Game Length

[theshadow]

Sum of all parts:

*A "2:30" game that doesn't actually kick until 2:40
*Halftime 8 minutes longer than NFL
*6-8 second stoppage after every first down
*so. many. reviews.
*12-14 media timeouts at anywhere from 2:30-4:00 each (depending on the network)

 

[cyclones500]

Too many targeting reviews.

In the realm of safety, I'm OK with targeting reviews. But (as with many reviews), it has to be more brisk & decisive. The one against SEMO last weekend, I swear that process took 8 minutes. Two replays on TV and I could tell it was going to be ruled "letter of the law" target.

We can debate what constitutes targeting, but that's mostly a separate discussion.

The entire review process needs an overhaul, for sake of time/clarity/impact.

 

[Farnsworth]

In the realm of safety, I'm OK with targeting reviews. But (as with many reviews), it has to be more brisk & decisive. The one against SEMO last weekend, I swear that process took 8 minutes. Two replays on TV and I could tell it was going to be ruled "letter of the law" target.

We can debate what constitutes targeting, but that's mostly a separate discussion.

The entire review process needs an overhaul, for sake of time/clarity/impact.

I watched A LOT of week 0 and 1 games over the long holiday weekend, and reviews seem to be getting longer and longer. I don't remember so many targeting calls either. I'm all for the safety, but they are taking forever when they go back and look at them. I think most of them ended up non-targeting than targeting, yet a lot of the targeting was intentional/situational.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

With these huge TV contracts, the networks are going to have to sell a lot more advertising time to pay schools like Iowa university the big bucks they don’t deserve. That’s going to mean longer games and more time waiting for play to resume.

 

[beentherebefore]

It’s crazy nfl offenses seem to move faster in hurry up situations anyway without even having that advantage.

Like they somehow get the play off faster with no stop for first down.

Agree, and they are professionals, so they have to be better at playing fast.

 

[BCClone]

I watched A LOT of week 0 and 1 games over the long holiday weekend, and reviews seem to be getting longer and longer. I don't remember so many targeting calls either. I'm all for the safety, but they are taking forever when they go back and look at them. I think most of them ended up non-targeting than targeting, yet a lot of the targeting was intentional/situational.

Like the LSU one, that should have been an instant, he gone, but it still took a bit.

 

[Dr.bannedman]

4 hour games are pretty nutz. but i still watch

 

[Cyclonepride]

This is like asking if sex lasts too long.

 

[madguy30]

Sitting in the stadium the games feel like an eternity.

Aside from the crowds this is up there for why I don't enjoy seeing games live. I feel like I'm spending more time waiting for TV time outs and celebrations/tributes between quarters than watching football.

 

[Dr.bannedman]

This is like asking if sex lasts too long.

wait... is this a thing???

 

[IcSyU]

This is like asking if sex lasts too long.

It is but it isn't. I'm absolutely certain it's a huge concern to ADs. At Iowa State it probably isn't as big of a deal because we tend to have an 'all day' experience. The length of games however I'll guarantee is a reason game attendance continues to slip nationwide.

 

[isutrevman]

There are many problems with the current college game length.

1. Game times listed at like 12:00 consistently don't start until 15-20 minutes later.

2. Halftime should be 15 minutes max. 20 is crazy. I don't care if the marching band has to play 1 less song.

3. Ridiculously long TV timeouts every change of possession.

4. The replay system is incredibly slow. Every time the officials will hold up play for like a minute waiting for confirmation.....THEN decide to review it. Then take 10 minutes looking a replay that was 100% obvious the first time you see it. Then take another TV timeout.....

I think the biggest culprits are the replays, games not starting on time and halftime.

 

[Cyforce]

Length doesn’t matter.

Not what she said.

 

[CoachHines3]

tv timeouts while sitting in the stadium seem to last forever and happen every 3 minutes.

dont notice it as much when watching on tv.

 

[VeloClone]

There are many problems with the current college game length.

