Fricke's "unpopular" changes to college football

[Fricke-on-Fox]

It's always interesting to say something as a talk show host where you know you goint to lose the argument and battle even before you say it.

Oddly it's kind of freeing in a way. Since, whenever I do, I admit up front that I will lose.

I start with that. I say I am going to lose this battle but that is not going to stop me from saying what I see, believe or think is best.

An example. I knew before I opened the mike that I was going to lose the battle over the statement "NASCAR should ban Toyota. That only American -owned car companies should be allowed to run in the NATIONAL association of stock cars auto racers. It's not INTER-national." Now I don't need to debate that again. The point is only that I knew I had lost before even beginning, which let me truly argue my point without worrying about winning it.

To that end.

I will concede that I am going to lose most if not all the points I am going to make here regarding college football. It won't stop me from making them.

The debate over a playoff aside (because I actually think down the road in a few years we will have a 4-team playoff) here are some things I do not like about college football, some things that need to be changed.

- Gloves. We need to ban gloves. They are so high tech as to be a modern and even better version of stick 'em. If a QB or WR cannot grip the ball without gloves. Well. What's the word I am looking for? Oh yeah. TOUGH. Banning gloves would bring the Arena football scores down - because? Well we would have a lot more? Dropped balls for starters.

(side note - I do not like the spread offense. I am sick of it already. It is the new wishbone and it will go out of style at some point - which is why I am rooting like mad for Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech and his triple option.)

- Feet. We can debate which has the better rules and the NFL needs to alter a few of its rules as well - and no I don't want to see both have the same rules - but. Two feet inbounds. Again it would help lower the scores marginally because now X number of grabs would be incomplete, but more importantly this is a basic tenent of the game. Anyone with the ball needs to establish two feet in bounds. This is a simple change that needs to be made immediately.

- Goalposts. The college posts are wider than the NFL for the simple reason that the NFL's are in line with the pro hash marks, while college kickers are forced to kick from weird angles, esepcially when they are closer. Since I do NOT want to see the hash marks moved in (the college marks are much better than the NFL) I would like to see field goals become even riskier. We did so by banning the kicking tee... let's... raise the bar. The cross bar from 10 to 12 feet.. I would even go for 15.

- Try line. Move the try line from the 2 1/2 yard line to the 10. Let's see if we can't make this more difficult. As for 2 point tries from 10? Well I would likely call a pass play.

- Timeouts. 2 per team per game. Not per half, per game. Better use them much more wisely. That we have 12 now is silly. 4 is better. (Basketball would be a much better game to do this, it is critical they do especially in the NBA)

- Coaches. All coaches must be on the sidelines of the field of play. No coaches in boxes. No headphones allowed. (told you I would say unpopular things).

- Photography. No photography or electronics allowed. That includes no snap photos of defensive or offensive sets. This is not Madden. Stop this.

- Overtime. Do I need to go there? The NFL's isn't perfect, but it's far better than the joke of OT in college. At least push the start point back to the 40. Actually, get rid of it. With the BCS rankings and conference title games the decisions to go for a tie or try to win a game are much more critical now. And if the game doesn't affect a conference title game or the major bowls or the national title race - then... let them end up tied. Oddly I kinda miss tie games. What's better? 12-1 or 11-0-2? LSU's point last season.. if there were still ties they would have ended up an unbeaten national champion (12-0-2) as opposed to the first two loss champ (12-2). And go ahead and scream at me on this, I know I lose this argument. Ok.

- Overtime score. At least give me this. Stats (individual and team) in overtime should not count. Nor does scoring per se'. All OT winners are granted 1 point. If a game ends 24-24 (and then 49-47 in multiple overtimes) the OT winner is given 1 point. Final score is 25-24.

- Title games. All conferences have them or none do. Make it fair and uniform.

- Officials. We need to nationalize the officials and end conferences having their own officials. This is easy and it needs to be done.

- Ending the BCS segregation. Either every league in Division 1-A is a BCS league or they are not in Division 1-A. The 2nd class citizen status of the MWC, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC and WAC has to end. They threatend (correctly) a major lawsuit against the 6 BCS leagues (settled by the agreement to add a 5th BCS game that they could qualify for). That was a temporary fix. The larger problem still exists. This is solvable by the 6 BCS leagues reforming into a new super conference (with some additional non-bcs teams joining them). Division-1A college football is not just the only league on the planet without a playoff it is the only league that makes it virtually impossible for nearly half its own members to be even considered for the 'playoff' as it exists now. The current 'playoff' is a 1-game mythical national title game and is limited by the unfair (illegal?) business tactics of the dominating group.

- Excluding Military from the '4 in 5' rule. From the first moment you sign up for college you have 5 years to play 4. If you play 2 and then leave school, go get a job and then come back to school 5 years later.. you cannot play again even though you would have 2 years left of playing time. We need to exclude military service to our country from this rule.

- Ties. All coaches must wear ties. The hoody has to go, this is a mutli-million dollar business not a T-Pain rave in the park. Oddly a lot of schools have a mandatory tie rule for coaches whenever they meet the media in non-game schedule events. At Tennessee all the players must wear coats and ties heading to and leaving home games, coaches as well. Let's look the part gentlemen and treat this with the respect it deserves. It sends a message to the kids. Say no to this? Would you be OK with blue jeans? Or Mangino in shorts? This is a very serious rule change I would like to see. And it can start with a conference that has the gumption to make it happen. What is truly sad about this is that the NFL does NOT allow it's coaches to wear a suit and tie. Mike Nolan asked to be allowed to do so and the league said no. (Gotta live up to that marketing deal the league signed for logo coaching shirts).

