College clock rules

[Robert Goodman]

My own preference would simplify the timing rules enormously, but they'd also eliminate the clock tactics that've grown up in the game to be either loved or hated over the years.

With few exceptions, I'd have the clock run whenever the ball was in play or ready for play (starting even with the opening whistle), and be stopped otherwise. One exception would be the try, which would remain untimed -- although my preference would be to eliminate the try entirely. Another exception would be that any repeated down (or automatic first down) would be untimed, including its RFP interval. The third exception would be that time would not count during, and until the ball was put in play following, a team time-out. The fourth, rare, exception would be that time would count during administration of a penalty (and the remainder of the dead ball interval) for delay of game or USC in cases where the foul was an effort to conserve time.

A disadvantage of my rules would be their requiring more starts & stops of the clock than any other rules in use, increasing the chances of error. An advantage of my rules is that they'd eliminate consumption or conservation of time by fouling. The further elimination of clock tactics -- making the clock stop & start the same regardless of how it became dead, mostly -- can be viewed as either an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your view of the game.

Robert