NCAA Proposes Rule Changes That Could Affect USC Offense

Defenses would get some relief against no-huddle offenses under a proposal from the NCAA Football Rules Committee. The committee recommended a change that allows defensive substitutions within the first 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock. If the offense snaps the ball before the play clock reaches 29 seconds it would be assessed a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty.

“This rules change is being made to enhance student-athlete safety by guaranteeing a small window for both teams to substitute,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. He is chair of the rules committee.

“As the average number of plays per game has increased, this issue has been discussed with greater frequency by the committee in recent years and we felt like it was time to act in the interests of protecting our student-athletes.”

An exception to the proposed rule would be made during the final two minutes of each half.

All of this could affect Steve Sarkisian’s new hurry-up offense at USC.

30 thoughts on “NCAA Proposes Rule Changes That Could Affect USC Offense

  1. Would be a stupid rule. It was put forward by Bret Bielema, who’s team was not only awful, with only 3 wins, but also a few spots from dead last in amount of plays per game.

    This rule would still allow for hurry-up in the last 2 minutes of the game, when teams are the most fatigued, so player safety really isnt the issue they’re trying to resolve.

        • Are you kidding? It’s Mora – based on how Wooden manned up to Sam Gilbert Wooden was never in a fight in his entire life.

          • I never kid about imaginary fights between a living coach and an undead coach.

            Everyone got that this is an undead Wooden we’re talking about right? I mean how else could this fight realistically happen?

            Also with a time machine I guess.

        • Mora would have the lunatic rage advantage but every time he would attack, Wooden would bust out a series of Woodenisms:

          “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”
          “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” “Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.” “I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.” “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” “Consider the rights of others before your own feelings and the feelings of others before your own rights.” “Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

          until Mora’s head explodes.

          Advantage Wooden.

          • Great. Now I’ve got R. Kelly singing “Trapped in the Closet ” Woodenisms stuck in my head.

          • Sounds like David Carradine’s outakes from ‘Kung Fu’ season 0.5…

            “….always stop drinking before you walk through doorway if doorway is really made of glass….”

          • Will Rogers meets Dr. Oz…

            “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming” man that is the classic in circular reasoning – sounds like the idiocy the SEC uses to explain why they’re the best conference “…we’re the best because we win and we win because we’re the best.”

        • if he was forced to fight….i’d take Wooden. have you seen his photo of him at Purdue? bulging calves, intent gaze….he was a chisled mass of steel!
          plus i have more fear of a quiet confident man than the raging big mouth. (no knock on Mora intended).

      • We’re not talking about “the spread” in your everyday context! Wrong message board..

    • They’re effectively implementing a maximum number of plays that can happen because they are forcing you to shave 10 seconds in between plays. Of course, for those watching at home, those delays will include more advertising both for commercials and whatever else the networks feel like promoting.

      I’m sure they will have some statistic about injuries, but coaches already tell their players to fake injuries to calm down the tempo. I’m not sure how this is going to matter. Defenses field players based on who they see in the huddle. Offenses can quickly substitute quickly before they snap and run up to the line. Plus, who is to say defensive coaches will pull a player who is fatigued? If he is the best player for that position – even while tired – they are going to make him stay out there.

  2. Defense will get to sub out but offense can snap at >10s, defense will stay fresher and make it harder for the offense, game will still move fast. We may get to see replays on TV.

  3. In more important news (since this rule WILL NOT be approved) – didn’t see sUcla on this list!!! HAHAHA… ruins got NO respect in any football circles;
    College Football’s Top 20 Best Helmets

    20. Georgia

    [EDITOR’S NOTE: AdBlock must be disabled in order for the slideshow to function properly.]

    College football teams can be defined by their choice of helmet. Following in ESPN’s footsteps of ranking the best NFL helmets, we rank the college game’s top 20 lids. (NOTE: Rankings based on aesthetics, tradition, meaning, originality, and place in college football history, among other factors. No alternate helmets included and FBS teams only.)

    The Bulldogs’ helmet is a perfect example of putting your own spin on something and making it better. The block ‘G’ also is on the helmet of the historic Green Bay Packers. Yes, UGA just stole copied the decal. But Georgia’s red and black gives it a different feel.

