From today's Wall Street Journal:

"The difference between the college and NFL games becomes obvious when they’re on television against each other. Thursday’s college game between Cincinnati and Memphis started at 7:32 p.m. ET and ended at 11:39 p.m. ET. That was six minutes before the end of Giants vs. Redskins—a game that had kicked off almost an hour later."

I'd have to agree that, Thursday's outcome aside, college football games are too long, and it's because they stop the clock after every first down.

I mean, Memphis scored 56 points while punting 6 times.

Now that offenses are throwing the football so much, why not just keep the clock running, like in the NFL?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rise-of-...1443468601

Oh, and how cool is it to make it into the Journal?

(09-29-2015 11:02 AM)bubbapt Wrote:  From today's Wall Street Journal:

"The difference between the college and NFL games becomes obvious when they’re on television against each other. Thursday’s college game between Cincinnati and Memphis started at 7:32 p.m. ET and ended at 11:39 p.m. ET. That was six minutes before the end of Giants vs. Redskins—a game that had kicked off almost an hour later."

I'd have to agree that, Thursday's outcome aside, college football games are too long, and it's because they stop the clock after every first down.

I mean, Memphis scored 56 points while punting 6 times.

Now that offenses are throwing the football so much, why not just keep the clock running, like in the NFL?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rise-of-...1443468601

Stopping the clock has very little to do with it in my opinion. It's the fact that games are becoming high scoring which means less time is taken off the clock. There are more penalties and reviews which takes time. Injuries play a big part in the length of a game.

College games were less than 4 hours for the longest time even with the clock stopping on first down.

The worst part is that TV hasn't caught up and still schedules games in 3 hour blocks, basically meaning every game will bleed over to the next.

The same for CBB, the networks schedule in 2 hr blocks and most games go about 2:15.

But the ending of an FBS football game is never as important as a MLB PRE_GAME show!

The game last week, while fun, took freakin forever. They need to do something about it. Modifying the clock rule for first downs will help, but more needs to be done. A couple of the wives in our group (who aren't major fans) have stopped coming into the games because the games are too long. They'll tailgate prior to, then leave.

(09-29-2015 11:13 AM)ksigtigerdood Wrote:  The game last week, while fun, took freakin forever. They need to do something about it. Modifying the clock rule for first downs will help, but more needs to be done. A couple of the wives in our group (who aren't major fans) have stopped coming into the games because the games are too long. They'll tailgate prior to, then leave.

You say it like it's a bad thing...

how much of that extended game length is connected to the sheer volume of commercials we have to sit through for college games? the media breaks Thursday night were at least 4-5 minutes each. they changed the clock rules around 8 years ago to speed up the games but tv responded by increasing the length and number of breaks, jacking the length right back and beyond where it used to be. throw in interminable officals reviews (at least 10-15 minutes per game wasted on that) and you have what we have now.

The Navy game will be 3 hours.

Reviews are responsible for a lot of the extended game times in all sports.

(09-29-2015 11:51 AM)RCM1029 Wrote:  Reviews are responsible for a lot of the extended game times in all sports.

I agree to an extent, but the NFL seems to have that covered.

(09-29-2015 11:21 AM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 11:13 AM)ksigtigerdood Wrote:  The game last week, while fun, took freakin forever. They need to do something about it. Modifying the clock rule for first downs will help, but more needs to be done. A couple of the wives in our group (who aren't major fans) have stopped coming into the games because the games are too long. They'll tailgate prior to, then leave.

You say it like it's a bad thing...

In terms of attendance numbers and the quality of our livers, it can be a bad thing. Other than that, it's all good.

If there are an average of 40 total first downs a game that require brief clock stoppages before resetting the chains...those are about 15 seconds each. So that only adds about 10 minutes a game.

As far as the Cincy game goes, don't forget the long stoppage for Kiel's injury.

70 first downs in the Memphis - Cincy game. That'll add up. But, yes... the injury did stop the game for a while.

(09-29-2015 11:44 AM)tigerjeb Wrote:  how much of that extended game length is connected to the sheer volume of commercials we have to sit through for college games? the media breaks Thursday night were at least 4-5 minutes each. they changed the clock rules around 8 years ago to speed up the games but tv responded by increasing the length and number of breaks, jacking the length right back and beyond where it used to be. throw in interminable officals reviews (at least 10-15 minutes per game wasted on that) and you have what we have now.

way too many commercials. and if you are at the game those breaks seem to take forever.

(09-29-2015 12:09 PM)Mimi Wrote:  If there are an average of 40 total first downs a game that require brief clock stoppages before resetting the chains...those are about 15 seconds each. So that only adds about 10 minutes a game.

Thats 10 minutes of game time. You have to multiply it by three to get the actual time saved, which would be about 30 minutes.

Injuries probably caused an additioanl 30 minutes last Thursday. Besides Kiel there were a lof of folks going down.

Like many have said, it does not matter what the game does to speed itself up, the networks will simply respond by adding more commercials...

(09-29-2015 12:31 PM)bubbapt Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 12:09 PM)Mimi Wrote:  If there are an average of 40 total first downs a game that require brief clock stoppages before resetting the chains...those are about 15 seconds each. So that only adds about 10 minutes a game.

Thats 10 minutes of game time. You have to multiply it by three to get the actual time saved, which would be about 30 minutes.

I suck at math, so please excuse this question: why do you have to multiply it by three?

(09-29-2015 12:37 PM)RCM1029 Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 12:31 PM)bubbapt Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 12:09 PM)Mimi Wrote:  If there are an average of 40 total first downs a game that require brief clock stoppages before resetting the chains...those are about 15 seconds each. So that only adds about 10 minutes a game.

Thats 10 minutes of game time. You have to multiply it by three to get the actual time saved, which would be about 30 minutes.

I suck at math, so please excuse this question: why do you have to multiply it by three?

An NFL game lasts for 60 minutes of game time, but three hours of actual time. If you are stopping the clock when you could be running it, you not only add ten minutes of game time, but also more stoppages, commercials, replays, and all the things that make a football game last three times as long as the game clock shows.