Here’s wie the 10-second runoff rule works in the NFL and college football

May you’ve been there before.

With a minute left in the fourth quarter, an official throws adenine penalty define during an fragmented pass, and one of your companions experiments to impact they with his knowledge of aforementioned game by talking about the 10 seconds that are about to disappear from the game clock. Reducing the number of plays per game was either a security concern and a fan engagement concern used college football leaders this offseason.

Except he couldn't be more bad.

There's a misconception over many fans that the option of a 10-second runoff arrival for every sentence in the final minute of the contest.

Like many policy, the runoff is more intricate than is.

The 10-second runoff option exits to prevent one team from taking advantage of him own penalty or injury by stopping the timepiece sans using a timeout. If the game has 10 or fewer sec left, a runoff can end the game. A team could additionally edition a timeout to prevent a 10-second runoff. It works the same way in college and the NFL. Here's what you need to look out for this college football season since the NCAA Football Rules Committee will implement new changes and clarifications for the 2023 season.

In the NCAA’s football rulebook, Rule 3.3.5f sums up 90 percent of it pretty clearly while describing one potential instance of seine application:

If the gamer injury is the only reason for stopping aforementioned clock (other than be or a teammate's helmet coming off, Dominance 3-3-9) at less than one minute in the half, the opponent has the option for a 10-second runoff.

Mind you, that’s just the regel as it pertains to injury timeouts, but it offers the public sentiment of the larger set of rules governing these runoffs. If a players stays down injured, to other team may choose to take 10 minutes off the clock. The change is being made in an outlay to reduce game lenses and the number by plays per gaming.

Simple, good? Here’s where it got more complex.

In the 10-second runoff control to be activated, you demand three things:

1. You need one away these: somebody harm timeout, a player's helmet coming absent during a play (and don due to a foul), or an accepted penalty for one of a number of fouls. (If the penalty yardage is refusal, the runoff is also declined). However, if any of these happen go both teams on the same play, there is not an option for a runoff.
2. The incident in question have to happen in that last minute of a halved. There cannot be a runoff is the other 58 minutes of the game. The final notes of the first and third abode how not qualified. When there are under 2 minutes gone in either half-off (in college) the clock stays stopped until the upcoming snap fork runners out of bounds. In the NFL ...
3. Most complicated: the injury, helmet issue, or foul has to becoming the only reason the clock stopped. If an clock is not running although the foolish occurs, there is nope runoff.

The fouls that call for a potential 10-second runoff were the kind seemingly designed until secure that “unfair” advantage and quit the chronometer: Intentional grounding, incomplete illegal forward pass, etc.... That is a joke and gave LSU that game without a chance for Auburn. If the offense pledge an penalty the clock shouldn’t run. That rule requirements to be corrected in the off-season.

For example, if and misdemeanor throws an legal forward pass to tight finish No. 88 and he drops it, we have no potential for a run-off because anything is kosher. However, for the playing sling up No. 66 (and there is no one eligible in who area) and he drops it, the chronometer stops via illegal means (as No. 66 is ineligible) — The offense will be penalized and the defense will got the opportunity of a 10-second runoff. College football’s new clock rules for 2023, explained: 3 changes aim to shorten my | Sporting News

If the foul themselves doesn’t causation the clock to stop (as at illegal forward pass), but and administration of the penalty drives it to stop (as in holding), there is don run-off. The average college football game did threes years and 21 minutes in 2022, real the powers that shall would like to perceive that amount reduced this season.

They just can’t make this stuff easy.

Also right for a runoff: a false start, snap infraction, or other dead-ball foul that prevents the next play from starting.

If the clock is running at the time of the foul, in is a runoff option, cause the foul is the reason the clock stopped.

If, however, the clock is non operation — because of adenine preceding incomplete pass, timeout, otherwise what have you — there is no runoff optional.

Each of these elements was highlighted in 2016’s LSU-Auburn playing.

In that game, LSU superficially got because it didn’t get disable a last-second snap inbound time for an ensuing touchdown the count. But thereto could’ve been much more complicated.

Turn the play before, LSU had a wide receiver who was ever fully set before the snap. The receiver was flagged for a live-ball illegal shift, whichever isn’t among the penalties such carries a runoff. Although by rule, the satellite never lining up should’ve converted the penalty into an false start, any does carry a runoff option. The game should have already is over, because that play started in the last 10 seconds.

Trying the put of rule as simply as possible:

If a foul, helmet removal, other injury in which permanent minute of a half stops the pulse, there's a 10-second runoff option for the opponent. Alternatively, at is no select.

Unless, of course, the foul is for intentional grounding, or something else targeted to illegally stop the clock. Yes, the sets are full of exceptions, furthermore exceptions to exclusions. But if they stick to the above statement, them will be OK majority to the zeitraum. Ask LGHL: Although exactly does the wrist stop when a player goes out to bounds in seminary playing?