CURIOUS INDEX, 9/4/08
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Don’t ask a football coach to do the math. The new clock rules are, in fact, giving you less football whether your realize it or not, contradicting the predictions made by Bridgewater College coach and head of the NCAA Rules Committee that such rules would encourage consistent pace of play, whiten collars, improve posture, blahcetera, blahcetera. We should have known this was coming when it came wrapped in the title of “The 2008 Longer Games with More Plays Act.”
The other missing element in this is the advent of the hurry-up, which Colorado flirted with against Colorado State but was otherwise absent from most games. This was supposed to be the counter against the 40 second clock to spring up all over the place, but aside from a few abortive rushes to the line by Michigan on Saturday, we didn’t see it at all. Another reason to take missives from on high, reverse them, and then read for intent and truthiness. South Carolina opens as a ten point road favorite tonight at Vanderbilt. South Carolina was ranked sixth last year when the Commodores beat them and triggered the Cocks’ sudden loss of rigidity in the second half of the season, causing them to droop to a 6-6 finish and hurting the feelings of their fans, who’d never had that happen to them before. We kid: that’s happened to South Carolina fans for the majority of their lives as fans. They’re used to it, and after all, it happens to everyone. Gamecocks: the mascot name that keeps on giving, because it kinda means dick. Classes include the Stabler Stumble, Dubose Desk Aerobics. What makes it BamAerobics we’re not sure: firing the instructor halfway through class? Everyone lifting up their step platform and finding five thousand dollars just sitting there? Paul Finebaum deploring your lack of effort on air squats? It’s popular enough to have people turned away at the door whatever the appeal may be, and it’s worth clicking over just for the picture of the two guys in the featured photo. “This isn’t gay, right?” “Nope. Not gay. Definitely not homosexual to be in an aerobics class.” Yay! Portable FAIL! The iPhone App for college football users on the go: the AP top 25 in your hand, complete with all sorts of other goodies like a graph showing your team’s plummet from their ridiculously high preseason rankings. Clemson fans, download now! Segue! Urrbody on the bus get testy. Clemson defensive end Jamie Cumbie helped Clemson coordinator top off an AWESOME week of baiting Alabama in the press and then having his head served to him on a plate by the Crimson Tide run game. Cumbie was involved in “an altercation” with Koenning on the team bus following the game over his lack of starting time, and a brouhaha resulted in Cumbie strapping a bomb to the bus that, if it dropped below 55 miles an hour, would go off, destroying everyone on it. Tommy Bowden called Nick Saban for advice, and Alabama coach generously suggested he shoot the hostage. |
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1
AlanInDC says:
Aerobics could be fun pending the other scenery. No homo, bro.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:15 am
2
Oren Incandenza says:
Mississippi State fans with an iPhone need this:
http://www.pocketpicks.co.uk/latest/index.php/2008/07/17/iphone-app-of-the-day-3-more-cowbell/
September 4th, 2008 at 8:20 am
3
Jim in Jax says:
The “REAL” Orson Swindle will be on Fox News in a few minutes… (as of 9:30 AM 9/4/08)
September 4th, 2008 at 8:26 am
4
ChemE93 says:
Once again, I have a hard time blaming the 40 second clock for the drop in plays and time. I think this is tied directly to the rules about restarting the clock after out of bounds plays.
On about a half a dozen plays this weekend, I noted the game time lost because the clock was restarted. It was pretty consistently at 20-22 seconds each time. How many of those 137 plays per game ended up going out of bounds? 10? 20? 30? It wouldn’t take many to knock out 9 plays per game. 18 would likely be enough to remove 9 plays where the clock is continually running. For incompletions, etc, it wouldn’t take nearly that many.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:30 am
5
OhioDawg says:
Changes to the clock are ongoing craptastic improvements brought to us by Cthulhu/ESPN.
I liked the fact that college had different clock rules than the NFL. It made it more fun for me. I definitely missed the hue and cry for change. I realize they’re probably still different, but the headlong rush to make the college game look like the pro game is baffling.
The net effect of all these changes is to make things other than the game more imporant (the clock, the officials, the instant replay, the polls, BCS), and will continue to homogenize the overall look of the game.
