I totally stole this from NCAA's website, but I haven't seen it posted anywhere and highly recommend that you all read it thoroughly before you throw a beer bottle at your television because of such a ludicrous officiating blunder that actually is just yet another rule change.

 

I’d love to hear everyone’s  thoughts on these new rules because I certainly think some of them are silly and will cause more harm than good this season for teams and officials.

2008 NCAA Rules Changes
From the NCAA


NCAA FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE ACTION FOR 2008
Rogers Redding
Secretary-Rules Editor
NCAA Football Rules Committee

Introduction
In making its recommendations for rules changes in 2008, the NCAA Football Rules Committee retained its focus on player safety and consistency of making the ball ready for play. The committee also has slightly expanded the types of plays allowable for instant replay review, broadened the head coach’s ability to challenge a ruling, and made some changes in the administration of the game.

The changes summarized below have been adopted by the NCAA Football Rules Committee and approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP), which has jurisdiction over the rules committees for all sports.

Rules Changes
1. Player Safety.
Helmet Crown and Defenseless Players (Rule 9-1-3). The committee has refined the rules regarding the use of the helmet as a weapon and the targeting of defenseless players. (The Points of Emphasis section of the NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations lists a number of examples of defenseless players.) Emphasis on these actions highlights concern about potentially debilitating injuries. It is now a foul when a player targets an opponent and initiates contact with the crown (top) of the helmet. This rule is intended primarily for the safety of the player who initiates the contact. It is also a foul if a player targets a defenseless opponent and initiates contact above the shoulders. Each of these is a personal foul and thus carries a 15-yard penalty.

Chop Block (Rule 2-3-3). The definition of the chop block has been simplified to assist in the understanding of this rule and to encourage more consistent officiating. A chop block is now defined as a high-low or low-high combination block by any two players against an opponent (other than the runner) anywhere on the field, with or without a delay between contacts. The “low” component is at the opponent’s thigh or below. A dangerous action that can lead to serious injury, the chop block is a personal foul that carries a 15-yard penalty.

“Horse-Collar” Tackle (Rule 9-1-2-p). With this new rule, the committee addresses the potential hazard to a ball carrier that is grabbed by the inside collar of the jersey or shoulder pad and quickly jerked down. The rule prohibits all players from grabbing the inside back collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling the runner down. This does not apply to a runner who is inside the tackle box or to a quarterback who is in the pocket. A key element is the immediacy of the runner being pulled down, because of the risk of injury. The horse-collar tackle is a personal foul and the penalty is 15 yards.

Face-Mask Foul (Rule 9-1-2-q). There is no longer a foul if any player grabs an opponent’s face mask without pulling, twisting, or turning it. The five-yard penalty has been eliminated. This change does not change the safety aspect of this rule. Pulling, twisting, or turning an opponent’s face mask remains a personal foul with a 15-yard penalty.


2. Timing. 40-Second Play Clock (Rule 3-2-4). The 40-second play clock represents a major change in the timing of the game and will impact how the game looks and flows. The purpose of this change is to enhance the consistency of how soon the ball is ready for play once it has become dead. In the past, the play clock was set at 25 seconds and started on the referee’s signal on every play. Now, the play clock will be set to 40 seconds after the ball becomes dead on every play and started immediately. In circumstances when the officials stop the game clock for administrative and other reasons, the play clock will be set to 25 seconds and started on the referee’s signal in the familiar manner. The 25-second clock will be in effect for:
1. Penalty administration.
2. Charged team timeout.
3. Media timeout.
4. Injury timeout.
5. Measurement.
6. Change of possession.
7. Following a kick.
8. Score.
9. Start of each period.
10. Start of a team’s series in extra period.
11. Instant replay review.
12. Other administrative stoppage.

Also, the committee has eliminated the 15-second play clock which was used following television timeouts.

