Huge kudos to the NCAA for realizing changes they made were not the right ones, rolling them back, and finding new changes to accomplish the mission of shortening game duration without damaging the games themselves. It's nice to see focus on goals instead of protecting ego. Though I would still prefer to just get rid of some of the ridiculous tv timeouts, the new changes appear to be good ones. I especially like the one about moving back the kickoffs to the 30 yard line, as this will even the field somewhat for some teams (wink, wink) who can't seem to kick the ball to the goal line.
TacomaDomer00 | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 5:55 pm | #

I guess I don't see what the huge deal is about running a whopping 12 fewer plays during a game. Aside from individual and team stats for comparison to previous years, as long as the rule affects both teams in a game why does it matter?
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 6:06 pm | #

Loud cheers up and down the route from the first stop to the end of the line.

We all know the length of the game is really tied to the number of TV time-outs and $$$.
But this is great news, I’d rather visit the bathroom or grab a beer while the blonde bimbo gets hit in the head with a Vonage box and still know there will be 12 more plays to watch.
66 days and counting to the B&G game.
Hey, the weather sucks, I got to look forward to something.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 6:44 pm | #

Sheesh. If they want shorter games, why not just limit all those freaking commercial$ . . .
24 hour | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 6:53 pm | #

Well, that is the easy solution 24 hour, but we both know that's not going to happen.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 7:08 pm | #

SWEET VONAGE!!!!
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 7:50 pm | #

erik, for my cfb time (and dollar), be it in a stadium, in bar, or on my couch, i want to see as much actual playing as possible. if i want nfl-style rules, i'll watch an nfl game.
yz | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 8:49 pm | #

Being an ND grad that works at NBC - good to hear that our company is doing a better job! A also think some credit must be given to Wisconsin for showing how stupid this rule was to a wide audience.
timjf825 | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 8:52 pm | #

Erik '04 - It has nothing to do with fairness to both teams. In an ideal world, great college football games should last about 8 hours. Good games about 6 hours. Even the crapiest of Thursday night games should run a solid 4 hours.

More football = Good.

This ruling has me so cheerful I am ready to forget about the last minute recruiting loses for the Irish. Thanks a bunch to BGS for teaching me to agonize over recruiting!
Matt Angry Matt | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 9:03 pm | #

Uh, aren't the decimal points on the graph in the wrong place? 67.0 plays a minute! Now that would take one heck of a clock rule change.
Doug | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 9:17 pm | #

Thanks for the Kudos on the work. And Yes, the graph at the Wiz's site has the decimal off two places....but like IQ scores we simply multiplied by 100 to normalize the scores.

Have you all seen the 'Trial of the Century' at The Wiz on the Weis Trial?

Nice site here!
GRG | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 9:29 pm | #

I like the shorter games. Sitting in ND stadium, or in front of a television, for 4 hours is too long. It's not really a case of "the longer the better". If that were the case cricket would be the best sport in the world. They should've left the rule changes as they were.

Of course 12 more plays AND a 3hr 18min game would be best...
Matt | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 9:33 pm | #

Oh Matt, try *standing* in the Stadium, drunk as a skunk, for 4 hours. The Sunday leg cramps are brutal. Then again, I never work out, so...

And how amazing would it be if Dwight K. Schrute actually did sports broadcasting for NBC? Just imagine the commentary!
senior | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 9:56 pm | #

Senior, did you see our demand to NBC a few months ago?
Pat | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 10:02 pm | #

This is good news! The new rules were retarded.

Here's a novel thought: don't stop the clock on a first down if you want the game to speed up.
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 11:12 pm | #

Glad to see that the NCAA put someone who is an expert on college football on TV at the helm of the committee that oversees it...THE HEAD FB COACH AT BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE. LMFAO!! Guess their rationale was that his opinion would truly be unbiased since the words "Bridgewater College", "football" and "television" have never been used in the same sentence heretofore.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 9:18 am | #

Ok, so it's not really that the rules last year were hurting the game itself, just that we want to watch more football. That I can live with for sure. I just didn't see how the rules were otherwise bad for the game.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 9:33 am | #

"On Wisconsin, on Wisconsin, screw those pesky rules..."
Yago | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 9:57 am | #

Erik--

Part of the problem with the rules is that teams can game the system (I believe that's what the Wisconsin reference above was about--Wisconsin intentionally lined up offsides on the kickoff 3 times to run the clock out against Penn State. Heck, if you wanted to, you could take a lead and line up offsides on the kickoff for the rest of the game and run out the clock).