    If you look at Georgia’s helmet history, the helmet has stayed pretty much the same throughout the years. The newest version has a white stripe on the top, not exactly a drastic difference from anything before it. Between the hedges, with Uga on the sideline, it wouldn’t seem like Georgia football without that regal lid.

    Photo Credit: Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports

    19. BYU

    The “Y” on the helmets represents one of BYU’s landmarks, “Y Mountain,” which has the large letter looming over the campus. More than anything, though, it’s a representation of BYU football past and present; that’s why the school went back to the future in 2005, scrapping their disastrous new uniforms for a taste of the past.

    Head coach Bronco Mendenhall said it best: “This is about honoring tradition. This is about respect for and accountability to the coaches and players who have made BYU one of the national pillars of college football.” If they went back to the lighter shade of blue and got rid of the ugly helmet stickers, these lids would be even higher.

    Photo Credit: Jake Roth/USA Today Sports

    18. Arkansas

    Let’s be honest, there are certain helmets that fit certain schools. When you see that maniacal boar coming at you off Arkansas’ helmet, it just feels right for the Razorbacks. You think down south, old-time football.

    The school enlarged the decal on the helmet in 1995, no doubt to emphasis what already was awesome. From 1958-63, the Razorbacks did not have the ferocious pig, and the helmets looked like a low-rent version of the Alabama lid with the players’ numbers on the side. The change was for the better.

    Photo Credit: Nelson Chenault/USA Today Sports

    17. Penn State

    If you aren’t a college football fan, you simply don’t get it. (yes, that’s right – we are helmet snobs).

    The Penn State helmet is straightforward and clean. To anyone else, it’s the most boring thing you’ve ever seen. That’s why art is in the eye of the beholder.

    Think about a soldout crowd in Happy Valley waving those white towels as Penn State takes the field with their plain white helmets. It wasn’t always that way. Prior to 1974, Penn State had numbers on the side of the hats. We like it much better this way.

    Photo Credit: Matthew O’Haren/USA Today Sports

    16. Tennessee

    This is the beauty of college football in “Good Old Rocky Top.” The classic orange ‘T’ fits the program perfectly. It’s not as omnipresent as the “The U” in Miami but, for generations of Tennessee fans, it’s a source of pride.

    Of course, the helmet is nothing more than an orange and white popsicle stick . And only in college football could a host of high school athletes hope to one day wear a creamsicle on their heads.

    Photo Credit: Randy Sartin/USA Today Sports

    15. Nebraska

    This isn’t New York City or Los Angeles, it’s the nation’s heartland. And the definition of Nebraska is its proud football program, and that’s how the red, simplistic ‘N’ sits on this white background: prominent and proud.

    Cornhuskers is an appropriate nickname, but how would you depict that on a football helmet? Prior to 1970, a ‘U’ accompanied the ‘N’ on the helmet, but it was removed from all helmets because there weren’t enough of the letters to go around.

    And that’s how the lone ‘N’ emerged as the symbol of Nebraska football, which is also a perfect symbol of life in the heartland: Plain and simple. Some of the greatest works of art come about by accident.

    Photo Credit: Brad Barr/USA Today Sports

    14. Hawaii

    When June Jones arrived in 1999, he decided to modify an already great helmet and it ended in disaster. But a year later, Hawaii got it right.

    The school did a great redesign, making the green helmet a staple for both home and away contests. To be honest, we prefer the silver version. But the green version – the green-on-green, to be more exact – gives you the impression you are on the lush Hawaiian landscape. And really, what’s better than that?

    Photo Credit: Russ Isabella/USA Today Sports

    13. West Virginia

    West Virginia has done a good job of putting a twist on a simple helmet. Not to be confused with the “Flying V” of Mighty Ducks fame, this helmet has a “Flying WV” introduced by Don Nehlen, making each Mountaineer look like he’s motoring around the field.

    It’s a classic in West Virginia, a state in which WVU athletics is king. Of course, Mountaineers fans are known for their rowdiness, but nothing says controlled frenzy like the accentuated WV in a bold yellow against a dark background. It almost makes us want to head to Morgantown and burn some couches. Almost.

    Photo Credit: Rich Barnes/USA Today Sports

    12. Arizona

    Maybe it’s us, but the Arizona football team always looks strange out there. It’s a basketball school, and their uniforms aren’t as identifiable in the college football world.