Ball Out Of Bounds (Rule 3-2-5-a-12). When a ball is carried or fumbled out of bounds, the game clock will stop, as always. Beginning in 2008 the game clock will start on the referee’s signal when the ball is ready for play, not on the snap. In the last two minutes of the half, however, the clock will start on the snap as before, preserving the ability of the offensive team to maximize strategic use of the clock.


3. Instant Replay.
Reviewable Plays. The new rules expand the range of plays for which the replay official may stop the game to review. These include certain field goal attempts, plays where the ball carrier is ruled down and a loose ball is immediately recovered, and plays where the ball carrier is ruled out of bounds when he immediately carries the ball across the goal line.

Field Goal Attempts (Rule 12-3-1-a). A field goal attempt may be reviewed only if the ball is ruled below or above the crossbar, or inside or outside the uprights when it is lower than the top of the uprights. If the ball is higher than the top of the uprights, the play may not be reviewed.

Ball Carrier Ruled Down (Rule 12-3-3-b). When a ball carrier is judged down by rule and the ball is fumbled, the play may be reviewed if the recovery of the ball occurs in the immediate action following the fumble and is prior to any official signaling that the ball is dead. However, if the replay official does not have indisputable video evidence as to which player recovers the fumble, the ruling of down-by-rule stands. If the call of down-by-rule is reversed, the ball belongs to the recovering player at the spot of the recovery and no advance is allowed.

Ball Carrier Ruled Down Near The Goal Line (Rule 12-3-3-c). When a ball carrier is ruled out of bounds, the play may be reviewed if his immediate action takes him into the opponent’s end zone and is prior to any official signaling that the ball is dead.

Head Coach’s Challenge (Rule 12-5-1-b). A new rule expands the ability of a head coach to challenge a reviewable ruling on the field. The head coach now retains a challenge if his initial challenge is successful and thus results in a reversal by the replay official. The coach will then still have a single challenge that he may use anytime during the game if his team has not used all its timeouts. Thus a team may have a total of two challenges in the game, but only if the first results in a reversal of the on-field ruling.


4. Game Administration.
Sideline Infraction (Rule 9-1-6). The committee has changed the rule regarding sideline personnel being in the restricted area, which is between the sideline and the coaching box. The former sideline warning has given way to a sideline infraction which carries an immediate yardage penalty. The first two infractions have a five-yard delay of game penalty, and the third and subsequent violations now carry a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Obtaining Opponent’s Signals (Rule 1-4-9-g). The rules now prohibit any attempt to record, either by video or audio means, the signals given by an opposing player, coach, or other team personnel. Violations should be brought to the attention of the proper disciplinary authority.

Poll

Which new rule poses the most problems and/or strange discomfort in the upcoming season?

• The Defenseless Player Rule
• The New 40 Second Play Clock
• The Crown of Helmet used as a Weapon Rule
• The Clock Starting On Whistle after Ball is Carried Out of Bounds
• The Mandatory 5 Yard Penalty for Sideline Infractions, Hence No Warning
• Others? Explain Yourself.

  35 votes | Results

Readers of the college football blogosphere may be familiar with the work of The Boy, who blogs at Rock M Nation, posted some "Beyond the Box Score" entries over at SMQ, and also wrote a preview about Texas that is nothing short of excellent.  I had a conversation with him about Missouri and Jeremy Maclin because I was interested in learning more about their offense and how they used him.  Maclin is emblematic of the seismic shift in college football in regards to skill players and Texas could learn from him.  Many thanks to The Boy for taking the time to communicate with me, a lowly poster.

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Junior defensive back  Ishie Ouriduri had to have sugery on his left shoulder.He is going to be out for the foreseeable future.

This leaves us with a bunch of talented but green DBs

Mack says this has become a real concern for the team.The FAU  all conference quarterback will be taking dead aim at Muschamp's defense.Let's hope we can avoid any more injuries untill Akina can coach up these kids.

While some of the features of BON 2.0 might be considered 'take it or leave it,' depending on your preferences, one of the new site functionalities we'd really love to see everyone take advantage of is Event Tagging.

