Rules committee
 

I agree with what has been said, and Mark May really showed his ignorance tonight.

The part that really gets me is some of the guys o ESPN Radio have mentioned that it is the rule -- a dumb rule -- but a rule nonetheless. Then they talk about the Rules Committee as if it's a group of officials making up the rules.

I don't know the exact make-up of the rules committee, but I know there are plenty of coaches on the committee, and they have the most say. Rules are written by what the coaches want. I'd be surprised if there are any officials on there.

This would not change anything because these people think like fans. And Mark May even tried to suggest that this was a "Pac-10 crew" as to suggest that they went against the home team. Fans are almost never rational because they have never had to make decisions based on rules and interpretations given by the higher ups.

Peace

At the NCAA level, all Rules Committees are made up of only coaches or people affiliated with the schools unless Roger Redding has an officiating background. Redding’s membership is considered in affiliation of the SEC.

Basically, coaches make decisions on rules every year. Officials do not play a significant role at all on these committees. And that is why you get these rules written without consideration of other factors and the officials get the blame when they are enforced as written. This is not just a problem in football; it is the case in other NCAA sports as well.

Peace

I was at the game and knew instantly that there would be a flag. The ball went 30-40 feet in th air. When Locker threw it he had enough time to high five, chest bump, and attempt another high five before the ball came back down and hit him.

Seriously, the throw was high enough it gets called 100 times out of 100. Locker as a team leader needs to know this stuff and not commit the infraction.

Exactly. That is completely clear on the video.

I mentally counted approximately 3, maybe 4 seconds, between the release and when it hit him in the head. 3 seconds equates to 36 feet. 4 seconds, 64 feet. Even it my count was fast and it was really only 2 seconds, it would have been 16 feet above his head. If that is not high, I don't know what is. Simply put, Locker was guilty of an act that drew the flag. Whether or not you like the fact that the official called it, Locker unnecessarily took that risk by throwing the ball.

And even more interesting was the fact that the PAT was blocked, not missed. It's not like the extra distance is what made the block possible. Kicking from the 35 is a pretty basic FG distance. The PAT would have been blocked even in absence of the penalty. So, the penalty is essentially irrelvant.

Camron,

I see your formula: 4•t², but how did derive that formula? My physics days are more behind me than I thought, or it truly is 7am on Sunday morning...

To the OP: good call. The officials hands were tied! As for the rule, I don't care either way.

Game Management.

Mark May
 

Did you hear him say the official probably cost Ty Willingham his job. How about working on your kicking game and having control of your players so these penalties don't happen. The official didn't throw the ball up in the air. Which Mark May says "HE DIDN"T THROW IT THAT HIGH" The guy is a IDIOT!!!!!

This whole ESPN mess is just a very small example of what's wrong in our country today. Some old bag spills a cup of coffee between her legs and it's McDonald's fault for making hot coffee. This kid commits a foul and it's the officials fault for costing the head coach his job. Someone step up and say the kid screwed up and we'll be on our way to a better world.

This was a no-brainer USC, and thus, call. Truthfully, anyone suggesting otherwise is being either ignorant or foolish. Besides, if a college kicker can't keep a game tying kick from being blocked, that's their problem. If he makes it, we don't hear about this at all.

There is such little respect for authority anymore.

My calculation is based on the fact that at the peak, the velocity of the ball is 0 and that, for these distances/speeds, it takes essentially half the time to go up and half the time to go do down.

http://image.ajdesigner.com/projecti...t_equation.png

I use the following:

v<SUB>y0</SUB> = 0...velocity at the peak of the throw
g = 32.2 (gravity at sea level)
t = 1, 1.5, and 2 (half of the observed time estimates, T)

So, the equation simplifes to 16.1 * t² (fall time) or 4.025 * T² (total time),

Someone could pull out a stopwatch and time it exactly if they wish and calculate it to the exact inch if they want.

Problem is the PAC-10 referee used opposite langauge, saying that it is not a judgment call, that they have to flag it by rule. They just weren't on the same page.

I believe this was a foul and do not question that Just trying to be straight on the math. Wouldn't the ball go up faster than it comes down, i.e. it would have to be moving faster than gravity in order to continue upwards?
Therefore, shouldn't the equation take that into account?

I do not know what the McDonald's coffee situation has to do with this situation. That situation was about injuries caused by the temperature of the coffee which were determined to be excessive. That had nothing to with just dropping the coffee in a person's lap. The lady that dropped the coffee had 2nd and 3rd degree burns as a result. It had almost nothing to do with simply dropping the coffee. This situation is about violating a clear rule. It is not against the law to drop a cup of coffee.

Peace