    The school did a good thing, though, by switching up the helmets for the 2010 season. It went back to the white ones with a blue stripe on one side and a red stripe on the other like the “Desert Swarm” days. It gave the Wildcats a unique look, one which includes the school’s colors and its classic block ‘A.’

    We’re starting to come around on the Wildcats of the gridiron.

    Photo Credit: Russ Isabella/USA Today Sports

    11. Clemson

    Only certain teams can pull off orange. But Clemson is literally the only team who can have the famous paw print, the one which is placed prominently on its helmets.

    The school had to trademark the paw so that other schools could not copy it. Of course, tigers are perhaps the nation’s most popular mascot. Clemson’s white paw has a hook at its bottom so you can tell it’s exclusive to the South Carolina school that introduced it in 1970.

    Aesthetically, it’s beautiful – looking as if a tiger softly dipped its paw on the helmet in white paint.

    Photo Credit: Paul Abell/USA Today Sports

    10. Colorado

    Colorado’s helmet is a dual threat: A good logo with a classic color scheme. The black silhouette of a buffalo is ominous and intimidating and the school’s letters are placed perfectly.

    More than anything, though, it puts Colorado State’s helmet to shame. The in-state rival has a poor man’s version of the St. Louis Rams’ lid. A really, really poor man. And as you know, sometimes you’re as good as who you’re standing next to.

    Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports

    9. LSU

    LSU’s helmet history is actually a bit comical. There have been four revisions over the years and all of them clash a stark yellow and purple. But somehow, it works. In fact, the collision of the two colors is a bit royal, like that guy who wears the odd wardrobe just because he can.

    But in addition to the colors, the school’s abbreviation and a fierce tiger are placed prominently on the helmet, giving this lid all-around appeal. We’d wear this in Death Valley any Saturday in the fall.

    Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/USA Today Sports

    8. Florida State

    The tomahawk chop chant is annoying, but the spear’s presence on Florida State’s helmets is just right. The gold helmet with garnet and white spear was introduced in Bobby Bowden’s first year as coach in 1976. Bowden has retired, but the helmet looks like it will last forever.

    And why not? Forget FSU’s two national titles under the reign – both the helmet’s and Bowden’s – the thing has everything you want in a college football lid. It’s spear is large and distinct enough to pop off the helmet, letting you know it’s there. And the tomahawk helmet stickers make it even more intimidating.

    Photo Credit: Melina Vastola/USA Today Sports

    7. Ohio State

    You’re probably expecting a memorabilia joke here, but we’re above that. This list is for college football purists, ones who love talking helmets, not selling them.

    The Buckeyes have a unique lid, one which has stickers with Buckeye tree leaves on them, given to players for big plays and consistency on the field. They’ve got a cool look to them, too, thanks to an infusion of glitter. Each sticker earned by a player gives him a tangible reward for his solid play.

    But they’re only given out if the team wins the game. No word on what happens if the Buckeyes forfeit.

    Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports

    6. Miami (FL)

    “The U” is many things – the name fans and former players refer to the school by, the title of an ESPN documentary about the Hurricanes’ heyday and the logo on the side of Miami’s helmets.

    In 1973, the school asked a local public relations firm to come up with something distinctive for Miami’s logo. The school did not want to rely on its initials – UM – simply because so many institutions have similar initials.

    So, in an attempt to be unique, the Hurricanes were transcendent. But forget its place in pop culture, “The U” – in its orange and green – looks great, too.

    Photo Credit: Mark Dolejs/USA Today Sports

    5. Notre Dame

    The school has the legendary “Golden Dome,” so it’s appropriate that its beloved football team runs around in exquisite gold helmets.

    It’s the right call to go without a logo. Anything else on the helmet would take away from the gold’s quiet grace. Student-managers make sure the helmets don’t look any less than perfect, putting a fresh coat of paint on them each week.

    And not just the cheap stuff from Home Depot. The paint consists of real gold flakes. Of course it does.

    Photo Credit: Matt Cashore/USA Today Sports

    4. Alabama

    Alabama is one of the most storied programs in college football, and its helmet is part of that lore. Yeah, we know college football is playing for the name on the front of the jersey, but in Tuscaloosa, it’s also about earning the number on the side of your helmet.

    The Crimson Tide’s helmets haven’t changed over the years, and the program has been very successful. Even during its lean years, Alabama kept its look the same. The style is so distinctive and that dark shade of crimson is so classy.

    Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry/USA Today Sports

    3. Texas

    When you think Texas football, you think Matthew McConaughey. And burnt orange horns. But mostly Matthew McConaughey.

    Seriously, though, we know the Longhorns have a huge fanbase, most of which never forgets to remind us, “Hook ‘Em Horns.” It also wears its special shade of orange prominently. The helmet, with a pure white background, encapsulates everything that is Texas football – the color, the horns and the players’ numbers on the back.

    They weren’t always there, though. The numbers used to be placed above the logo, making it look ugly and cluttered. Nice adjustment. And massive props for making a cow on a helmet look awesome.

    Photo Credit: Brendan Maloney/USA Today Sports

    2. USC

    What other colors but cardinal and gold could befit the Men of Troy’s helmets? It’s not so much young Hollywood – Lindsay Lohan wouldn’t wear it – but classic Tinseltown. USC is a private university in Los Angeles, but its football team seems like public property in Southern California.

    And everyone wears Trojan colors. Refined and classy – it smells like old money (go ahead, insert your “University of Spoiled Children” joke). But other than being the definition of LaLa Land, it’s design is a great depiction of a stoic Trojan warrior. It all just fits so perfectly together.

    1. Michigan

    Just like the University of Michigan, you either love these helmets or hate them. And yes, Fritz Crisler just re-used the design he originally came up with at Princeton. But the winged helmet is so incredibly original and steeped into college football history that it’s one of the first things that comes to mind when people think of college football like the “Four Horsemen” and the Heisman Trophy.

    The mixture of maize and blue is awesome and they also have a functional purpose (supposedly): Helping quarterbacks see their receivers down field. In 2010, the AP also voted them the greatest helmets in college football and Bob Asmussen of the Champaign (IL) News-Gazette remarked, “I’ll bet the Wolverines get 10-15 percent of their recruits based on helmets alone.”

    0. sUcla
    And finally, ranked at #0 – the Ruins. Well let’s just say they have nothing to appreciate!

  4. Son, that nice girl from down the street walked past the house this morning while I was in the yard watering the flowers. I invited her in for a cup of tea and she told me that she hasn’t seen you at school recently and she asked about you. I think she would like you to invite her to your junior prom. Do you remember we agreed to stop using the words HAWR-HAWR after the cadre accidentally set the drapes on fire? Please come home son, we miss you.

  5. The rule change will mostly affect the refs, who will spend most of next season figuring it out. Especially the pac12 refs, they may need two seasons.

  6. awful rule. they won’t pass it….it’s obviously in direct response to teams like Oregon and Auburn who have changed the way the game is played. The rule might as well be called the “we can’t keep up with them so give them a penalty for going so fast” rule

  7. I certainly hope Sark isn’t hellbent on becoming an Oregon wanna-be.

    He’s said a few times that we’ll be “multiple”. With our personnel, there are games where we should probably slow it down and slug it out.

  8. Great, Now college football games will last four and half hours, instead of four hours.

  9. This is just BS by coaches who cannot keep up with the modern game. Air force was 104th out of 125 in plays per game. And there has been no studies to back his contention regarding student safety. I’m okay with the 10 second sub rule but having to go 29 seconds each down is simply an issue that saves lousy coaches.

  10. When they change the rules for “safety” I wonder about the football players before the “platoon” system. Those guys played on both side of the ball. The only time a player came out of a game is when they were dying. If a team knows there is a hurry up offense the need to get a hurry up defense. If a receiver goes out for a pass and he is covered by the defense they both have to run. Why would you favor one guy with a break?

  11. The hurry-up offense (HUO) allows a team with mediocre players to win by deception instead of talent. It used to be that the defensive coach “staffed” and called defenses based upon the offensive players on the field,
    field position, down and yardage needed for a first down or touchdown. With the offense being able to call 4 random
    plays, and the defense unable to make any adjustments, talent gives way to blind luck. Schools like Oregon and
    UCLA that cannot complete with schools like Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, and USC for talent, obviously endorse HUO. However, like all redistribution of wealth schemes, if not changed, it will ruin the game if the NCAA Gestapo does not do it first.

    I am still in the Philippines where internet connection is more random than the HUO but hope to be back in the States to be a more constant irritant.

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