This season, America’s sport will undergo a makeover in more ways than one. Both the NCAA and the NFL have adopted new rules and protocols that will help to boost overall “fairness” of the game.
For those who follow college football, there is one memorable thought about this season. Simply put: Will instant replay really work? Not only in the Big Ten, but will it work in college football altogether?
According to NBC Sports, one Big Ten Conference official feels it will be a big stepping stone.
“Other conferences around the country are watching us and watching us carefully,” said, David Parry, the Big Ten’s coordinator of officials. “My guess is they want this to be successful because if it is, they will go to the (NCAA) and say, ‘Can we have this as an option for other conferences?'”
Unlike the NFL’s system that is already intact, only a technical adviser will be able to call for a challenge. This will eliminate the slowing down of game play and repetitiveness of challenges. “We don’t want to change the tempo,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. “I don’t want one of my assistants upstairs telling me to challenge. Let’s just do it.”
Paterno’s eagerness for replay spawns from what many have called the worst conference officiating in college football. According to numerous outside opinions, Penn State’s past two losing seasons can be directly attributed to Big Ten officials.
However true the statement, one thing is certain: Where there is smoke, there is also fire.
In the NFL, the major rule enforcement this year could help to add a dramatic flair for fans of high passing offenses.
On the other hand, fans of physical style defenses might be a little disheartened.
Either way, the NFL has decided that this season will include a “point of emphasis” on the illegal contact rule. This rule states that only incidental contact by defensive backs will not be allowed on a wide receiver once he has gone five yards or further.
Some players and coaches have their doubts and concerns, while others think that this rule was an early Christmas gift. “They say we can’t touch them outside of five yards? Then inside those five yards we’re going to mug them. It’s mug and run,” the Packers’ Safety Darren Sharper told USA Today.
“They’re trying to let them roam down the middle of the field free. Once they get past five yards and start running free and catch the ball, they’re going to get slaughtered by whatever defensive players are back there waiting on them.”