College Football's Running Clock

I think this came up at the end of the Ohio State v. Illinois game yesterday. The commentators wanted a rule change so that the clock didn't start on change of possession late in games. They said it prevented teams from making late-game comebacks. I disagree. You just have to shift your thinking by 25 seconds. If a team can run off 25 seconds before they have to run a play, you better factor that in to figuring out when you need to get things done. You don't want to change the rules just because it would be nice for one team to have a couple more plays. I'd have loved if Illinois could have gotten the ball back and scored, but they needed to start putting up points earlier in the game.

Personally, I don't think games need to be shorter. I thought college football was fine the way it was. But, this is the way it is now. I don't see any reason they need to put some time limitation on when they start the clock on change of possession. Sure, it will give teams a little more time to come back, but does it really matter? As long as the rules are followed correctly, teams know the rules and need to react accordingly. Texas A&M knew when they kicked off down 17-16 that they needed to keep OU from getting a first down. They didn't. Game over. Illinois had a shot at recovering the onsides kick ... they didn't ... game over. The rules don't prevent teams from coming back. They don't hurt teams trying to come back. They are the rules. Teams must adapt. Sure, teams that are behind would love if the clock stopped after every play, but that's not the way it works.