Pete Carroll spent a moment with Oregon coach Mike Bellotti on Thursday to find out the status of the Pac-10 coaches protest of a new rule for this season. The coaches object that on a change of possession, the clock will now start when the official signals, not when the ball is snapped.
The rule is expected to shorten games by 10-12 minutes and coaches object that it could knock 10-12 plays out of a game. It also means that if a team takes over possession with 24 seconds left in a game, it would not need to even snap the ball.
Every Pac-10 coach opposed the rule change.
“We signed a petition and sent it off, Bellotti said.
Said Carroll: “When you might throw 38 times in a game, now it be only 32. Its a sad situation when there is such across the board disappointment by the coaches and the rule still gets changed.