It's high time for a change. (College Football Insider).(use of two-interval play clock during games; includes related article)(Brief Article)

Spot the ball. That's all West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez wants the officials to do. In his world, time is of the essence. The quicker the ball is spotted, the quicker his no-huddle offense can run a play. All the better to catch a defense off guard.

Rodriguez's cause may have received a boost from the NCAA's football rules committee. Starting this season, a two-interval play clock will be used on an experimental basis. With the clock, teams will have 45 seconds to snap the ball after it is called dead on the preceding play (in-bounds tackle, incomplete pass, etc.). If the game clock is stopped for administrative reasons (first down, change of possession, penalty, etc.), teams will have the standard 25 seconds to snap the ball after the referee gives the ready-for-play signal.

The 45-25 play-clock operation would be limited to conference games in leagues that choose to participate in the experiment. Data on the length of games, number of plays, number of delay-of-game penalties and other factors related to the play clock will be collected to assist the committee in determining whether to permanently adopt the two-interval system.

"Coaches are concerned over the difference in the number of seconds it takes to mark the ball ready for play from game to game," says NCAA football rules committee chair Donnie Duncan, who also is the senior associate commissioner of the Big 12. "The two-interval system may be a possible improvement, and this research will provide the committee with valuable information as it decides if the rule should be changed."

The current system features a 25-second play clock that begins counting down only after an official spots the ball. The problem is, some are snappy about getting the ball down while others are more deliberate. There is no consistency. But when a player is tackled inbounds in a game using the two-interval clock, the 45-second clock will start ticking before the ball is spotted. It's all about keeping the action moving.

"There was a lot of non-action out there after a play," says Rodriguez, who will be entering his second season at West Virginia. "Maybe guys weren't quick off the pile. I think this will help speed up the game. It also will force teams to play more football. There has been an interest in speeding up the game because TV has slowed it down. I think it will have the officials manage the ball quicker."

Ah, yes, TV. It's important to keep the product attractive to viewers. The interval-clock system should help create more action, which should keep fans interested. As it is, games on the tube can drag on with extended commercial breaks. For instance, televised SEC games last year averaged 3 hours, 16 minutes. Those not on TV took just three hours.