'Consensus' is that games must be shortened

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

From ESPN:

Perhaps it was fitting that the first college football game of 2016, between Cal and Hawaii, lasted nearly four hours.

It was a harbinger of the coming season, in which the average game time was the longest in college football history: 3 hours, 24 minutes. That was much too long for a number of people.

"I would like to see shorter games," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said.

Scott is not alone. He is among a number of conference commissioners and head coaches who told ESPN they believe games have become too long. The biggest challenge, however, is determining how to shorten the games.

"Fundamentally, we have to have that conversation," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. "We need a bit more consistency [on length of games]. There are a lot of ideas that merit discussion, such as [shortening] halftime, but I think we should be careful with that."

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...s-seek-shorter-games-record-average-game-2016

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

In just four seasons, the average length of games increased seven minutes, from 3:17 in 2013 to 3:24 this season. This has occurred even though the number of plays have remained virtually the same: 143 plays per game in 2013, 142.6 plays per game in 2016.

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

Mods, please do your jobs and get rid of this thread!! It's not about Fleck!!

 

[arborlax]

Easily shorten games by a minute maybe two by keeping the clock running after first downs. Always thought that was a useless rule

 

[Some guy]

Easily shorten games by a minute maybe two by keeping the clock running after first downs. Always thought that was a useless rule

I think they will do this

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Mods, please do your jobs and get rid of this thread!! It's not about Fleck!!

When I clicked on it I thought it was going to be about Fleck and Western Michigan being 5th in the country in time of possession.

 

[BilldGopher]

Aren't the replays the main source of the additional 7 minutes?

 

[Iceland12]

Aren't the replays the main source of the additional 7 minutes?

Gotta agree, that and commercial breaks. Here is the list from the link.

These were some of the most common suggestions on how to shorten the games: a running clock on first downs (until the final two or five minutes of each half); shortening halftime; limiting the number of replays; reducing the number of timeouts; a shorter play clock; changing in-game substitution rules; and limiting the number of commercial breaks.

 

[Panthadad2]

In just four seasons, the average length of games increased seven minutes, from 3:17 in 2013 to 3:24 this season. This has occurred even though the number of plays have remained virtually the same: 143 plays per game in 2013, 142.6 plays per game in 2016.

It's gotta be the unlimited automatic replay reviews that are driving up the time. The number of replays in some games are excruciatingly high; especially with passing teams (catch or no catch? caught in or out of bounds? targeting receivers or not targeting?). Go to the NFL rules with limited challenges and games will speed up.

 

[Panthadad2]

Easily shorten games by a minute maybe two by keeping the clock running after first downs. Always thought that was a useless rule

Mason would have won a few more games back then if not for that rule (e.g. Purdue driving the length of the field with 19 seconds and no time outs, etc.).

 

[Some guy]

It's gotta be the unlimited automatic replay reviews that are driving up the time. The number of replays in some games are excruciatingly high; especially with passing teams (catch or no catch? caught in or out of bounds? targeting receivers or not targeting?). Go to the NFL rules with limited challenges and games will speed up.

How are you going to eject critical players for accidental plays without unlimited replay

 

[highwayman]

Gotta agree, that and commercial breaks. Here is the list from the link.

These were some of the most common suggestions on how to shorten the games: a running clock on first downs (until the final two or five minutes of each half); shortening halftime; limiting the number of replays; reducing the number of timeouts; a shorter play clock; changing in-game substitution rules; and limiting the number of commercial breaks.

Not in favor of "limiting number of replays" if the refs get so many plays wrong. However, three replays on an extra point are too many...

I like the running clock on first downs until 5 minutes each half.

 

[BradDad]

Easily shorten games by a minute maybe two by keeping the clock running after first downs. Always thought that was a useless rule

And take more plays away from the fans? NO!!!

There are two reasons for games taking longer: Replay (there are replays in every game, and they take time), and TV wanting to sell product.

Every time you see a "games are too long" complaint, it comes down to "TV is complaining that games aren't fitting neatly into their TV schedules."

College football already treats the people in the stadium like a studio audience - they get to sit around for far too long already, watching nothing happen, while TV shows replays, more commercials, "entertainment" halftime shows, etc.

Anyone who has season tickets for any length of time will eventually come to hate that guy who stands at the 20 yard line during TV timeouts, holding up the world until TV is ready for the game to resume - the world stops while we all wait for "Mr. Red Hat" to get off the d*mn field!!!!

Leave the rules alone. You want shorter games, stop stuffing extraneous stuff which isn't football into the "broadcast window."

 

[Taji34]

Don't shorten halftime just to keep commerical break lengths. Its always been the same length as far as I know, and is not the cause of game lengths being too long. They had halftime in the '80s, were the games as long g as they are now? What about the '70s?

There is a commercial break almost every change of possession, it's rediculous.

 

[Iceland12]

Not in favor of "limiting number of replays" if the refs get so many plays wrong. However, three replays on an extra point are too many...

I like the running clock on first downs until 5 minutes each half.

I'd sure like to see a strict limit on the time a review can take. If they've got to review it like the Zapruder Film then just let it stand and move on. If it's an obvious mistake change it.

That should take 8-10 minutes out of the game easily.