When composing a Fan Post or Fan Shot for BON, authors will always have the option to tag the story using the various mechanisms on the right side of the posting page (shaded in blue). Note that one such mechanism is labeled "Events"; with it, an author can tag his story to a specific game/event in the site database. The beauty of the system is that all content tagged to any given event will appear on that game's event page.

For example, I've now tagged four stories to the Florida Atlantic-Texas game. By clicking on the "COMPLETE COVERAGE" button at the bottom of the "Upcoming Game" box in the left sidebar of BON's main page, a reader will be taken to the contest's game page.

Of all the tagging tools available on this site (there are many, they all are wonderful), this is by far the most useful. This site is driven in no small part by community-generated content; if all of you start event tagging when posting an item relating to a specific game, we'll all be the better for it by being able to browse pre-sorted game-relevant content in one tidy page.

And now, in case you struggle with basic drop down menus, some pictures. Hooray.

The only possible confusion might arise from that top right menu, which you'll need to change to 'Upcoming' for a game not yet played. If, however, you're writing on a Monday about the past Saturday's game, you'll leave the menu in the 'Completed' slot and choose the appropriate game before clicking 'add'.

It's that simple. Thanks in advance.

Several Longhorns were drafted or were picked up as undrafted free agents, but I'll just focus on the ones that were drafted because they aren't in danger of being cut (Marcus Griffin, for instance, was cut before July).  The four drafted were Limas Sweed, Jamaal Charles, Jermichael Finley, and Tony Hills.  Of the four, I think Limas Sweed will have the biggest impact his rookie year, and I'm sure most people would agree.

Sweed is coming off a wrist injury, but he seems fine and I really think he landed in a good place.  Many people were a bit annoyed that Tennessee didn't grab him to help Vince, and while I too would have liked to see VY and Sweed together again, going to Pittsburgh is probably better for Sweed.  I also think the Steelers got a steal, because my biased self thinks that Sweed was the best all-around receiver in the draft, possessing the best combination of speed, size, leaping ability, hands, and agility.  He is just as fast or faster than the receivers his size, such as Malcom Kelly, and bigger than the receivers faster than him, such as Desean Jackson.  While bad for Texas, the Steelers are probably happy that Sweed got hurt and subsequently dropped to them late in Round 2, but I digress...

At any rate, Sweed will not have to be thrown into the fire and will have the luxury of easing on in.  If Willie Parker can rebound from his injury, the Steelers will once again sport a strong running game, which is now complemented by Mendenhall, a threat that opposing defenses must respect first and foremost.  That leaves the passing game with a bit more space to work with, led by Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Santonio Holmes.  Thus, Sweed will have little pressure on him in the beginning and can present mismatches because of his size and speed, especially since teams will have no choice but to pay close attention to Holmes and Ward.  I think Big Ben is absolutely giddy with the weapons he has:  He has a run game with Willie Parker and Mendenhall and pass targets that include Ward, Holmes, and now Sweed (and Miller isn't a bad tight end).  I expect Sweed to begin to emerge by midseason as a redzone threat that will strain opposing defenses who have a several other players to worry about.  He can also cause headaches if opposing teams are forced to grant him single coverage with their third or fourth corners.

Basically, he's in a situation where he's playing with a Pro Bowl quarterback with a big arm, a running game that will keep the safeties honest, and a passing game where other receivers are featured and will attract the attention.  He may not put up gaudy, fantasy friendly numbers, but I think he'll present the big target Big Ben wants and contribute nicely.

As for the others, Charles seems to have grabbed himself the #2 spot and will receive touches as LJ's complement.  He also will contribute on special teams.  Finley may fit in the Packers pass attack nicely, but he doesn't have Favre throwing to him and he still needs to work on his blocking if he wants to see the field more often.  I have no idea about Tony Hills; I haven't seen him much at all.

