NCAA Closes Loophole Oregon Exploited to Gain Advantage in Win Over Ohio State

A new interpretation of a rule that previously allowed teams to gain an advantage by committing penalties has been announced by NCAA coordinator of officials Steve Shaw. The change comes after Oregon exploited a loophole in the rules by having 12 players on the field during a key play late in their game against Ohio State. The Ducks were able to run valuable time off the clock despite being penalized, ultimately securing a victory. Under the new interpretation, if a team is flagged for having too many players on the field, officials will reset the game clock to the amount of time that was left prior to the infraction to prevent any advantage from penalty situations. Shaw emphasized that the goal is to ensure there is no benefit for a team committing a penalty and to eliminate any potential clock advantage gained from rule violations. This change aims to maintain fairness and competitive balance in college football games moving forward. The updated interpretation closes the loophole that allowed Oregon to benefit from a penalty situation and ensures that teams cannot exploit the rules to gain an advantage in critical moments of a game.

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