[NU Sports] New timing rules

[Michael Vance]

Let me be the first to say, at least this week, that I so far hate the 
new timing rules.  They completely change end-game clock management.

With the ability to run off the play clock four times, not just three, 
even a team that goes into a close situation at the end of the game or 
half with all three of its timeouts can't keep the other team from 
running at least a minute off the clock.  And if you don't have any 
timeouts, holding someone to three-and-out they can still burn about 
2:30.  (Both estimates include 20-23 seconds of rundown with the play 
clock + the time it takes to run the play and set the ball.  Both are 
conservative, I think, when it comes to the amount of time it takes for 
the officials to re-set play.)

And with the new kickoff rule, a team that scores with a few seconds 
left doesn't have to be nearly as conservative on the kickoff.  The Iowa 
game is a good example.  With nine seconds left, down by three and a 
first down, under the old rules, Syracuse probably would have run one 
more play to work the clock down some more to prevent Iowa from having 
the opportunity to run a play after the kickoff return.  But with the 
new rules, the tying field goal took 3-4 seconds off, and the kickoff 
took the rest before the Iowa return man even touched the ball.  Iowa 
didn't even have the option to catch the kickoff and immediately down it 
to set up a play.

Maybe it'll just take some getting used to, but I personally think that 
given the assumption that they wanted to speed up the game some, they 
should have done something that made the rules more uniform with the 
NFL, like the 40/25 play clock or not stopping the clock on first downs 
instead of making up some new rules that are completely new to the game 
altogether.

There was an article in the Indianapolis Star on Friday (Faster games 
rankle coaches, 
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060908/SPORTS0601/609080460/1069) 
and one of the many stats in it was that the Michigan coaching staff 
reviewed film from the Vandy game last week and determined that there 
was 5:56 less playing time vs. their opener last year.  (I'm not sure 
why they didn't just look at how much time ticked off in that game that 
wouldn't have under the old rules and count that.)  In the first week of 
NCAA play, the total play count was down an average of 13 plays from 
last year (139 vs. 126).

I agree that the college game seemed to be taking longer last year, but 
I put the blame on there being more games on TV.  I can't see how 
speeding up the game will make advertisers happy, and I don't think that 
the networks have adjusted their schedules to handle the difference, at 
least not yet.  The games are still scheduled for 3h30m.  With games 
only taking 3 hours, that's a lot of airtime to fill with postgame and 
other commentary.

-Michael