New NCAA FB Rules

The clock changes enacted last year to shorten the game were removed. And all God's people said, "Amen."
The other rule changes include:
• Kickoffs will be from the 30-yard line instead of the 35. The clock won't start until the receiver touches the ball; last season it started as soon as the ball was kicked. Tuberville (as if his opinion matters) estimates 90 percent of kickoffs will now be returned.
"You'll find that kicking it out of the end zone will be rare, and it will add excitement to the game," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "There will be more pressure on the kick-coverage team and more pressure on the defense because the offense is going to get better field position."
• Coming out of a television timeout, the play clock for the first play of a possession will be 15 seconds instead of the normal 25.
"The teams have been standing out there for almost three minutes during a TV timeout," Tuberville (bozo) said. "They don't need 25 more seconds to get to the line and run a play."
• Charged team timeouts — not TV timeouts — will be cut by 30 seconds. This will be football's version of basketball's 30-second timeout. It will allow a coach to stop the clock but without a long delay. The timeout will last 30 seconds plus the 25 seconds on the play clock.
• On kickoffs, the play clock will start once the kicker is handed the ball by the official. In the past, the kicker could take as much time as he wanted before kicking the ball. Now, he is on the clock and a violation will result in a 5-yard penalty.
• The time allowed for instant replay reviews will be capped at two minutes. This will save some time but not a lot. The average replay review last season was 1:49, according to the NCAA.
The rules committee also announced that starting in 2008, college football will go to a 40-second play clock like that now used in the NFL. The 40-second clock will start at the end of every play. College football currently uses a 25-second clock that doesn't start until the ball is put in position and declared ready for play.
Ultimately, we'll have to see these in action before we can give full approval, but they sound reasonable and well thought out.
I still think the Vince McMahon, XFL no fair catch rule added some excitement to the game, and is worth consideration. However, the return men being carted off the field after being knocked into next week would add an extra 10 minutes to the game, undercutting the 20 seconds of added excitement.