College Football Executives Considering Four Changes to Shorten Games

[Pompous Elitist]

Are Gopher fans still confused, after Fleck has coached here six seasons, about the purpose of this?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the idea is:

— shorten the game
— control the ball, and the clock
— give the Gopher defense a chance to rest and adjust while on the sideline

Now, we can disagree with Fleck's approach and philosophy. We can call it annoying, or old-school, or "not modern". But surely we all understand the purpose at this point, yes? Even if we don't like it?

I understand your mission is to defend all things Gophers and Fleck and sniff out rebel behavior but just a reminder it’s ok to joke on this site. I think, well hope, a few people detected my (mostly) tongue in cheek intent. The team is slow paced for all those reasons, and there have also been times things went sideways despite all the time in the world. Thankfully not often but often enough to at least make me laugh (or swear depending on context).

 

[Gophers_4life]

No, the fans are paying for it. TV wouldn't bother with the games if they weren't making money off it, and they only make money if the fans watch the games — and the endless commercials.

ESPN and FOX wrote the checks to the Big Ten, last I checked.

Those companies know that fans are going to continue to tune in to watch the games on TV.

 

[RememberMurray]

ESPN and FOX wrote the checks to the Big Ten, last I checked.

Those companies know that fans are going to continue to tune in to watch the games on TV.

They paid the B1G for the rights to televise the games. That's a transaction. A business expense. In return, the B1G supplies the product.

It certainly wasn't done out of generosity or in the spirit of giving. ESPN and FOX expect to make lots of money on the games... and I'd wager they do.

As I said, they wouldn't make a profit on the games without the fans watching. My point is correct. The fans pay the bills. Don't kid yourself that it isn't so.

 

[RememberMurray]

I understand your mission is to defend all things Gophers and Fleck and sniff out rebel behavior but just a reminder it’s ok to joke on this site. I think, well hope, a few people detected my (mostly) tongue in cheek intent. The team is slow paced for all those reasons, and there have also been times things went sideways despite all the time in the world. Thankfully not often but often enough to at least make me laugh (or swear depending on context).

Okay, I missed the joke. Now I see the hilarity.

 

[Gophers_4life]

As I said, they wouldn't make a profit on the games without the fans watching.

The fans aren't going to stop watching. Not a thing.

TV is in control.

 

[Some guy]

Ummm, back in the day every play in college was reviewed. They would look at the play while the refs and players were preparing for the next play. If they saw something, they'd buzz down to the officials to stop (if ball wasn't snapped yet).

The NFL never had such a thing.

I'm not talking 2015, I'm talking like 2001/2002.

Every play in college football is still reviewed
The nfl has moved to such a thing now with their “expedited review” system


That’s the entire point of my post that you just responded to

 

[Plato]

The providers of the games make a profit from the cable companies or streaming companies that pay them and from advertising revenue that indirectly depend on the number of viewers.

 

[tjgopher]

Regarding bolded: They once did. Back 20 years ago every play was being reviewed in between plays and if something seemed like it would need a closer look, they'd buzz down and stop the game. It worked great. Not sure why they went away from that and towards the NFL style stuff....

The college game still uses the buzz down. What are you talking about?

They would look at the play while the refs and players were preparing for the next play. If they saw something, they'd buzz down to the officials to stop (if ball wasn't snapped yet).

That is the CURRENT college replay system. And, it is far superior to the old NFL system.

 

[tjgopher]

well, here's a thought - when games run long, it messes up the next time slot. happens all the time - a game is supposed to start at the 2:30pm time slot, but the earlier game is still going, and if you want to see the 2:30 game, they send you to some app or an alternate channel.

so, by cutting down the length of games, it helps keep games within their broadcast windows.

THIS is the sole reason for the demand for shortening games. TV people want games to fit into a 3 hour window. Simple as that.

Most college football fans are NOT clamoring for games to be 30 minutes shorter. 10 minutes shorter? Maybe.

 

[tjgopher]

Statistically D1 college football last 20 minutes longer than an NFL game

It isn't 20 minutes.

It is closer to 10-16 minutes, depending on the year.

8 minutes of that difference is simply halftime.

 

[Dakota2]

Murray is correct.
It is not the current rules of stoppage that prolong the game it is the duration and frequency of commercials that not only prolong the games but interrupt the flow of the game.
Why not pack the commercials in the time between quarters and at halftime and during injury time-outs?
That seems to work for soccer.

