🏈 This shocked me and may come back to bite the ACC in the ... Rule changes.

[TerryP]

252's thread sent me on a little reading over on ESPN's blogs and I caught this bit from Heather Dinich's blog on the ACC.

They've issued some rule changes, one of them dealing with teams allowed to wear home colors on the road if it's agreed to in writing before the game.

But, this one made me pull the ol' "What the hell?"

One other tweak to the rules is that it's not an illegal formation to have less than seven players on the line. The thinking is, why penalize a team for being at a disadvantage? As long as there are five players with jersey numbers 50-70 (you know, the offensive linemen), it's acceptable. They'd like to see seven on the line of scrimmage and four in the backfield.

​

She did post an update a little later on in the day after she had talked with Dabo Swinney about the changes.

As long as coaches have no more than four in the backfield and five linemen numbered correctly, they're OK. Before, coaches had to have seven on the line and four in the backfield, but it didn't make sense to penalize teams for playing with less than 11 players on the field.

​

You know what I'm wondering now?

What conference is going to supply the officials for the game we have against Va Tech?

Seriously, setting our game aside are the refs for the ACC going to have to have two sets of rules for OOC play?

After all of that I started reading this over again and realized the rule change wasn't as big as I thought it might be. It sure would have no shocked me as much when I read the first statement which would be a rule change that would really change the meaning of the game.

Evidently, they are doing this to eliminate the penalty against only having 10 men on the field. Even with that I'm still sitting here at a loss for words.

 

[252BAMA]

252's thread sent me on a little reading over on ESPN's blogs and I caught this bit from Heather Dinich's blog on the ACC.

They've issued some rule changes, one of them dealing with teams allowed to wear home colors on the road if it's agreed to in writing before the game.

But, this one made me pull the ol' "What the hell?"

​

She did post an update a little later on in the day after she had talked with Dabo Swinney about the changes.

​

You know what I'm wondering now?

What conference is going to supply the officials for the game we have against Va Tech?

Seriously, setting our game aside are the refs for the ACC going to have to have two sets of rules for OOC play?

After all of that I started reading this over again and realized the rule change wasn't as big as I thought it might be. It sure would have no shocked me as much when I read the first statement which would be a rule change that would really change the meaning of the game.

Evidently, they are doing this to eliminate the penalty against only having 10 men on the field. Even with that I'm still sitting here at a loss for words.

My question is: How do you do that? They play with NCAA rules, not conference rules. If the NCAA doesn't change it, I don't see how the ACC, or any other conference, can make that change.

 

[bamabarney]

Yea, I would think the NCAA would have to approve that change. Maybe it would be allowed for ACC games, but out of conference games, I would think the old rules would apply. My question is if they apply in the Va. Tech game and we line up with 7 on the line, will we be penalized for too many on the LOS? I just don't see how this can happen.

 

[rolltide1969]

This is all very confusing........

 

[TerryP]

My question is: How do you do that? They play with NCAA rules, not conference rules. If the NCAA doesn't change it, I don't see how the ACC, or any other conference, can make that change.

I don't know.

It's all one confusing mess to me and makes little sense, if any.

That's one of the thoughts I was having when I mentioned how does it apply to non-conference games. If the ACC team is the home team, does that mean the rule changes? Is this only for conference games?

 

[rammerjammer]

Seems like it would be too much trouble just to do this for conference games. While I know it is only one rule that would change back and forth between OOC and in-conference opponents, why go through the trouble?

 

[TerryP]

Seems like it would be too much trouble just to do this for conference games. While I know it is only one rule that would change back and forth between OOC and in-conference opponents, why go through the trouble?

I suspect, like Dabo is quoted in her update, that is a knee-jerk reaction to points being taken off of the scoreboard the last few years due to the offense only having 10 players on the field and therefore not enough on the line of scrimmage.

But, that's just my best guess...

 

[psychojoe]

Historically the NCAA has allowed conferences to experiment with rules within their own conference, things like the shot clock in basketball and instant replay in football. Without looking at it in depth this feels like what the ACC is doing. I can't imagine it applying in our game with Va Tech unless we agree to it.

 

[252BAMA]

Historically the NCAA has allowed conferences to experiment with rules within their own conference, things like the shot clock in basketball and instant replay in football. Without looking at it in depth this feels like what the ACC is doing. I can't imagine it applying in our game with Va Tech unless we agree to it.

More of an interpretation of a rule rather than a rule change. I remember several years back the ACC took a policy on the charging call in basketball that amounted to a rule change within their conference. Their policy that year was: Either guard the opponent or get the heII out of the way. Charging will not be called if you stand in the way.

 

[reger60]

Oh, for crying out loud, sending only ten men out there is equally as stupid as sending twelve out there. A team should be penalized for such an idiotic breakdown in concentration.

Secondly, having too few men on the line IS an illegal formation and could possibly create on-field confusion for a defense, especially if the offense is playing hurry-up. Use of an illegal formation (intentionally or otherwise) should be penalized.

Throw the flag and move 'em back.

 

[tidenumber1]

Oh, for crying out loud, sending only ten men out there is equally as stupid as sending twelve out there. A team should be penalized for such an idiotic breakdown in concentration.

Secondly, having too few men on the line IS an illegal formation and could possibly create on-field confusion for a defense, especially if the offense is playing hurry-up. Use of an illegal formation (intentionally or otherwise) should be penalized.

Throw the flag and move 'em back.

What he said!!!!!

 

[psychojoe]

Oh, for crying out loud, sending only ten men out there is equally as stupid as sending twelve out there. A team should be penalized for such an idiotic breakdown in concentration.

Secondly, having too few men on the line IS an illegal formation and could possibly create on-field confusion for a defense, especially if the offense is playing hurry-up. Use of an illegal formation (intentionally or otherwise) should be penalized.

Throw the flag and move 'em back.

I am of the school of thought that only having 10 on the field is penalty enough of itself.

 

[gary funderburk]

I am of the school of thought that only having 10 on the field is penalty enough of itself.

Agreed, this just doesn't make sense. Why change the rules because one team can not get it right. Sounds to me they need to focus on the rules instead of experimenting with them.