In any case, I'm not just saying Sweed because he happened to be picked first.  I think he simply landed in a great spot for his skills to develop.  However, I am sure there are some people who feel that either JC or Finley will have the more impactful rookie season, so I'd love to hear from them.  Charles has already received rave reviews on his speed and quickness and, because he's currently the return man for Kansas City, may receive a whole lot more touches than Sweed.  One could make a good argument that him touching the ball 10-15 times a game as the #2 back and as the returner is much more impactful than Sweed's role.  Maybe so.  In any case, I hope both have good years.

edit:  By the way, I am aware the Charles in injured but I don't know how serious it is.  Will be ready by the season?  Obviously, he can't be in this discussion if he isn't playing.

Hey, I'm a transplanted Michigan fan based in West Texas with the Air Force and was hoping to catch a Texas game while I'm here, specifically the opener against FAU.  I was wondering where the best places are to tailgate, eat, and drink?  Also, how difficult is it going to be to get tickets for this game?  Bsically, If someone could write a quick guide to tailgating in Austin it'd be amazing.  Any other help you'd like to throw me would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.  Go Blue, Hook Em!

Well, hello there fellers... Long time no post. This is just a quick one, and it's a question no less!

Does anyone know if/how I can order the FAU game via Directv? (I only have satellite out on our place.)

Thanks y'all... I look forward to catching up with y'all, soon!

-Bombilla "The One Your Dad Wishes He Could Be" Shooter

PS: Oops, looks like I need to type 10 more...

What follows is a good example of what much of the sporting public gets as "news." It's why sites like this are invaluable to the true fan.

This appears today in one of the state's major dailies:

"The Longhorns remain unsettled at tailback and will likely use sophomore Vondrell McGee and senior Chris Ogbannaya in the opener. . . . Redshirt freshman Fozzy Whittaker is unlikely to play while nursing a minor knee injury."

And: "Brown said the Longhorns are unlikely to play in any three-wide receiver sets with the lack of a proven third wideout behind Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley."

Now, I know this reporter. He's a good guy, works hard, has covered the Longhorns for 5-6 years. He had access to the same (brief) MB news conference yesterday morning that all of us had. He wrote the above under his "depth chart notes." Note: the quoted items above are the writer's words, not the coach's.

Like way too much of the printed info the public gets, these statements are inaccurate.

Mack did say Whittaker had fallen behind because of a minor injury; Mack did not say Whittaker was unlikely to play. MB also did not say anything about not using three-receiver sets; he said the team might open with two tight ends and was not prepared to list a third starting receiver.

Such misinformation makes outlets like this one (THANK YOU, PB) all the more important.

Texas A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane's questionable status because of a lingering neck injury will be a big matter of concern until he returns to practice. And it could be an even bigger matter for the Aggies if he doesn't respond quickly to treatment -- mainly because of the Aggies' lack of depth at the position. Lane, a 6-foot, 285-pound senior, sustained a stinger in practice Aug. 13 and hasn't seen action in contact drills since then. A&M coach Mike Sherman said that Lane has had trouble coping with headaches and still hasn't been cleared to play for the Aggies' opener Saturday night against Arkansas State.

I have to say I was a bit nervous about facing Goodson out of the I formation with Lane clearing a path about him. What does this do to Sherman's offensive scheme? I feel for the Aggies having to face Miami if he's still not cleared to play.

that I will be missing all but two games this year.  I will be here, and by here I mean the USA, for the FAU and UTEP games, but two days after the UTEP game I will be on a plane and headed to an all expense paid trip to a vacation hotspot I like to call Kirkuk, Iraq.  My wife has promised to DVR all the games for me, but I will not be able to hold off catching scores for almost 5 months so, hopefully I can keep up with you guys as best I can.

I've also spent the past two weeks going through some awesome training for this deployment so coming back today and reading some of these posts has been awesome.

Anyway, I look forward to reading BON as much as I can and hopefully keeping up with how the games actually went since we have such a great fanbase here at BON.

 

HOOK EM!

 

Kirk