+extra point ->COMMERCIALS -> Kickoff -> MORE COMMERCIALS.”

CBS already does this during many SEC games.

In one CBS SEC game over the last few years I saw a Timeout to set up big play->COMMERCIALS->TD/Extra point->COMMERCIALS->Kickoff->Commercials->End of Quarter->EXTRA LONG COMMERCIALS.

It was like 14 minutes of waiting around for exactly 6 seconds of clock time.

I would favor adopting the 2 minute/5 minute rule for college, but I would be very much against NFLizing the clock-keeps-running-after-first-downs rule…stopping the clock to move the change is a big part of CFB’s essence and strategy.

But, really, (interminable commercial breaks aside)complaints that the games are too long always struck me as “casual fan.” Waah! When is this game going to be OVER? I’m BORED!" If 3 hours is okay with you, 3 and a half hours shouldn’t be beyond the pale.

A big part of me likes it when a 10:30 EST West Coast games slips past 2, 2:30 in the morning, because Every Day Should Be Saturday, and the longer Saturday goes on, the better. I also lament that GamePlan stopped showing those midnight Hawaii games this past season. Bring on the “get a life” responses.

3:21 for a college game? Somebody send this to NBC..

ND home games are routinely over 4 hours. Behold the future of college football, especially if Fox gets a hold of it. I think most fans would not mind a shorter game.

Watching games at home isn’t nearly as bad as suffuring through the TV timeouts while sitting in 90 degree heat or a cold, windy rain. Its the fans at the game that suffur the most. At the 2004 UGA/GT game the crowd booed the TV timeout guy so much he quit walking out onto the field. I think he had enough sense to hide on the sideline so the crowd wouldn’t stone him to death.

Orson, I know it’s actually good article. Barnhart nots terrible when he isn’t make ridiculously obvious observations and this is a very good article. I’m just grumpy, because Mark Bradley wrote about Tech again over the weekend. My eyes start bleeding when that happens.

What actually makes the game longer now than in the past? More pass plays? More penalties? Television timeouts? And which of these would you remove from the game – sure I’d like to see fewer penalties – but I rather see fewer committed rather than fewer called. Television timeouts are (as stated above) the horror of most fans. It doesn’t matter what’s happening on the field – we just watch the “tv guy” until he signals – then we start cheering again.

Halftime can be a little tedious – but I certainly wouldn’t cut the bands’ performances – that’s college football (although it should be mandatory that all bands do at least one show a season with actual “marches”).

Again, the clock stoppages and play clock are unique to college ball – these rules all add into the strategy and dynamic of the game – whether you are screaming at your defense to stand tough or for your offense to “get out of bounds!” Also, as you all know, the clock stoppage for 1st downs is only until they move the chains – which can go pretty darn quickly if it’s your team that is trying to preserve some time.

1. and #3 stink. What a crappy deal for college football fans those would be. “Let’s give the fans less football in order to give the sponsors more airtime. Yay!!” Why is Tommy Tuberville concerned about the affect of a long game on his players? Theoretically, the clock stopping rules haven’t changed, so the number of plays hasn’t really changed recently. The length of games is entirely caused by commercials. Are players being attacked on the sidelines during television timeouts? Does the field become incresingly radioactive as time progresses, reaching extremely dangerous levels at 3 hours and 30 minutes after kickoff?
   The decrease in plays will mean an increase in randomness of result, which sucks. We will see college football turned into the NFL if these rule changes take effect.

Send the memo to Myles Brand—in game sponsorship listed directly on the screen. Problem solved.

In game sponsorship is an interesting idea, but it’d have to be done right. There’s a huge difference between a sponsor’s logo in the corner for the whole time (which I wouldn’t mind) and what I’ve seen in some MLS games: They go split screen with the live, ongoing game in a small box in the corner while they show a full length commercial in the larger box. It’s more aggravating because you can see that something is happening, but you can’t really tell what.

