new clock rules.
Damian Strohmeyer/SI
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops didn't complain when the NCAA changed the play clock rules this offseason. Unlike many of his colleagues, Stoops adapted. He and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson first discussed the idea of adding no-huddle elements to the Sooners' offense before the Fiesta Bowl in January. Originally, Stoops wanted to keep up with the elite offenses in the Big 12. After the NCAA adopted the 40/25 second play clock, Stoops and Wilson knew they'd struck gold. This past Saturday, while fellow coaches continued to complain about the new rule, the Sooners ran 97 plays in a 45-31 win against Kansas.
The change at Oklahoma proves that the new clock rule doesn't have to hamstring an offense. In fact, the solution is really pretty simple.
Snap. The. Freaking. Ball.
We've seen it all season. A team lines up with about 20 seconds remaining on the play clock. After the quarterback barks signals for a few seconds, all 11 offensive players turn in unison toward the sideline. There, the offensive coordinator, two backup quarterbacks and a graduate assistant look like an interpretive dance troupe that got into a bad bag of mushrooms. The play clock reaches 10 seconds, and the offense shifts. Then, as the clock winds down and the back judge reaches for his flag, the center finally snaps the ball.
Florida coach Urban Meyer is the most vocal critic of the new rule, and with good reason. His offense routinely bleeds the play clock, flirting with a delay-of-game penalty dozens of times each game. Most of the Gators' plays involve multiple motion, and the quarterback in Meyer's offense typically is responsible for reading the defense and adjusting the play if necessary. But in most cases, while Florida goes through its machinations, the defense alters its alignment, its coverage or both. Given their physical and athletic advantage against most teams, if the Gators snapped the ball as soon as they got to the line, they probably would enjoy just as much success.
Florida, which lost 3.1 plays a game between 2007 and 2008, actually has adjusted to the rules better than its SEC brethren. The entire conference continues to crawl like a tortoise. Of the 11 FBS conferences, SEC teams run the fewest plays a game (64.9) after losing 5.2 plays per team per game from last season. The Big Ten hasn't adjusted, either. The original home of three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-snow has lost an average of 6.1 plays per team per game. Conference USA -- home of scoreboard-breaker Tulsa -- has adjusted the best, giving up only 3.1 plays per team per game.
| Big Ten |
68.5 | 74.6 | -6.1 |
| Independents | 63.6 | 68.8 | -5.2 |
| SEC | 64.9 | 70.1 | -5.2 |
| Pac-10 | 68.1 | 73.2 | -5.1 |
| Sun Belt | 67.8 | 72.5 | -4.7 |
| ACC | 65.1 | 69.5 | -4.4 |
| Big 12 | 70.1 | 74.4 | -4.3 |
| WAC | 68.2 | 71.9 | -3.7 |
| Mid-American | 67.4 | 71.1 | -3.7 |
| Mountain West | 69.2 | 72.6 | -3.4 |
| Big East | 67.1 | 70.4 | -3.3 |
| Conference USA | 70.5 | 73.6 | -3.1 |
| Conference | '08 Plays | '07 Plays | Change |
|---|
I'm perfectly happy to concede to esteemed colleague Jay Christensen that the NCAA changed the clock rule to mollify bloodsuckers television executives who want to shave time off games so they can gradually add more commercials during the next few years, bringing games back to their old length while providing the viewers with less actual football. But there's a simple solution. The three FBS schools in the state of Oklahoma have figured it out. They call the play, line up and run the play. Eventually, the rest of the nation will figure it out.
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Comments (14) Add A Comment
that's the great irony---they are shortening the actual game so the advertisers can squeeze in more commercials. the NCAA needs to step in and LIMIT the number of commercials and length of time devoted to commercials in the football games. That is going to kill ratings if these commercials aren't cut back. But they won't have the balls to do it, because they want the money. Idiots.
