North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: What's New for Football in 2006
7/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 25, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - ACC Commissioner John Swofford detailed some of the many changes - some instituted by the NCAA, some by the league - that will be in effect this coming season at his annual ACC Football Forum Tuesday morning at the conclusion of the 2006 ACC Football Kickoff.
The NCAA has taken measures to reduce the length of games, all primarily dealing with when the clock starts following dead-ball situations. Previously, the clock started on the snap of the ball.
Now, however, whenever a team takes possession, following punts, kickoffs and other change of possessions, the clock will start when the umpire places the ball in play and winds his arm. Tommy Hunt, the ACC's coordinator of football officials, says the new rules will put a greater emphasis for coaches on clock management, especially in end-of-game situations.
Hunt said the rules changes are expected to shave about five minutes off the average game time. Last year, games involving ACC schools averaged about 3:20 per game, according to league officials.
"The NCAA made these changes to help speed up the game," Hunt said. "We estimate that there will be about 10 to 12 fewer plays per game because of these changes, which means about five minutes in real time."
Swofford applauded the changes and the time they will save.
"People think the length of the game is determined by the fact the games are on television," Swofford said. "It really comes down to the rules of the game itself. I think we need to always keep our eyes on anything that we can do to manage the length of the game."
Hunt also detailed the ACC's coaches replay challenge. In every game played by an ACC school, each coach will have one challenge per game. In order to challenge a play, a coach must tell a sideline official before the next snap. If the reviewed play is overturned, the team is not charged with a timeout. If it is upheld, the team is charged a timeout.
For the second consecutive year, the ACC will use a replay team in the press box to monitor all plays and overrule any mistakes made by the on-field officials on reviewable plays, which include plays governed by the sidelines and end lines, pass plays, fumbles, etc.
Swofford also revealed a significant change in the order in which the ACC's eight contracted bowls will extend their invitations.
After the BCS takes the ACC Champion and any potential at-large teams, the order will go in this order: Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, the Toyota Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and the Champps Sports Bowl in Orlando. The next tier of bowls - the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte and the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco - will come to an agreement about which teams they will select.
The MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho, has the eighth pick among the ACC schools.
The most significant change this year is that the league has now mandated that each bowl must select a team within one game in the conference standings, an adjustment made after two 6-5 teams, NC State and Virginia, were selected ahead of teams that had better records in conference play, Boston College and Georgia Tech.
That rule had previously been in effect only for the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, but is now instituted for all seven non-BCS bowls.
Another change is that the loser of the ACC Championship game can fall no lower than the Music City Bowl in Nashville, which currently has the fourth pick outside the BCS.
NC State graduate Dr. Jerry Punch, a college football and racing analyst for ABC and ESPN, presented the ACC with the trophy for sharing the fourth-annual Bowl Challenge Cup competition with the Big 12. Those two leagues each recorded a 5-3 record in post-season bowl games last year.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
