Pac-12 hoping to improve pace of games for fans
The Pac-12 will shorten halftime and reduce the number of commercial breaks during its nonconference schedule this season as part of a trial program to reduce the length of its football games.
Halftime will be 15-minutes long, cut down from the usual 20-minute break. The number of commercial breaks will be reduced and they will be shorter in length, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said Wednesday.
Scott announced the initiative as the Pac-12 kicked off its media days in Hollywood. The experiment is intended to shorten ballooning game times in an era of up-tempo offenses running more plays and the increased scoring that comes with it.
“Just because metrics show robust ratings and attendance doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be experimenting and piloting with formats that will keep the sport attractive,” Scott said. “It’s incumbent on us to look at the presentation of the sport and make sure the pace of play is moving as much as possible and without changing the fundamentals of the game.”
Scott did not completely dismiss potential rule changes in the future to address the length of games, saying that the upcoming experiment was part of a larger, more comprehensive review.
Scott noted that Pac-12 games have averaged nearly 3 hours and 30 minutes, more than 30 minutes longer than NFL games. Some of that discrepancy can be attributed to stopping the clock after first downs in college football, a rule not used in the NFL.
The halftime reduction could be a significant incentive to keep television viewers tuned in. Scott said up to 30 percent of the audience is lost during that break.
The changes could also have a positive effect on stadium attendance since Pac-12 fans have complained about the increase in late starts under the conference’s most recent television deal. Fans might be more likely to watch a game in-person on a Thursday or Saturday night if they have a chance to get home before midnight.
USC, UW pegged as conference favorites
Southern California is the preseason pick to win the Pac-12 in a poll of football media, and defending champion Washington is favored to win the North Division.
USC got 28 of 52 overall first-place votes, topping the Huskies’ 22. Both schools were clear favorites in their respective divisions, getting 49 of the 52 votes for the top spot.
A word of warning for the Trojans: The media has correctly picked the conference champion only twice in the last decade.
Freeze Foundation takes break
A charity founded by former Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze is taking a break from fundraising and will reconsider its future after the coach resigned amid what the school called a “pattern of personal misconduct.”
The Freeze Foundation’s stated mission is to “express God’s love by improving the quality of life for orphans and needy children.”
Executive director Alice Blackmon tells USA Today that the charity will honor its financial pledges. She says it has paused its fundraising efforts and will reassess its future at the end of the year.