It was clearly a bad rule--I hope the NCAA tests each new rule on, say, a Div. 3 game, before they attempt to ruin D-1.
Raristotle | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:01 am | #

I hate rules.
indy | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:08 am | #

I hadn't heard about that Wisconsin thing. Does the clock historically start running after a penalty (e.g. delay of game)?
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:24 am | #

I mean it doesn't start running after a delay of game so that the QB can't just not hike it and have the clock run out for 10 minutes or something. Why should it be different in the case of a kickoff...
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:25 am | #

I watched that Wisconson/PSU game and thought for sure it was going to be the end for JoePa. He was fired up.
Gabe | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:41 am | #

Now if NBC could just get us Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Doubledomer | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:45 am | #

At first glance I would have said that NBC's drop in time was due to playing more run-oriented teams on the '06 schedule vs the '05 schedule. I don't think that is true. I don't think the MSU overtime game accounted for all of the time, but it might account for some of it. The other thing I do note for the '06 schedule as far as why the plays per minute went up is that there are some games there where ND (or UM) were sitting on a big lead trying to gring out the clock.

My guess is that Brady Quinn had the most to do with the extra plays per minute. I think he manufactured more 60 to 80 yard drives with a lot of plays in '06 or at least more than '05. I think that might be the answer right there. I remember that the Stanford game only had 2 commercial breaks in the 1st quarter because of the really long grinding drives by both teams. Granted that was followed up by about a bijillion commercials in the 2nd quarter, but I think that might be the answer.
OITLinebacker | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 10:45 am | #

Wisconsin should have gotten an unsportsmanlike penalty after the second intentional offsides. It's not a loophole in the rules, just (another) example of poor Big Integer officiating. If I was JoePa, I would have had one of my special teamers "accidentally" tackle the referee about 3 times on the next kickoff just to get my point across.

As a college football fan without a rooting interest in the game however, I thought it was freakin' hilarious.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 11:22 am | #

I wouldn't have had such a problem with the NCAA rule shortening the game if they had also lessened the commercial interruptions at the same time.

What we got was fewer plays and the same number of commercial interruptions.

Is it any wonder the public was pissed?
gwzimm | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 11:37 am | #

I could be wrong about this, but one thing that bothers me about NBC games lately is they don't pick up the sound from the band as well as they used to after touchdowns. It's really muted nowadays (as compared to mid-90s) and dammit I want to celebrate in my living room without the stupid NBC ND musical jingle.

And Pat Haden, as decent as he is, I hate how for "big" hitters he uses the phrase, "when he hits you, you go down." Nice analysis. And Tom Hammond needs to go easy on the makeup. That dude creeps me out.
Tom | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 12:12 pm | #

Much as I hate it...the commercial on NBC pays the bills and the money pays for financial aid and all that's good. It's awful at the game, though. I least at home, the 4 minutes gives me time to run through some Orville Redenbacher popcorn.

I like Haden. I like Collingsworth better.
jake | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 1:57 pm | #

Since NBC is just ND football, can we infer that Coach Weis adapted to the time changes better than other coaches, hence the additional plays?
Lou | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 3:15 pm | #

Forget Haden and Collinsworth how about NBC giving us Jerome Bettis?
knoxvilleirish | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 4:01 pm | #

"And Pat Haden, as decent as he is,.."
"And Tom Hammond needs to go easy on the makeup."
"I hate rules."
"stupid NBC ND musical jingle."
"Now if NBC could just get us Jim Nantz and Phil Simms"
"I like Haden. I like Collingsworth better."

Beam me up Pat, their is no intelligent life form left to this post.
Now 65 days and counting.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 4:05 pm | #

you... you misspelled "there."

ironic if unintentional. personally, i think these comments have been pretty funny.
Tommy O | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 7:02 pm | #

Thanks, it’s all tongue-in-cheek Tommy.
The best one I left out. About Hammond… “That dude creeps me out.”
He does me too, I don’t know if it’s the pancake make-up or the bouffant hair cut/do.

Didn’t misspell there/their as much as I goofed around too much when the good sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were trying unsuccessful to teach me grammar.
If BGS would pony up for a grammar and spell checker, I wouldn’t have these problems.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 7:46 pm | #

oh "senior", don't flatter yourself. I, like many of the people here, put in my four years *standing* drunk in ND stadium for four hours. It's too long standing, it's too long sitting, it's too long sitting on the couch.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 8:39 pm | #

Anyone read anything into Miles Brand's comments yesterday that shortening the field to 85 yards could both improve game length and free up space in crowded D1 stadia for corporate hospitality suites? I'm not sure how I feel about that one, but the I do hope the proposal to ban line judges and referees over 4'5" sees the light of day. I'm sure that would reduce unnecessary game delays dramatically.
indy | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 9:11 pm | #

I'm sure our university wouldn't entertain the notion of corporate hospitality suites. . . . I'm just waiting for the Chick-Fil-A Blue Gold Game.
Don E. Brook | Email | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 9:44 pm | #

Mmmmmmm.....Chick-Fil-A......
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 9:49 am | #

I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin White tried to add sponsorship to the BG Game as a segueway into his la-la-land of jumbotrons and in-stadium advertising. What an ass-bag.
Kevin | Email | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 10:47 am | #

White has upgraded every varsity program...all scholarship and if you look at the other sports in the Big East, ND dominates...
jake | Email | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 2:53 pm | #

Actually the rules worked in our favor, as Charlie was superb at playing by those rules, and others (TW, for instance) were abysmal at it.
Bill | Email | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 9:52 pm | #