Posted on 08/08/2005 7:33:44 AM PDT by bobjam
Another season of college football is just around the corner. As fans and players from Boston College to Hawaii gear up for the season, they will undoubtedly engage in casual discussion (or heated debate) some of the serious problems facing college football, especially Division I. Below is a list problems and suggested solutions.
Media Relations:
Commercial breaks during games have become obnoxious. The frequency and duration of television time outs has come to the point that they impact the game itself by stifling any momentum built by a team or enthusiasm built up in the crowd. The NCAA needs to limit and enforce the number and duration of breaks in the game. For example, after a field goal or extra point attempt, the team that scored will have 90 seconds to line up and kick the ball off. If they fail, then they are assessed a delay of game penalty. This should proceed regardless of whether ESPN is finished running commercials. In another words, the game will go on without ESPN, and the commentators will have to explain why ESPN decided to show beer ads instead of a 90 yard kick return.
Intellectual Consistency
The NCAA steadfastly refuses to allow a real playoff to determine a nationa champion. As a result, there has never been an official Division I national football champion. If that is how they want college football to be, then they should be intellectually honest and bar member schools from presenting themselves as "national champions". Universities will not be able to sanction merchandise that presents them as national champion last year, the year before, or ever. Furthermore, universities must remove from their stadiums and campuses any reference to any "national title" they think they won in past years. After all, how can members of the NCAA claim for themselves a title which they refuse to officially sanction?
Showboating
The NCAA rule regarding showboating in the endzone was a big step in the right direction. Now it's time to extend that policy to the rest of the game. It's always refreshing to watch the Army/Navy game and not see a defensive end do a hip-hop booty dance after sacking the quarterback.
Number Calling
Referees should not announce the number of the player who committed a penalty. Football is a team sport. The team commits a foul and the team is penalized for it. It's not the NCAA's fault that ABC's announcers are too incompetant to figure out which player committed the hold.
Academics
Football isn't just a game; it's a multi-billion dollar industry that involves journalists, university administrators, marketers, doctors, lawyers, hortoculturalists, etc. etc. etc. If a major university is willing to grant a degree to someone who majored in women's studies, then it should also grant degrees to people who study football. A degree program could include, in addition to the usual general education requirements, courses in economics, marketing, advertising, health & fitness, media relations, history of football, strategies, team mangement, rules of the game, coaching techniques, etc.
Get rid of the NCAA.
But then the viewers at home wouldn't know which player to cuss out. ;o)
Nah, just get the US Congress to pass laws and regulate it. This is obviously more important than tax reform and Social Security reform.
lol Don't tempt them.
The NCAA definately needs a playoff, or at least a modification of the current BCS. The past couple of years have been really bad. Two years ago you had USC and LSU "sharing" the title. Last year USC won, but Auburn was undefeated as well, and should have had a shot at the title. Until, or if they ever revamp the entire system, there should be the BCS plus one--let the last game be the true championship game, of course this isn't perfect either, but at least it is a start.
Cash, large amounts, to starting QB and RB....
Move some real teams to the Pac 10, so the defending champ doesn't have a cakewalk this year. SEC, Big Ten, Big XII all have at least 5 or 6 really good teams on any given year.
I like the referees not calling player numbers on penalties thing too.
NFL games are televised within a three hour window. The league makes sure that the games go off in a timely manner (unless there's an overtime). NCAA games can barely fit into a four hour window without overtime.
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