Change is in the Air for Upcoming 2008 College Football Season

A great deal of conversation has taken place around water coolers and at local pubs regarding the changes slated for the upcoming college football season. The topic that has gained the most attention is the new 40-second play clock. The reason for implementing the new play clock is two-fold:

1. It will speed-up games
2. It will ensure consistency as to how quickly the ball is ready to be put in play after the completion of another play

Ron Zook, Illinois Head Coach, says "It will help from stadium to stadium and you better be ready to run plays. No doubt, offenses that play at a quicker pace will have an advantage." Time will tell; but you have to believe Coach Zook knows what he's talking about.

The old 25-second play clock started as soon as an official gave the "ready" sign after the ball had been spotted. Under the new rules, the play clock will be set at 40 seconds after the ball is dead and started immediately. The change is not that simple; however, not exactly. In the last two minutes of each half the play clock will start when the ball is snapped. The reason cited for this is to allow offenses to maximize use of the clock and to enable teams to get more plays off.

No more "Showboating" - no longer can we watch the cornerback dance his way down the sideline - high-stepping, exuding his enthusiasm as he approaches the end zone. Nope, showboating is out - sportsmanship is making a comeback … or at least, that is the hope. Truth be told, the cornerback (or any other player) can do the "Irish Jig" down the field if they want to. If they do, however, they will pay for it with a 15-yard penalty. College football officials reportedly feel the 15-yard penalty is steep enough to keep players from strutting their stuff.

In addition, more emphasis will be placed on safety this fall; who can argue with keeping the players safe? Some do argue, however, that the new safety rules will force officials to add even more to their already full plates - now, they'll be asked to scrutinize and monitor hard hits. While safety, in general, will be more in the spotlight, plays like the horse-collar tackle and a defender that uses the crown of his helmet for contact will both be policed closely.

Here is a list of a few other rules you can look for this fall:

- All face mask penalties will now be 15 yards. In the past, an official could determine if the penalty would be five or fifteen yards.

- Officials now can whistle a penalty without any previous warning; teams will no longer be given sideline warnings to stay in their places.

- The types of plays replay officials may review has been expanded to include; some field-goal attempts, circumstances where a player is ruled "down" and a loose ball is immediately recovered; instances when a player is ruled out of bounds and then carries the ball immediately across the goal line. Head coaches also will now retain a challenge if their first challenge was successful.

- Video or audio recording attempts (by any means) of signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is strictly prohibited.

A wise man once said "The only constant is change". We humans are a very adaptable lot. A few games into the season, all of these new rules will seem like no big deal. So, fire up the grills, get ready to toss on the "brats' and enjoy the season ... it's just around the corner.

---