Sorry, way the fuck too serious this morning.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:33 am
6
Biggus Rickus says:
If plays are indeed shaved this year, and a one-week sample is too small to be sure, I think it will have more to do with the clock running on out-of-bounds plays rather than the 40:25 rule. Though I will say that Georgia Southern manipulated it pretty well by running it down to zero on pretty much every play to keep Georgia from leading 31-0 or 38-0 by halftime. Against the third teamers they went into the hurry-up. It was a good strategy if your goal was merely to make the score look not quite as bad as it could have been.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:33 am
7
thrillsandspillers says:
“Gamecocks football since about 1894: it kinda means dick. ”
There. That’s better.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:41 am
8
gerrydorsey says:
@ alanindc,
sorry bro, aerobics class is gay. there are hot chicks in other parts of the gym too, you don’t have to go to aerobics class where you WILL see hot chicks…and then you will become their little gay shopping buddy.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:42 am
9
SC_Gator says:
Hmm… think I’d hold off on declaring a fatwa on the changes made by the rules committee until after we have a couple weeks of games to judge the new clock rules by. Partly because 1 week just isn’t a good sample size and partly because most teams seem to play more vanilla offense in the first two weeks, which typically means a lot more clock draining plays.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:48 am
10
GamecockTony says:
@Thrills – Come on. Those CarQuest Bowl (may it RIP) and back-to-back Outback Bowl (Bloomin’ Onions for everyone!) wins were nothing to sneeze at.
I am highly anticipating our win in this year’s TurtleWax/Rice-a-Roni bowl.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:48 am
11
Ryno says:
Gerrydorsey – spin and sculpt classes are tough as nails (depending on the instructor and the resistance used).
I definately wouldn’t classify them as homo
September 4th, 2008 at 8:51 am
12
John says:
Nick Saban doesnt have time for bus bomb hostage shit….
September 4th, 2008 at 9:06 am
13
ChemE93 says:
SC_Gator — you make a good point, but:
1: The out-of-bounds rule is going to cost plays. That really can’t be denied. The only discussion left is the magnitude. (Which could end up being, on a net basis, very minimal if the 40 second clock somehow adds plays.)
2: The fatwa was declared in the off-season.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:06 am
14
Mr.Pelican Pants says:
Orson, here is a question…..the real matter here is if the Clemson defense actually got on the bus and made it TO the game?…..or hell, even the offense for that matter……If I was Tommy Bowden, they would have all walked or hitched a ride home, and I am pretty sure no fans would have gave them a ride, probaly would have run them over, mostly……
As for BamAerobics,
Do they do the Saban Shuffle? How bout the Inside Trout? or the Terrance Cody Firemans Carry?
September 4th, 2008 at 9:08 am
15
She Blinded Me With Violence says:
“We kid: that’s happened to South Carolina fans for the majority of their lives as fans. They’re used to it, and after all, it happens to everyone.”
I like to think it builds character.
In other news, fuck character.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:11 am
16
sullivan013 says:
Excerpt from the Cumbie-Koening altercation:
Cumbie: “Rememba dat night at da gaaden yah came down my dressin’ room and said “kid, dis ain’t yah night.” Yah mema dat? — “dis ain’t yah night” — ! My night!? I cudda taken him apaat! So what happens, he gets the shot at a ballpaak and whadda I get? A one way ticket to palookaville. You was my cowadinata, Vic, you shudda looked out fah me a little bit. You shudda taken care of me just a little bit so I wuddna have tah take dem dive fah da shortend money.”
Koening – “Yoo saw some money”
Cumbie: “You don’t understand!! I cudda had class! I cudda been a contendah! I cudda been somebahdy! Instead of a bum. Which is what I am let’s face it. It was you, Vic.”
September 4th, 2008 at 9:11 am
17
meatybob says:
Actually, I would think the sample size is already quite large. Sure, one week, but over something like 40+ games. If you have over 30 data points, you are usually good to go for analysing a normal distribution, which is this, so I think the data is fine.