- Student sections. Manadtory national minimums of seats percentages allotted to student populations. a 30% minimum even at the largest campus in the nation would leave plenty of room to sell lots o' season tickets to the masses. Ohio State is the largest individual campus, roughly 60k.. that would be 18k minimum in a stadium that seats 105k. You could allot more than the 30% but that is the minimum. Let's keep in mind whose team this is. (note most schools do not have a problem with this, if anything they cannot sell the student tickets they have allotted, but for those mega-powers who can and do, they cannot ace out their students - and some attempt too).

- Credit hours for practice time. Yep. 3 per qrt.

- Paying all athletes minimum wage for 40 hours of work per week. No more and no less. (this is a seperate issue of making athletes employees so that they can receive benefits and one we can argue about in the furture). I don't have the time to delve into this right now - it's involved on its own.


And.. the single most controversial... even more than paying athletes, more than a playoff. One I am dead set on and will NOT move off.

And one I am absolutely right on as well.

- Royalties.

Athletes cannot have their name and likeness used in any fashion - jersies with their names, corporation adverstising game photos without their direct persmission, outside media promotion without their permission and especially video gaming - without being PAID FOR IT. Now we can argue that any money be set aside. Even to the point of not allowing access to that money until that player graduates (now.. hey.. you want an incentive to get that degree?). But anything short of paying them is wholly un-American and I strongly believe is grossly unfair and nearly illegal. Now I will get arguments made that they have agreed to the rules before accepting the scholarship they get in return. I understand that. What needs to be done is to alter the scholarship rules in the spirit of fair play. You expect these young men (and it is almost entirely young men we are talking about) to grow under you and to exude sportsmanship and fair play - and then - you don't do it yourself?

This is a tremendously troubling area. One that schools ought to be ashamed of.

That they are not tells me of their gloating arrogance. It is nothing short of that.

End of too long and unpopular rant.

[HoosierTJ]

No ties!!!!!!!

Of any kind.

I hate the tressel look! Ugh.

And no ties in games! Overtime rocks!

[pediasure]

I don't care for neckties or hoodies. I think decent knit shirts and windbreaker jackets are fine.

In OT, each team should get one posession starting from the 40. At the end of one OT, if the game is still tied, then that's the way it should stay.

[Fricke-on-Fox]

Originally Posted by pediasure

I don't care for neckties or hoodies. I think decent knit shirts and windbreaker jackets are fine.

In OT, each team should get one posession starting from the 40. At the end of one OT, if the game is still tied, then that's the way it should stay.

And now we start a conversation on these issues.

One that needs to be had.

Maybe the gloves will come off (JK) well not kidding that we need to outlaw them.

[pediasure]

To see the style for football coaches go to:

http://www.bumphillipscharities.com/about_us.html

[Ackos]

"NASCAR should ban Toyota.

-Cant agree with you, toyota has brought a lot to racing.

Gloves. We need to ban gloves.

Agree

Two feet inbounds.

Agree

Goalposts.

Nah, they are fine

Move the try line from the 2 1/2 yard line to the 10

Interesting idea

2 per team per game

Nah, TOs are fine.

Coaches. All coaches must be on the sidelines of the field of play. No coaches in boxes. No headphones allowed.

Hmmm

Photography. No photography or electronics allowed. That includes no snap photos of defensive or offensive sets.

Impossible to police this.

Overtime. Do I need to go there? The NFL's isn't perfect, but it's far better than the joke of OT in college.

Completely disagree with you, college OT is much more exciting the the NFL.

Overtime score. At least give me this. Stats (individual and team) in overtime should not count.

50/50 on this

Title games. All conferences have them or none do. Make it fair and uniform.

totally agree

Officials. We need to nationalize the officials and end conferences having their own officials.

What are you a commie? I agree with the concept

Ending the BCS segregation. Either every league in Division 1-A is a BCS league or they are not in Division 1-A.

Agree, and i would add the elimination of the Notre Dame rule. Get in a conference or shut the hell up!

Excluding Military from the '4 in 5' rule.

Ok with me

Ties. All coaches must wear ties.

Its football not the board room. Ties are ugly, nasty, disgusting things

Student sections. Manadtory national minimums of seats percentages allotted to student populations.

30% is a little high

Credit hours for practice time. Yep. 3 per qrt.

Hmmm, athletes are given enough perks.

Paying all athletes minimum wage for 40 hours of work per week.

Probably a good idea, but again impossible to police.

Royalties

Agree

[Fricke-on-Fox]

[quote=Ackos;6484]-Cant agree with you, toyota has brought a lot to racing.

do not get m started on this Ackos! please don't!!! I will lose the debate but.. I am right!

was sorry to see you don't want to make field goals more difficult to make the decisions tougher on the coaches... but I get that a lot of fans want to see lots of kicking.

[BillCampbell]

I agree with:

Ties
Credit Hours

I disagree with:

Paying players in any way.

The others:

Whatever.