Inevitably it just comes down to the power of the product. The Masters can compel CBS to show 55+ minutes of golf every hour because they know the viewers’ wishes matter most, and more importantly because they can. The NFL can limit the number of TV timeouts and the length of the games because they realize the need to have the 1:00 games over by 4:15 for televised doubleheaders, but more importantly because they can make those demands. College football conferences don’t seem to have that kind of power over the networks they’re contracted to, so the commercials just get longer and longer.

While FOX having the BCS rights might lead to more bullshit coverage, it might also lead to more competition. I’m certain FOX will want to have regular season college football games. That means another deep pockets bidder for conferences. That means if the SEC doesn’t like how CBS has produced games, when the contract is up, they can go to a competitor and might have a better negotiating standpoint. We’ll see.

FOX would likely be more innovative with the advertising, too, eg. in-game sponsorships, etc. They also would be the assholes projecting brand names onto coaches’ foreheads.

I’d be willing to sign off on only in-game advertising, but only if they bring in Keith Jackson to read all of the new show promos.

In current market conditions, in-game advertising would be an addition to commerical breaks, not an alternative. I wouldn’t mind seeing brand names projected onto coaches. It would be a big win for Tennessee, though, what with their billboard of a coach.

“They also would be the assholes projecting brand names onto coaches’ foreheads.”

Cheetos for Fulmer?
CareerBuilder.com for O’leary?
UFC 38 for the Orgeron?

Cadillac for Jim Tressel
Old Crow and Xanax (possibly a synergistic product combining both brands?) for Gary Barnett

I think the really intriguing question, though, is what products the Orgeron would endorse. The Pennzoil that flows through his veins? The delicious Sparks Hooker-Killing Fuel™ that he mainlines during two-a-days? You know the story of Johnny Appleseed was based on the Orgeron…

If I had to choose between air and college ball, I’d choose college footall. With that being said, I have NO problem with the NCAA changing the “stop the clock for every first down rule”. You guys really thing it would “tarnish” and “change” the game that much? Honestly? I mean, adding a 12th player to the offense or something, now that would “change the game”.

I know this rule is a part of the college game, but my question is, why? I could almost support it for a first down out of bounds, but when a QB dives over the pile at midfield to convert a 4th and inches…. come on.

Could you see college basketball stopping the clock every time a team advance the ball past half court? Is that a bad example? Maybe.

Bottom line. Change the rule, Miles. Keep the clock moving.

Bryan, it would change the game by

1) reducing the number of possessions, and thus increasing the randomness of outcomes (something real college football fans do not support);

2) making late game drives much more difficult; and

3) shifting the current offense-defense balance toward defense, again increasing the randomness of outcomes.

In addition, because the number of plays hasn’t changed recently, the move would essentially reduce the amount of football in a college football game for a concomitant increase in commerical time. Yuck! Who wants that (other than advertisers and evil people)?

FF,

1. I don’t get the coorellation between randomness and number of possesssions. More possessions limit the number of upsets. Longer games wear down inferior teams, thus the “thinner” teams tend to lose. Hence, less upsets.

2. Frankly, late game drives are too easy. A team can move 80 yrds. in 15 seconds in college.

3. Why would it shift the balance toward defense? If anything, a running clock would favor the offense. Play keep away and eat clock.

Quite honestly, I don’t follow this randomness angle.

I don’t want CFA to become NFL-light, either. I’d just like to see the clock move a bit more often.

Upsets=randomness. Thus, moves that increase the number of dubious upsets increase the amount of randomness. I (and most harcore college fans) want fewer upsets, especially “dubious” upsets.

I would speculate that among serious college fans, your desire to make it more difficult to move the ball is the distict minority. Here’s a sincere questionl which was more enjoyable to watch; the Seasquawcks flaccid game ending drive in the Subpar Bowl, or the end of the Rose Bowl? Unless you hail from the Steel City, chances are that you enjoyed the Rose Bowl exponentially more than you enjoyed the crummy, typical NFL experience “Super” Bowl.

Good teams can salt the clock under the current college rules. They simply have to run sucessfully between the tackles.