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NCAA FOOTBALL TWEAKS… for this season

JerseyCityHawki

HR All-American
Oct 28, 2019
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And let’s all take a good look after the first one .. if you guess that team you win a McDonald’s cheeseburger happy meal

The NCAA is instituting a number of rule changes for the upcoming college football season, including some that deal with targeting, the faking of injuries to stop the clock and slow no-huddle offenses.

The Associated Press shared the changes:

  • Players ejected in the second halves of games for targeting might not be suspended for the first half of the next game, depending on the results of an appeal.
  • Schools and conferences can report the potential faking of injuries to the national coordinator of officials, which could lead to penalties for the school involved.
  • Only linemen and stationary backs inside the tackle box can block below the waist.
  • Ball-carriers who simulate a feet-first slide, like then-Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett famously did in the ACC Championship Game, will be ruled down at the spot.
  • Defensive holding is an automatic first down in addition to the 10-yard penalty.
  • Replay officials can adjust the clock if a ruling is overturned with less than two minutes remaining in the game or first half.
  • Illegal touching by an ineligible player is a loss of down in addition to the five-yard penalty.
Perhaps the most notable change is the targeting one, as few things in college football draw more scrutiny and ire from fans, coaches and even broadcasters than the flag that leads to a 15-yard penalty and the automatic ejection of the infringing player.

There may not be a single penalty that can more drastically alter the outcome of a game, as all it takes is one star player to be ejected for it in the early going to leave a team fighting an uphill battle.
 
I hate the targeting call. I understand why we have it, but it is so subjective and I think incorrectly applied in too many cases.
The rule is not about being punitive - it's attempting to shift football practices in order to encourage safety. It also encourages better tackling fundamentals, which is safer for the defenders too.

Also, it don't see it being appreciably more subjective than the enforcement of other rules in the game.
 
If a player’s injury causes a stoppage, then that player should be out the rest of the quarter. Allow the team to call a timeout to avoid this “penalty”.
For a cramp? For a stinger? Seriously Legend. First play of 2nd half and a guy gets a tweek and has been told don’t put your body weight on it till we check it out ( training staff) and you want him out till the 4th quarter- Not a fan of that idea.
Time out are precious.
 
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Fake injury reporting rule is worthless unless the team getting faked on can stop the game and immediately report the faking and them wait for a ruling before continuing the game. Yeah, that's as absurd as the rule itself.
 
The rule is not about being punitive - it's attempting to shift football practices in order to encourage safety. It also encourages better tackling fundamentals, which is safer for the defenders too.

Also, it don't see it being appreciably more subjective than the enforcement of other rules in the game.
Except it's very poorly written and is ultimately a judgment call, so it ends up being punitive regardless of intent.

If there was some consistency in how it was called between offense and defense it would be more acceptable, but as it currently exists it punishes defenders for things out of their control far too often.
 
More rules? Offensive and defensive holding rules are broken just about every play and have much more impact to the games outcome. The shame teams bring upon themselves for faking injuries is enough for me.
 
More rules? Offensive and defensive holding rules are broken just about every play and have much more impact to the games outcome. The shame teams bring upon themselves for faking injuries is enough for me.
Agreed. Over the years, I've seen numerous, rather obvious, holding situations that do not get called. I always wonder, if I can see the holding on TV, why is it the official who is right there on the field cannot?
 
And let’s all take a good look after the first one .. if you guess that team you win a McDonald’s cheeseburger happy meal

The NCAA is instituting a number of rule changes for the upcoming college football season, including some that deal with targeting, the faking of injuries to stop the clock and slow no-huddle offenses.

The Associated Press shared the changes:

  • Players ejected in the second halves of games for targeting might not be suspended for the first half of the next game, depending on the results of an appeal.
  • Schools and conferences can report the potential faking of injuries to the national coordinator of officials, which could lead to penalties for the school involved.
  • Only linemen and stationary backs inside the tackle box can block below the waist.
  • Ball-carriers who simulate a feet-first slide, like then-Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett famously did in the ACC Championship Game, will be ruled down at the spot.
  • Defensive holding is an automatic first down in addition to the 10-yard penalty.
  • Replay officials can adjust the clock if a ruling is overturned with less than two minutes remaining in the game or first half.
  • Illegal touching by an ineligible player is a loss of down in addition to the five-yard penalty.
Perhaps the most notable change is the targeting one, as few things in college football draw more scrutiny and ire from fans, coaches and even broadcasters than the flag that leads to a 15-yard penalty and the automatic ejection of the infringing player.

There may not be a single penalty that can more drastically alter the outcome of a game, as all it takes is one star player to be ejected for it in the early going to leave a team fighting an uphill battle.
so nothing about unlimited transfers and no cap on NIL money then
 
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Agreed. Over the years, I've seen numerous, rather obvious, holding situations that do not get called. I always wonder, if I can see the holding on TV, why is it the official who is right there on the field cannot?
I have never been a football referee but have refereed state soccer tournaments for High school boys and girls, I can tell you it is way easier to see things on TV than in real life. You get to see angles that I can't from slightly above or from straight on. I generally don't get those views. I'm usually off to the side, and just like in football the players on the soccer field know where the Referee is going to be so they can hide their actions.
 
Agreed. Over the years, I've seen numerous, rather obvious, holding situations that do not get called. I always wonder, if I can see the holding on TV, why is it the official who is right there on the field cannot?
When considering the size and speed of the players, and the fact that there are 22 of them on the field at a time flying around, I think it is astonishing how many calls these refs make correctly. It's frustrating when they miss some, but I'm afraid it's an inevitable part of the game.
 
When considering the size and speed of the players, and the fact that there are 22 of them on the field at a time flying around, I think it is astonishing how many calls these refs make correctly. It's frustrating when they miss some, but I'm afraid it's an inevitable part of the game.
Butt each official has a certain area they watch, not the whole field. There is an official that watches only the line. Another watches only the backfield. Another official on the sideline and so on.
 
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Butt each official has a certain area they watch, not the whole field. There is an official that watches only the line. Another watches only the backfield. Another official on the sideline and so on.
Line of sight is your answer to most of it. Also speaking as a soccer official the far side of the field with 3 defenders blocking your view can make offside calls tricky unless they are blatantly obvious. Now double the number of players with everyone grabbing and try to discern who's holding who. Welcome to the on field view. Not as easy as a sky cam or press box angle.
 
I have never been a football referee but have refereed state soccer tournaments for High school boys and girls, I can tell you it is way easier to see things on TV than in real life. You get to see angles that I can't from slightly above or from straight on. I generally don't get those views. I'm usually off to the side, and just like in football the players on the soccer field know where the Referee is going to be so they can hide their actions.

So let's make more rules for them to miss or screw up?
 
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I have never been a football referee but have refereed state soccer tournaments for High school boys and girls, I can tell you it is way easier to see things on TV than in real life. You get to see angles that I can't from slightly above or from straight on. I generally don't get those views. I'm usually off to the side, and just like in football the players on the soccer field know where the Referee is going to be so they can hide their actions.

As a soccer coach, thank you for being an official!
 
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