According to sources, a long-term effort to shorten college football games is nearing completion, as executives of the sport move closer to recommending several clock rule changes. These changes are intended to reduce plays for safety and game length reasons, including proposals to continue the clock after first downs and incomplete passes.
College football leaders are reviewing four specific changes, with two considered non-controversial and two more significant. The rule changes would bring college football in line with the NFL’s playing rules, and a field study conducted last season found that running the clock after a first down would eliminate about seven to nine plays per game, while running the clock after an incomplete pass could eliminate more than twice that number.
The proposals are expected to be brought before the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee next month for review and determination. College football officials hope that the rule changes will help address the ongoing problem of game length and pace, which has caused FBS football games to last an average of 3 hours and 21 minutes, five minutes longer than the 2018 average.
Should CFB implement rules to speed up football games? Proposed changes include no consecutive timeouts, no extension of a quarter for an untimed down on defensive penalty, running the clock after an offense gains a first down (except inside 2 minutes), and running the clock after an incomplete pass once the ball is spotted for play.
Thoughts?
