CSNbbs

Heard it mentioned that College games are about 14 minutes longer than NFL games. I would guess the fact the clock stops on 1st downs is the biggest factor?

That is the main reason, but NCAA halftime is 20 minutes compare to NFL's 12 minutes plus every NCAA play is under review.

Pat: completely forgot to take halftime length into account.

If it wasn't for the fact that college teams run the ball more often it would be a lot worse.

(04-22-2021 08:07 PM)Renandpat Wrote: [ -> ]That is the main reason, but NCAA halftime is 20 minutes compare to NFL's 12 minutes plus every NCAA play is under review.

It's just a hunch, but I would imagine that the review process actually shortens college games relative to NFL games. On paper, it would seem that with every play subject to review that college games would spend more time under review, but my seat of the pants viewing feeling is that the opposite is true.

This is because the college system, with booth initiated review **, means reviews tend to occur smoothly. Whereas in the NFL, the coach-initiated stuff, with the red flag being thrown and then the refs consulting with the coach then announcing the review and then going under the hood ... it just all seems much clunkier and time consuming.

So I would bet that more overall time is spent reviewing NFL plays than college plays, even if more college plays are reviewed.

I wish the NFL would adopt the college review system.

** yeah, I know college coaches can initiate one review per game, but it's just one, and because they have to take a TO to use it, it effectively gets folded in to "time out" time.

Reduce halftime to 15 mins. Less time for the bands, but start promptly!

Bands are worth the longer games.

4-hour games are fine by me. We only get 13 Saturdays a year. Make the most of them.

(04-22-2021 08:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-22-2021 08:07 PM)Renandpat Wrote: [ -> ]That is the main reason, but NCAA halftime is 20 minutes compare to NFL's 12 minutes plus every NCAA play is under review.

It's just a hunch, but I would imagine that the review process actually shortens college games relative to NFL games. On paper, it would seem that with every play subject to review that college games would spend more time under review, but my seat of the pants viewing feeling is that the opposite is true.

This is because the college system, with booth initiated review **, means reviews tend to occur smoothly. Whereas in the NFL, the coach-initiated stuff, with the red flag being thrown and then the refs consulting with the coach then announcing the review and then going under the hood ... it just all seems much clunkier and time consuming.

So I would bet that more overall time is spent reviewing NFL plays than college plays, even if more college plays are reviewed.

I wish the NFL would adopt the college review system.

** yeah, I know college coaches can initiate one review per game, but it's just one, and because they have to take a TO to use it, it effectively gets folded in to "time out" time.

You and me both. I also wish the NFL would adopt some kind of rule where any regular season game has to end with a winner, especially now since there's a seventeenth game. It doesn't have to be the College rule. Just something to ensure regular season games don't end in a tie. Please, NFL? (But hey, I guess that's wishful thinking on my part.)

College games are too long--- clock stoppage on down change needs to go.If you have to travel far, have a family, or are getting up in years it is a problem. Two to three hours is my limit. Notice attendance trends-- just another reason for people to stay home. I also see several college students leave at the half. Guess I'm just getting too old.

(04-22-2021 10:35 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote: [ -> ]College games are too long--- clock stoppage on down change needs to go.If you have to travel far, have a family, or are getting up in years it is a problem. Two to three hours is my limit. Notice attendance trends-- just another reason for people to stay home. I also see several college students leave at the half. Guess I'm just getting too old.

If someone was worried that NOT stopping the clock after first down changes the dynamics of the end of the game, they could keep on stopping it after the two minute warning and it would still give most of the benefit of getting CFB games shorter than NFL games.

(04-22-2021 10:35 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote: [ -> ]College games are too long--- clock stoppage on down change needs to go.

The game clock needs to stop much less often than it does now. Here's what they should (but won't) do:

* Keep the current game clock rules only for the last two minutes of each half.

For all of the rest of the game,

* The game clock doesn't stop for first downs.
* On incomplete passes, the game clock stops when the ball hits the ground and starts again as soon as the official places the ball on the ground at the line of scrimmage.
* On plays where the ball carrier goes out of bounds, the game clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds and starts again as soon as the official places the ball on the ground at the new line of scrimmage.
* When a penalty is called, the game clock stops on the official's signal to mark off the penalty, and starts again as soon as the official places the ball on the ground at the new line of scrimmage.
* When a play is reviewed by replay, the game clock stops on the official's signal that the play is being reviewed, and starts again as soon as the official places the ball on the ground at the line of scrimmage after the replay review.
* When play is stopped because of an injured player on the field, the game clock stops on the official's signal, the injured player leaves the field and cannot return for at least the next 5 minutes of game clock time, and the game clock starts again as soon as the official places the ball on the ground at the line of scrimmage.

Officials will be graded in part on how quickly they put the ball down at the line of scrimmage and start the clock after any of these clock stoppages.

Also, instead of each team getting three timeouts per half, each team gets four timeouts for the entire game.

A running clock on 1st downs would be huge for the triple option teams. When it works it is a thing of beauty and there would be no stopping them if the clock keeps rolling.

(04-22-2021 09:25 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote: [ -> ]Bands are worth the longer games.

4-hour games are fine by me. We only get 13 Saturdays a year. Make the most of them.

Bingo. Setting this FCS spring aside, we get so little college football as it is. It has been 100 days since Alabama beat Ohio State. It is still more than 4 months until the 2021 season kicks off.

Another point about halftime length. As all of us who've been to games know, the longer halftime often *still* isn't enough time to get in line for the washroom, wait, then get in line for beverages, wait, then get back to your seat. The shorter the halftime, the more gametime we miss.

(04-23-2021 04:16 AM)quo vadis Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-22-2021 09:25 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote: [ -> ]Bands are worth the longer games.

4-hour games are fine by me. We only get 13 Saturdays a year. Make the most of them.

Bingo. Setting this FCS spring aside, we get so little college football as it is. It has been 100 days since Alabama beat Ohio State. It is still more than 4 months until the 2021 season kicks off.

(04-23-2021 08:22 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote: [ -> ]Another point about halftime length. As all of us who've been to games know, the longer halftime often *still* isn't enough time to get in line for the washroom, wait, then get in line for beverages, wait, then get back to your seat. The shorter the halftime, the more gametime we miss.

We should leave college halftime alone. We need to keep the clock running on 1st downs instead of stopping it. Seems like timeouts are longer in college vs NFL. I have been to both games. If you want to see faster college football, The TV networks have to agree to shorten the TV timeouts. I have went to non TV, no internet football games. The games move so much better, very few cameras for replay angles.

15 minute halftime, no stoppage of time for first down, and shorter commercial breaks. Games are getting too long and they are losing the interest of the younger fans. That will come back to haunt college football in the future.

Spread offenses with more incomplete passes. A&M beat auburn this year by mainly running the ball. Game lasted 2:45.

(04-22-2021 09:25 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote: [ -> ]Bands are worth the longer games.

4-hour games are fine by me. We only get 13 Saturdays a year. Make the most of them.

Amen.

Wedge has got it EXACTLY right!!