Did you watch the Penn State-Illinois game Saturday? It was tied 10-10 after 60 minutes of excellent defensive football. The Illini shut down the Penn State passing game while controlling the clock by running and running and more running.
Both teams scored field goals in the first two overtimes to make the score 16-16. The new overtime rule states that starting with the third overtime, both teams get a two-point conversion attempt. If the score remains tied, then successive two-point conversion attempts are taken until one team scores and the other team does not.
Additionally, after the first overtime, there are no more coin flips. The teams rotate the choice. And, what happens is the home team always wants to play on the side of the field where the student body cheers in the end zone, while the opponent wants to play at the other end of the field. After each overtime, the players, officials, chain gang, and hundreds of fans must make the 100-yard walk to the other end of the field.
It’s no longer much of a secret that making two-point conversions is about as difficult as making 55-yard field goals. That became a huge problem yesterday in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Penn State and Illinois could not convert their two-point conversion attempts. Overtimes three, four, five, six, and seven produced 10 consecutive botched conversions. As each overtime ended, everybody had to move to the other end of the field, and the longer into this mess it continued, the big tubby linemen began to walk at a snail’s pace to get back.
Illinois finally scored in the eighth overtime, but then Penn State did the same forcing a ninth overtime. The game was finally decided when the Nittany Lions missed their ninth overtime attempt, while Illinois scored to win the game 20-18.
In the amount of time it took to play the nine overtimes, another game that kicked off at the same time as the first overtime began the second quarter of their game just before the nine-overtime game concluded. In other words, it took a little longer than one full quarter to play the nine overtimes.
Imagine a game in late November with sloppy playing conditions where regulation ends in a tie game, and nobody can score in the overtimes for 10 or more of these ridiculous two-point conversion attempts. If it took nine yesterday, there is a possibility that somebody else will need 10 or more.
The NCAA must re-evaluate this fiasco of a rule. In fact, the NCAA needs to have a constitutional convention and modify a lot of the rules to get into the 21st century. Here is our suggestion for rules changes–use the same rules the NFL uses. To wit:
1. Overtime should be one, 10-minute period with a touchdown on the first possession winning the game, but a field goal allowing the other team to have a possession. If the game is still tied after 10 minutes, it stands as a tie game.
2. Intentional pass interference is now a definite defensive option to stop a big gain. Players will even deliver cheap shots knowing that giving up 15 yards beats giving up 50 or a touchdown. Because passing the ball is tantamount to winning, the pass interference penalty needs to go back to giving the offense the ball at the spot of interference, be it 12 yards past the line or 50.
3. The clock should not stop on first downs. That rule was in effect when chain gangs were the only way to spot the ball. In today’s world, the ball can be spotted quickly via computerization and an extra referee. Let the clock move on first downs.
4. Add the two-minute warning. In lieu of the clock stopping on first downs, add a two-minute warning to both halves. That is when teams need the clock to stop, and the networks can get an extra commercial break before halftime or the end of the game.
5. Allow a player that falls to the ground with the ball but having been untouched by the defense to get up and advance. Why should poor playing conditions be responsible for making a defensive stop?
Here’s one additional rule change that should be considered. Targeting happens too much these days when the ball carrier lowers his head to invite the targeting penalty. This is almost like the flop in basketball. The rule needs to be changed so that when the ball carrier initiates the targeting by putting himself into position for any tackle to become a potential targeting penalty, the offense should be penalized 15 yards for a personal foul.
Additionally, ejection is much too harsh of a penalty. How about making targeting a 20-yard penalty and automatic first down, and also allowing it to supersede the half the distance to the goal and be allowed to go all the way to the 1-yard line if the offense is in the Red Zone? A penalty in one game shouldn’t be allowed to stay in effect for a half of another game. This may be the most ridiculous rule in college football history. Think of a basketball game where a Syracuse player commits an intentional foul on a Connecticut player late in the second half of a game, and then three days later when Syracuse plays Duke, Duke gets to start the game with 2 foul shots from the intentional foul three days back.
Marjorie Miller Designs
Our favorite handmade jewelry artisan (art critics call her designs “Wearable Masterpieces”)
The Bracket Matrix
The PiRate Ratings (Pi) are included in the best college basketball bracketology site on the Internet. Check out the Bracket Project Blog at: https://bracketproject.blogspot.com/
The PiRate Ratings
See the most current PiRate Ratings and Spreads for college and NFL football
The Pi-Rate Ratings 