Hugh Freeze reveals his take on potential NCAA rule changes to speed up the game

College football could be changing soon after the NCAA proposed some new pace of play rules. It’s led to widespread reaction about playing games in less time — and Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is the latest to weigh in.

An average FBS game lasted three hours and 21 minutes last year, Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger reported. The rule changes, which include a ban on consecutive timeouts and allow the clock to run after a first down outside of the last two minutes of the half, will look to fix that.

As far as Freeze sees it, though, he’s not sure the NCAA should make such changes.

“We have such a great product,” Freeze said. “When I’m sitting in those meetings — and I don’t have much of a voice — I just said in our last meeting I was in that our game is, I think, as exciting as any sport that is out there. I just hate to see us tinker with too many rules. I’m being told that that’s going to eliminate six to eight plays a game, possibly. It shouldn’t affect it terribly. … I don’t have an opinion yet. I will after the season, I’m sure.”

Hugh Freeze pitches idea of picture-in-picture commercials during college football games

Freeze pointed to how the NFL handles commercials as an idea to make college games go by faster. Networks use picture-in-picture during game breaks to show ads during NFL games. That’s something Freeze suggested for college games so TV timeouts don’t run too long.

He said that’s not meant to make the TV viewing experience better, though. He’s looking out for people who watch games in the stands.

“I’ve always been the one that says the people, in my opinion, that we should be truly trying to protect in the length of games is the people that are in Jordan-Hare Stadium,” Freeze said. “The people sitting on their couches — and they choose to do that. Great. I’m glad they’re tuning in. We need that. But the ones that can get up and go get a beverage and another piece of sausage and cheese plate in their kitchen and come back during the commercial.

“I’ve never understood why we don’t try to, maybe on the front end, maybe adopt what every other sport is doing now and that’s picture in picture and let’s just keep playing. I don’t know if the NFL model is — I think two of the timeouts of the quarter are picture-in-picture and they keep playing and one is, like, we experience.”