Rule 1, The Forgotten Rule

[TxJim]

Over the bowls, I've seen a number of occations where the officials fail (or choose not) to enforce NCAA Rule 1. Mostly, Ive see towels of non-regulation size, or on ineliglble players or on too many players simultaneously.

If you get a chance to re-watch the Ohio State vs Michigan game from November, see if you can catch all the towels on Ohio State at any one time.

Now comes tonight.

If you are watching he Sugar Bowl, how many different socks have you seen Notre Dame wearing? Ive seen at least three on the field at the same time.

Failure to wear mandatory equipment from the NCAA rulebook page FR-31:
"Rule 1-1-4-h All squad members must wear visible socks or leg coverings that are identical in color, design and length (Exceptions: Unaltered knee braces, tape or a bandage to protect or prevent an injury, and barefoot kickers)"

"If a player is not wearing mandatory equipment in compliance in all
respects with Rule 1-4-4, the team shall be charged a timeout and the player shall not be permitted to play until he complies."

Some may think this is petty to bring up. but its in the rulebook for a reason. Its not our option to enforce the rules as we choose, but it sure seems to me Rule 1 is a rule that sure seems mostly forgotten by many officials.