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Eliminating no-huddle offenses would be a big mistake for the NCAA


When I read that some coaches want to ban no-huddle offenses from football, I initially thought it was the NFL being, well, the No Fun League.

But no, I was taken by surprise that some coaches from the NCAA — the mecca of no-huddle football — are supporting a proposal to limit no-huddle offenses by allowing defenses to take as long as 10 seconds to substitute players.

According to the proposal that NCAA has drafted, any offense that snaps the ball off within the first 10 seconds off the play clock would be assessed a “delay of game” penalty.

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Go home NCAA, you’re drunk.

No-huddle offenses that are exciting to watch make up a big reason why a lot of fans like me prefer college football to the NFL. Teams should be able to take advantage of their players’ speed in any way they can.

While I can see how a quick-tempo offense can maybe lead to more injuries, there is no evidence exactly how much more risk it puts players in, as NCAA Football Rules Committee chairman Troy Calhoun acknowledged Tuesday.

There are a lot of other things the NCAA could do to prevent injuries, like reforming extra points or eliminating kickoffs as my colleague pointed out. But don't sacrifice one of the major aspects of college football that draws fans to games.

Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion


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