NCAA clock stop after first down?
 

Hello

I always wanted to know. Why in college does the clock stop after every new first down?

And all new rules to speed up the game. Why not start with that?

Thanks

It was instituted in 1970 because it was thought to be unfair to have time coming off the clock with team A ready to snap but waiting for the chain to be set. It did lengthen games and increase scoring.

Robert

We dumped this rule 2 years ago in Canadian amateur football.

It was a good change.

Yes, that would be a easy solution to the problem. Much better than starting the clock when the ball is free kicked or on the RFP after B gets the ball as was the rule for a year. But I believe that the NCAA does not want to become too much like the NFL and therefore does not adopt the NFL way of not stopping the clock.

If there was a way to keep the clock running on "routine" first downs -- plays where the run or pass gets the first down by, say, less than 7 yards, then that would be a big help. Most of these the clock doesn't need to stop because when I wind it, I'm usually not waiting on the chains. Its long play first downs that the clock needs to stop for. No choice but to wait there.

The NCAA took a step in the right direction by starting it on the ready when the ball goes out of bounds. I wish they'd do the same for incomplete passes. I also wish Texas would go with these clock rules for HS, as we have some JV games that go 2 and a half hours because we have 2 teams that pass and don't play defense.

A strange feature of the rule when it was first adopted (I don't know whether this feature was modified since) was that it specifically referenced the readying of the marker indicating line-to-gain, rather than the readying of the ball for play when a new series was awarded to A, and the rule on the responsibilities of officials did not specify that that marker had to be in place for the ball to be ready for play.

Also, the excuse given for this provision doesn't even exist when it becomes goal-to-go, but the clock stoppage is enforced nonetheless because that was not written as an exception.

Robert

I can see a lot of wasted time if the chain crew is composed of slow, overweight oldtimers as often seen.

I'd rather see the clock start on the RFP after a COP as was done prior to about 10 yrs ago.

What do you mean 10 years ago? What about last year? :D

Peace

I'm referring to FED ball.

Not at the NCAA (collegiate) level. You better be in decent shape or you will not be working the chains for very long.
Maybe at the MA or TX high school level you will find this, but that's not a concern at least for me, since I'm not in either of those states.