🏈 NCAA football rules committee recommends change to ineligible receiver downfield rule

[BAMANEWSBOT]

Committee does not address "10-second rule" proposal, as chairman says there's no evidence of a safety issue.

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[TerryP]

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.

 

[planomateo]

No more crazy face masks...so the thinking is that the extra protection gives players a false sense of protection (ie, leading with their heads). So they want to reduce that thinking while removing protection from getting their eyes poked. Makes perfect sense to me. Eyes are cheaper than brains?

 

[BAMANEWSBOT]

The NCAA football rules committee wants to experiment with helmet cameras, wireless communication between coaches and players on the field and the use of computers on the sideline.

From ESPNU—Continue reading...

 

[UAgrad93]

The ineligible downfield rule will burn these teams that run a play with multiple options, ie. the Barner play to tie the '13 game.

 

[TerryP]

No more crazy face masks...so the thinking is that the extra protection gives players a false sense of protection (ie, leading with their heads). So they want to reduce that thinking while removing protection from getting their eyes poked. Makes perfect sense to me. Eyes are cheaper than brains?

I get the overbuilt aspect in regard to it changing the weight of the helmet and from that leads to the neck getting tired and players tending to drop their head in tackling.

I don't get how it relates to eye protection. The "shields" being outlawed (they did that in the NCAA two, three years ago) made sense because refs couldn't see the eyes of players which hampered determining how "looped" they were after a hit. The ones LT and Ray Lewis wore come to mind.

 

[planomateo]

Depends on which mask we're both referring to. I was thinking NFL more than College, as they referenced the NFL study/findings.

Ironically, Tuck has a waiver to have the extra bars (last I heard) because it protects his neck... The thinking is it prevents people from easily grabbing his facemask and yanking his neck in weird ways.

vs

 

[Bamabww]

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.

Interesting. Why not for an offensive player as well?

 

[TerryP]

Interesting. Why not for an offensive player as well?

Good question.

The offense would have the ability to turn down the penalty of they wanted the time on the clock. If they were trying to run off the time...taking a knee would do that.

I'm guessing here...but I'm thinking this change revolves around those precious few seconds when a team is trying to come from behind.

 

[TerryP]

Ironically, Tuck has a waiver to have the extra bars (last I heard) because it protects his neck

I read somewhere those waivers were going to be up for review...NFL.com, maybe?