If the idea is to travel to the stadium to see 15-20 football plays, just start the game at 1 pm and end it at 2 pm. Run the clock through commercials and halftime.

We spend fortunes for stadiums, massive football programs, coaches salaries, and marketing game day experience but want to get it over with as soon as possible? Screw the nannies and gretas.

 

[Dakota2]

TV timeouts are by far the biggest thing slowing down the game and any other proposal is a distraction from the real issue. I get why those won't go away but shaving off a few minutes here and there while leaving the thing that wastes an hour of the game doesn't solve the problem.

What is the problem that needs solving? We wait nine months to watch our team play 12-14 games. Who thinks three hours is too long for a college football game?

 

[Dakota2]

They do want people at the games, amirite? No clock stoppage you could miss a whole quarter going for concessions or waiting in line at the restroom. I doubt people would like that.
If people are there longer, you sell more stuff, food and drinks.
At home watching on TV...the length of the game is a non factor for the viewer. Longer time, more commercials. Who says there's a problem?
It is very annoying when replay takes minutes...even worse when you don't agree with their conclusion.
Fix that.

I prefer longer commercial breaks, replay reviews, and quarter breaks. Twenty minute half times are great. When you know there is a break of at least four minutes, go to the deck or porch and light your cigar. Glance at the TV through the window and you will see when the break is wrapping up. Place cigar in ashtray until next break.

I love game days as they are as much as I loved three hours at the stadium.

 

[Dakota2]

This will be wildly unpopular and I totally expect to get ripped on but the average college game was 3 hours 22 minutes in 2022 and the average NFL game was 3 hours 10 minutes.

Easy solution, shorten halftime. College halftimes go on forever!

The whole point of halftime is for fans at the stadium to move around, get food and drinks, and stand in lines. It's part of game experience.

 

[Dakota2]

Bolded items x1000. The reviewing of plays that have little to no consequence is maddening. They review a play that nets 2 yards. Seriously? Just go with what was called on the field and let it go. Review scoring plays and turnovers, and give each coach 2 or 3 reviews. But don't review ANY OTHER PLAY unless they can do the "expedited review" before the next play is run. However, I'm skeptical the NCAA could master that. Then, factor in an NCAA review seems to take 2-3 times longer than an NFL review, and seemingly every play is a targeting call that needs an extensive review, and you could have a game that has 5 minutes of review.

And why can't they do the radio helmet thing? Not sure it would speed up the game, but at this point it's just dumb not to have it.

Radio helmet comms doesn't speed up anything if the strategy is to shorten the game by running the play clock down.

 

[GoGophersUMN]

What is the problem that needs solving? We wait nine months to watch our team play 12-14 games. Who thinks three hours is too long for a college football game?

Games haven't been averaging 3 hours in many years, it's closer to 3.5 and increasing almost every year.

Considering attendance has declined for 7 straight years (not counting 2020) and is at a 40 year low, and the past 2 CFP championships have been the least watched, there are a lot of people who want shorter games. Outside of the games when it's 20 degrees out I wouldn't mind the game length if it was full of action but when there's only 60 minutes on the clock and about 15 minutes of actual action per game, 3.5 hours is excessive.

 

[Dakota2]

Are Gopher fans still confused, after Fleck has coached here six seasons, about the purpose of this?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the idea is:

— shorten the game
— control the ball, and the clock
— give the Gopher defense a chance to rest and adjust while on the sideline

Now, we can disagree with Fleck's approach and philosophy. We can call it annoying, or old-school, or "not modern". But surely we all understand the purpose at this point, yes? Even if we don't like it?

Yes, the purpose is well understood. The debate is how effective is the strategy?

Do you control the game better by running the ball three times into a nine- man defensive mass and then punt or by running full offense which spreads the defense and gives you some first downs, better field position, and a chance to score?

 

[Dakota2]

Games haven't been averaging 3 hours in many years, it's closer to 3.5 and increasing almost every year.

Considering attendance has declined for 7 straight years (not counting 2020) and is at a 40 year low, and the past 2 CFP championships have been the least watched, there are a lot of people who want shorter games. Outside of the games when it's 20 degrees out I wouldn't mind the game length if it was full of action but when there's only 60 minutes on the clock and about 15 minutes of actual action per game, 3.5 hours is excessive.

The fact I didn't realize games are more than three hours is the actual point. I don't care. What I do care about is reducing even a second of football action.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Radio helmet comms doesn't speed up anything if the strategy is to shorten the game by running the play clock down.

