Proposed 10-Second Runoff Rule In College Football Tabled

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chensiyuan under CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 2.5, CC BY-SA 2.0 and CC BY-SA 1.0 Licenses 

When I first heard about this proposal, I had that proverbial palm of my hand to the face moment.  This new rule is just so stupid and idiotic!

For those of you who may have no idea what I'm talking about, the NCAA Rules Committee recently discussed a new rules proposal in which offenses would have to wait for a 10-second runoff of the play clock before snapping the ball on most plays.  The only exceptions would be in the final two minutes of each half and if the play clock began at 25 seconds.  On most plays the play clock is usually set at 40 seconds.  If offenses were to snap the ball before the end of the 10-second runoff, they would have been assessed with a five yard penalty for delay of game.  

The new proposal would have given defenses a better opportunity to change out its players on certain plays, thereby slowing down part of what makes college football and football in general so great: hurry up offenses. Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun also pointed out that the new rule was being considered in the best interest of player health and safety.   I know there are sports fans who say we need to do all we can to create an even playing field in competition and be proactive in terms of player safety. When it comes to steroid and drug abuse by athletes looking to get an edge over their fellow competitors as well as player health and safety I definitely see your point.  When it comes to potential rule changes that have a seemingly negative impact on the overall strategy of a sport however, give me a break!

Tim Musick
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