Nick Saban 'kind of' in favor of NCAA's proposed clock changes, but raises serious concerns

Changes are coming to college football, particularly when it comes to the clock. Count Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a supporter of the new rules — at least, some of them.

The NCAA proposed three new rules last week to try and improve the pace of play. If approved, the rules would prohibit consecutive timeouts and untimed downs at the end of the first and third quarters. In addition, the clock would continue to run after first downs except in the final two minutes of the half.

Saban told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger he’s “kind of” in favor of the clock running after a first down. But another potential rule change involved the clock running after the ball is spotted following an incomplete pass. The coach might not support that one.

“I’m kind of for the first down thing, but I’m an old NFL guy. I’m not quite as in favor of the incomplete pass,” Saban said. “You throw a pass 50 yards down the field, it takes people time to get back, and now the clock is running? If you talk to the fans, they think the game stoppages for [replay] review are too long. What the NFL has done, where the guy doesn’t go over and always has to look in the thing and that decision gets made by video review quickly, I think that would help it.

“I lived in the NFL where you had to throw the flag out there [to challenge]. You don’t have time. Unless it’s an obvious mistake, you really don’t have time between plays and if the other team knows there’s a controversy, they are going to go fast so you have less time. I like the college system better. I think it needs to be implemented in a better way.”

Nick Saban weighs in on the idea of coaches’ challenges in college football

Saban again pointed to his NFL experience when talking about coaches’ challenges at the college level. Right now, in college, a timeout is called if a coach wants a review. In the NFL, coaches have to throw a red flag before the snap.

That’s a quick turnaround — one Saban didn’t like when he coached in the league.

“I didn’t like it in the NFL, because you never had a legitimate chance to review the play,” Saban said. “The way they do it now, if they are reviewing the play or if they think it needs to be reviewed, they hit the buzzer and stop the play. In the NFL, you don’t have a chance to do that. Somebody in the press box has to say right now ‘That is a fumble!’ You’re not going to get it right doing it that way.

“When I was coach of the Dolphins, if we were playing on the road and there was a controversial play and they didn’t show it on the big screen, I’d throw the flag out there because I knew, if it was in their favor, they’d be showing it. [Coaches] in the press box, it’s hard. You don’t have all the views. Maybe you have one view. You wouldn’t get it right doing it that way.”