But it does do away with the sheer silliness we see.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

the thing is - when the powers-that-be talk about shortening games, they are not thinking about the long-time, die-hard fans. they know those people will watch the games no matter what.

the issue is attracting and keeping younger fans who have shorter attention spans. like it or not, our society wants everything to happen immediately. if they get bored, they're staring at their phones and scrolling through social media. shoot, when I watch the Gophers, I'm on Gopher Hole or Twitter in between plays, and I'm a long-time fan.

that's why Major League Baseball put in the pitch clock - to make the game move faster and keep younger fans engaged. surveys showed that one of the reasons why people were not watching MLB games was that "the games take too long to play." I suspect that college football is dealing with something similar.

 

[Dakota2]

But it does do away with the sheer silliness we see.

As has been pointed out by many, the silliness is by design.

 

[Gophers_4life]

As has been pointed out by many, the silliness is by design.

To comply with the rules, not for any other reason. Otherwise, NFL teams would do it.

But they of course don't have to. The coordinators can talk directly to the radio helmet. Should be exactly the same in college.

 

[forever a gopher]

Radio helmet comms doesn't speed up anything if the strategy is to shorten the game by running the play clock down.

I said the radio comms likely won’t have a difference on game speed. But it would eliminate all those stupid giant play cards they use now, which to me is a win. The technology is there - why not use it?

 

[Dakota2]

To comply with the rules, not for any other reason. Otherwise, NFL teams would do it.

But they of course don't have to. The coordinators can talk directly to the radio helmet. Should be exactly the same in college.

The silliness of looking at the sidelines is to run down the clock, not to get the play (in most cases when Sanford is not the play caller).

 

[Dakota2]

I said the radio comms likely won’t have a difference on game speed. But it would eliminate all those stupid giant play cards they use now, which to me is a win. The technology is there - why not use it?

No problem using it. Just saying teams that want to run down the play clock will continue to do it even when the call comes through the helmet at the 25 second mark.

 

[RememberMurray]

Yes, the purpose is well understood. The debate is how effective is the strategy?

Do you control the game better by running the ball three times into a nine- man defensive mass and then punt or by running full offense which spreads the defense and gives you some first downs, better field position, and a chance to score?

I know you understand the purpose; I'm not sure everyone else does.

If we're having a conversation debating how effective or ineffective Fleck's strategy/philosophy is, I'd argue that Fleck's won-loss record alone proves that the strategy has indeed been pretty effective. But that's a conversation that is off the topic of this thread, and probably worthy of its own thread.

This thread is about the run times of games, and whether or not the games are now "too long", and, if so, how best to shorten the games.

In the spirit of the framework of this thread's topic — which is the length of college football games — I'm pointing out that Fleck's seems to be an offensive strategy/philosophy which produces shorter games.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I prefer longer commercial breaks, replay reviews, and quarter breaks. Twenty minute half times are great. When you know there is a break of at least four minutes, go to the deck or porch and light your cigar. Glance at the TV through the window and you will see when the break is wrapping up. Place cigar in ashtray until next break.

I love game days as they are as much as I loved three hours at the stadium.

Or DVR it and skip the commercials. Of course your preference does not take into account those actually attending the game.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I know you understand the purpose; I'm not sure everyone else does.

If we're having a conversation debating how effective or ineffective Fleck's strategy/philosophy is, I'd argue that Fleck's won-loss record alone proves that the strategy has indeed been pretty effective. But that's a conversation that is off the topic of this thread, and probably worthy of its own thread.

This thread is about the run times of games, and whether or not the games are now "too long", and, if so, how best to shorten the games.

In the spirit of the framework of this thread's topic — which is the length of college football games — I'm pointing out that Fleck's seems to be an offensive strategy/philosophy which produces shorter games.

Sometimes. Go look at the game times on Gophersports.

 

[WAGopher]

An easy one would be to restrict timeouts to the official time. In televised games, each team has one 60-second timeout and three 30-second timeouts per game, plus the media time outs. That’s a combined 5 minutes in time outs for each game.

However the average time out is now 150 seconds (2.5 minutes). In other words, there can be 8 team time outs in a game that should not take longer than a combined 300 seconds, or 5 minutes. In reality, the total time outs may be averaging 20 minutes per game.

 

[Dakota2]

Or DVR it and skip the commercials. Of course your preference does not take into account those actually attending the game.

I did indeed take into account that I attended all games for 40 years. I lived all week for game day and hated how fast the game itself flew by.