1. Game times listed at like 12:00 consistently don't start until 15-20 minutes later.

2. Halftime should be 15 minutes max. 20 is crazy. I don't care if the marching band has to play 1 less song.

3. Ridiculously long TV timeouts every change of possession.

4. The replay system is incredibly slow. Every time the officials will hold up play for like a minute waiting for confirmation.....THEN decide to review it. Then take 10 minutes looking a replay that was 100% obvious the first time you see it. Then take another TV timeout.....

I think the biggest culprits are the replays, games not starting on time and halftime.

I agree with this.

There should be no more than 5 minutes of pregame. All that pregame crap just means that there will be that much more of the start of the next game that we will miss.

I don't care too much about halftime one way or the other.

TV timeouts are what is killing college football. It is crazy that they keep introducing measures to shorten the game - you know, cut out part of the actual game play - all so they can continue to lengthen the TV timeouts.

Anytime there is a replay review - that is they go under the hood - they should automatically go to a media timeout, immediately. Now they hem and haw and then stop play a little bit later to get another timeout in. Also, media timeouts both before and after a kickoff should never be allowed. I know that eveyone wants the money, but the NCAA should really grow some balls on the way media broadcasts are controlling how the game is played. If everyone got a little bit less from their media contracts it wouldn't be the end of the world. Maybe if TV got the message they would start to be a little creative with their advertising by doing things like L-bar ads between plays and things like that. You know when it is 4th and long both teams are going to sub in a punting/return unit so it is a great time to put an ad around the screen and it can even have advertising audio. I know, I know it would be terrible if the players running on and off the field were a little bit smaller on our TVs. I would also miss terribly that 20 seconds of in-depth commentary by some guy who hasn't played football since high school.

 

[theshadow]

Also, media timeouts both before and after a kickoff should never be allowed.

I don't like it either, but it's a result of long(er) drives that eat a bunch of clock.

Using the 1st quarter of ISU-SEMO as an example...when you have to get 3 breaks in per quarter, and there's an 8:00 drive followed by a 4:00 drive, that 3rd TO is gonna get jammed in after kickoff 100% of the time.

 

[VeloClone]

I don't like it either, but it's a result of long(er) drives that eat a bunch of clock.

Using the 1st quarter of ISU-SEMO as an example...when you have to get 3 breaks in per quarter, and there's an 8:00 drive followed by a 4:00 drive, that 3rd TO is gonna get jammed in after kickoff 100% of the time.

Here's a novel idea. Instead of creating a break to put that TO, if by halftime they have a media TO defecit they could add another commercial beak in the halftime intermission. Do we really need 12 minutes of halftime analysis?

I always get pissed when I watch a game replay and they include the entire pregame and halftime show but cut out some of the game play to "fit in the time allotted". Let's get real, people, do any of your viewers value the talking heads more than the play on the field?

 

[CloniesForLife]

Games are definitely too long. And it's not like it's additional gameplay. It's just a lot of nonsense and wasted time. The Backyard Brawl, while a great game, went from like 6 to 1030 if I remember right. Games have gotten too long and way too many reviews that take forever. Reviews should never take more than a minute.

Game length is part of the reason I watch way more college bball than I do football (outside of ISU).

 

[NATEizKING]

It's hard for me to watch football outside of ISU. I don't have the attention span for so little action in so long of time, so it's usually just background noise that I look at every once in a while. I mostly just check scores for close games and flip it on late in the 4th.

Long been a college basketball junkie, 40+ min of action in 2 hours vs. 13-15 min of action in 3.5+ hours.

 

[PickSix]

4 hour games were fun when I was younger. Now that I have a family and a life, it can be hard to block off that much time on a fall Saturday.

2 or 2.5 hour games are my dream, but I recognize we'll probably never get there. Networks have zero incentive to push for shorter games or less commercials, and they're the ones controlling the purse strings.

Official reviews are my biggest pet peeve. If you can't see what happened in the first 2 or 3 angles, then it should be ruled inconclusive and we move on.

That, and keeping the clock running after first downs should hopefully shave a good 15 or 20 minutes off.