Klee Irwin
Total Comments (1595)
Why can't the college game adopt NFL clock rules and allow radio communication between the quarterback and the sideline and the defensive captain and the sideline? NFL games have an incredible amount of commercials, but their clock rules keep the game moving (especially in blowouts).
HighSchoolHeroes
West Hills, CA
Total Comments (13)
no, I like the fact that the clock stops on first downs. It gives teams that are behind a chance to win. It adds excitement to the game. Most NFL games are boring at the end because a team can basically milk the last 3 minutes and sit on a lead and run the clock out. Is that what you want? You must work for an advertiser. You want less plays and more commercials? What the f?
Klee Irwin
Total Comments (1595)
Get a dish DVR, start the game recording then start watching about 60-90 minutes after kickoff. That way you can blow past the commercials and see nothing but football.
Reprodude
Arlington , TX
Total Comments (2)
I'm not too worried about the increase in commercials. It just means I have more time to spend with my kids before the game while my DVR is working. Around halftime or slightly before that, I jump into the game and give my thumb a solid workout using the fast forward button. Bah, it's just like with internet ad banners - I don't even see them any more.
VikingHorns
Boise, ID
Total Comments (2)
Klee: "That is going to kill ratings if these commercials aren't cut back." I must be confused. What are we going to watch instead of football? I wasn't aware Saturday afternoon was a big slot to be fought over. The way I see it, football fans are captive audiences. I mean, we're either watching football or not watching TV at all, right?
jprs
Total Comments (17)
the result of those Oklahoma schools just Snap[ing].The.Freaking.Ball is that they are all ranked in the top 25. Two in the top 10. While it's obvious that that's not the only reason, it is an interesting coincidence.
FortySeven
Saint Charles , MO
Total Comments (39)
exactly. If people get sick of watching the commercials, and don't watch football as a result, the ratings go down. See how that works? Want me to explain to you how cocoa is made now?
Klee Irwin
Total Comments (1595)
No need to get upset. I just don't think you understand how ratings relate to ad pricing. Why on earth would advertisers and sports marketers kill the value of their ads by including too many ads? It just doesn't make sense. Football is tailor-made for commercial television. Those people know their market, and they know we'll keep watching. In fact, we're more likely to watch college ball the closer it gets to pro ball.
jprs
Total Comments (17)
The last thing that the NCAA should do is conform its rules to the NFL. If you want to watch football using NFL clock rules, then watch the NFL and leave college football alone. The way to shorten games is to reduce the time when the clock is stopped by reducing the number and length of commercial breaks, shortening halftime and having the officials expedite things like moving the chains, replays, etc. The answer is not to keep the clock moving because that subtracts football time rather than dead time.
Atmo Guy
Total Comments (1)
I can't even watch the NFL any more. The less college does to imitate that stale, over-produced (and hyper-hyped) No Fun League, the better. If you don't want to watch commercials, get a DVR. As a bonus, the DVR allows you to skip Lou and Mark May at half time if you wait about 35 minutes.
Buckeye Homebrew
Avondale Estates , GA
Total Comments (14)
have you actually watched a college football game lately armpit sniffer? That is exactly what is happening. They are increasing the number of ads while actually decreasing the number of plays in the game. That is why these articles are being written. And no, we DON'T want college football to become what the NFL is. Not everything has to be commercialized to the hilt just because lemmings like you will sit on your fat arse and take whatever they feed you.
Klee Irwin
Total Comments (1595)
There is no doubt that more commercials have been added to college games. When I DVR a college game, TV timeouts are 5 or 6 pushes of the 30 second jump button. NFL games are a standard 4 pushes every time.
Ted VIII
Franklin , TN
Total Comments (1)
I'm not sure why you think you're winning this contest. And I watch most of a game every Saturday, so I'm definitely not the couch potato here. If you don't like what you see, change the channel. But don't pretend the NCAA isn't going to worship the networks. Football--NCAA, NFL, whatever--is primarily about money.
jprs
Total Comments (17)
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