Rules proposals supported by the committee include: Allowing an eight-person officiating system to be utilized. A center judge was used experimentally in several conferences during the past two seasons. The benefits of having the extra official included getting the ball spotted more efficiently and detecting holding and hands-to-the-face penalties. The ineligible downfield rule was adjusted from three yards to one yard past the line of scrimmage. To be legal, a lineman who is more than one yard past the line of scrimmage must be engaged with a defensive player when a pass is released. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike foul will be called on players who push or pull opponents off piles – for example, following fumbles. If a helmet comes off a defensive player in the final minute of a half, there will be a 10-second runoff of the game clock and the play clock will be set at 40 seconds. Previously, the play clock was set to 25 seconds. Officials will return to giving teams an initial sideline warning when their personnel move out of the designated team bench area. Officials are to treat illegal equipment issues – such as jerseys tucked under the shoulder pads and writing on eye black – by making the player leave the field for one play. The player may remain in the game if his team takes a timeout to correct the equipment. Allow instant replay review to see if a kicking team player blocked the receiving team before the ball goes 10 yards on onside-kick plays. Teams must be provided at least 22 minutes prior to kickoff for pregame warm-ups. Teams may mutually agree to shorten this time period. The calling of team timeouts by the head coach will be instant-replay reviewable at any time. If the play clock runs to 25 seconds before the ball is ready for play, officials will reset the clock to 40 seconds. Previously, the play clock would be reset when it reached 20 seconds. Based on research findings of the National Football League, non-standard/overbuilt facemasks will be prohibited. The committee also discussed length-of-game issues in the sport, meeting with television partners in an effort to find ways to reduce dead time in the game. In the 2014 season, the average game in Football Bowl Subdivision was three hours and 19 minutes.
I wonder what leads to some of these proposals. A few make sense, others make me wonder what happened, in what game, that led coaches to suggest it needed a rule. Instant replay on kick-offs to review blocking? That should have been a given, I'd think. Instant replay on coaches calling time outs? I can't think of a game where that was something debated at the conclusion of the game, can you? Once again, they're going in circles on the game length issue. Hell, I really don't care one way or another on that one. Much of the time, I'll delay the game a bit on my DVR just to be able to forward through commercials breaks. I suspect the ineligible receiver downfield rule is going to catch some read option based teams. I wonder if we'll see coaches, running that type of offense, object to the rule. Two years ago I remember Chad Morris at the AFCA convention mention "they aren't calling ineligible receivers downfield so we'll continue to push them forward." But, I have to wonder, why not just call it instead of changing it from three yards to a single yard? What does "get the ball spotted more efficiently" actually mean? The officials won't be gasping for their breath after running to get the ball spotted?
The ineligible rule is interesting. I like the pile rule. Don't like adding more officials. Don't like the 10 second runoff with a helmet coming off either. What if it's a defensive player and the offense is driving. Shit I'd just take my helmet off.
The first proposal may give SEC schools other than bama some degree of hope that holding may finally be called in a more equitable way.
Not all the time. The administration tried to get them to move the offices to Tuscaloosa to avoid paying rent in two places. What likely killed that proposal was an amendment—one asking for a property tax rate reduction on what the Tide has been paying for games in Death Valley as of late. Contrary to what you may have been told, there was no proposal for living rent free in the heads of a lot of Tiger fans.
Aren't we getting into semantics here? Last season, if the helmet came off, they were forced to sit out a play. That's being penalized as I interpret the rule. I'm thinking the NCAA is parsing words a bit with foul, versus penalty, versus what a flag is thrown on, etc. Look over this...most of the helmet rules are termed "foul."
