2006 NCAA Rules Book posted on-line

[Texas Aggie]

Regardless of how many games played under their rules, the NCAA's interest in non-NCAA games is and probably should be minimal. I agree they should pay some attention to weird things that happen at lower levels, and be willing to listen to suggestions, but their interest is college football. If Texas and Mass schools want to go along for the ride, fine. But what UIL and the Mass. state association can do if they want a change is simple: adopt an exception. Last year, Texas had 33 exceptions covering everything from tee usage on place kicks and goal post size to timing and fighting regulations. It isn't that difficult for Texas to say goalposts will be 23+ feet instead of 18+. Its even less difficult to say quarter times are 12 instead of 15.

I know basketball coaches all over Texas that hate the basketball free throw lane restriction rule (can't move before ball hits rim), but they play by it (or are supposed to). There are other examples of states that don't like a mandated Fed rule. To me, Texas shouldn't complain in the least since if they used Fed, they'd have a much more limited autonomy to adjust the rules or risk not having any say in that. This way the NCAA doesn't care in the least what Texas does to their rules.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've heard, the majority of complaints on the new timing rules, as far as the coaches are concerned, deal with starting the clock on the RFP after a punt, for example. How hard can it be for Texas to put in a rule exception for that? In sub-varsity, especially below JV, we are very unregimented about timing, especially on starting the clock on RFP when we should start it on the snap. Nobody knows the difference and the games get over in a reasonable time.

[TXMike]

Chances are that even if the NCAA gets the train back on the tracks such that next year's process is more efficient than this year's (and whether or not UIL is in the room next year), there will be UIL exceptions on the timing rules. There will be a good body of evidence gathered this year which can accurately forecast the number of plays and how long the games will last were UIL to adopt all the timing changes. Once UIL and THSCA see that, I have no doubt they will go along with an exception to the timing changes.