At season’s end, I bet these numbers will change minimally.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:16 am
18
gerry dorsey says:
ryno,
“sculpt” is a highly vague term so i can’t even comment on that. as for spin, i generally refer to it as “hell on earth.” that being said, i’ve only done spin about a half dozen times in my life, all about 5 years ago as i was banging the instructor. that’s definitely no homo.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:21 am
19
ChickensRule says:
Let the Gamecocks win something major and that’ll be BIG DICK to you, but since hell doesn’t appear to be freezing over…. we will continue to enjoy being beaten dicks.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:32 am
20
NRBQ says:
Never enroll in an aerobics course that includes women, hot or otherwise.
The things they do effortlessly that you can’t approach on your best day is humiliating, at best, and may even make you gay (NTTAWWT).
September 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am
21
skinnyphatman says:
I think you have to account for a regional bias as far as the spin thing goes. Having done classes in Atlanta and now here in Denver, the classes make up are quite different. Here they are a. more crowded (in the winter anyway) and b. significantly male dominated. That really makes my only motivation to go to class to get in… shape? /mentally reevaluates life goals and purpose…
September 4th, 2008 at 9:40 am
22
Karl Hungus says:
Stop trying to shorten one of my only Goddamn pleasures in life, you TV whores.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:41 am
23
Last Dragon says:
#11 – Ryno – ballet is probably pretty damn tough too. but its still homo.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:56 am
24
EZ says:
On the gridiron, there are ass beatings and then there are demoralizing, emasculating, mind-fucking donkey punches. It appears after reading some of what has transpired over at Clemson since Saturday, they received the latter.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:00 am
25
Tom Jones' Speedo says:
@ 11
Spinning is pretty much biking, right? Nothing wrong with that.
Sculpting, however, sounds just a li’l bit homo.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:09 am
26
Seven Years in Gainesville says:
meatybob @ 17:
The issue with this sample size is cupcakes. Many teams brought in I-AA teams to beat up on, and teams like Florida and SC scheduled lesser talent, from conferences such as the WAC and the ACC. Once conference play starts in earnest, the chumps start playing each other competitively and the games will get longer, because the top teams are having to throw passes and call timeouts in the 4th quarter.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:10 am
27
Edsall is God says:
I may be in the minority, but I like the new clock rules. I know we lost a few plays but I always thought it was too easy to make a comeback in college football. It’s not like the abomination changes they made in 2006, it’s reasonable. And the clock still stops briefly after a first down and the old rules are still in effect for the last 2 minutes.
I know everyone likes football but the 4-hour games were too much. The big difference, obviously, is television. If UConn is not on TV or on locally, the game always flew by. But if it’s on ABC or ESPN, it takes an eternity no matter the rules.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:10 am
28
Seven Years in Gainesville says:
In sum, close games = MOAR FOOTBALLS. Blowouts = NO THEY BE STEALING MY FOOTBALLS.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:14 am
29
Crabapple Buck says:
Last Dragon –
None other than Deacon Jones used ballet for fitness in the days before nautilus machines and training facilities that are palaces. He would dispute the homo tag you claim it to be.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:16 am
30
Orson Swindle says:
Deacon Jones could still beat your ass with both hands tied behind his back. Hell, we’ll give you a tire iron. It will only make him angrier.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:35 am
31
Tom Jones' Speedo says:
@30
The head slap takes on a whole new meaning…
September 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
32
Jesus says:
Urrbody on the bus get testy.
funniest thing i’ve read all week.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:18 am
33
Mr.Pelican Pants says:
Best LOL Comment on that Clemson link:
“So, did Cumbies parents pick him up in an Escalade?”
After that performance, I am sure Bama will be getting upgrades to the BMW’s and Mercedes of the mid 90’s….
“Just bought a Cattle Lick…throw some D’s on dat ……”
September 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
34
NCT says:
[shakes head]
Orson, your criticisms of “The 2008 Longer Games with More Plays Act” just shows your pre-9/11 mentality. It’s a shame you hate America.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
35
John says:
Follow the money ! I firmly believe the new clock rules are being driven by the networks and their need to get more ads on the air in a restricted time period.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:28 pm