Golden Nuggets: Pausing the proposal to pause up-tempo offenses and Jeopardy! finals viewing thread

Is it too late to put a hold on the plans to riot and storm the NCAA lair with flaming pitchforks?

By Leland Wong Feb 20, 2014, 3:30pm PST

Jeopardy!'s College Championship finals will air tonight (Thursday) and tomorrow, featuring Berkeley junior Kevin Shen! Consider this your viewing thread to cheer on Shen, show off your trivia prowess, and Go Bears with the rest of us!

Just last week, news broke that the NCAA Football Rules Committee was considering implementing a rule that would prohibit offenses from snapping the ball for at least ten seconds, giving opposing defenses time for substitutions. This week, the NCAA Football Rules Committee's chairman, Troy Calhoun, stated that he would like to wait for solid evidence linking up-tempo offenses to defensive injuries before making any changes to any rules (video autoplays).

"The key is this: I think the only way that it can or it should become a rule is if it is indeed a safety concern. And that can't be something that's a speculation or a possibility," Calhoun said Tuesday afternoon. "I think there's got to be something empirical there where you realize, 'Yep, this truly is a health matter' in terms of not being able to get a defensive player off the field."

Calhoun hasn't seen such data because it doesn't exist, according to Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, one of many hurry-up, no-huddle proponents who became outraged last week when the committee proposed a controversial rule aimed at slowing down such offensive schemes -- a measure allegedly intended to improve player safety.

"There's absolutely zero documented evidence that is hazardous on the pace of play, only opinions," Malzahn told reporters Tuesday.

Like the rule or not, I at least appreciate Calhoun's logic to wait for some solid evidence and to invite more experts to the conversation.

The heated reaction to the rule proposal convinced Calhoun that it would be advisable to have more widespread involvement with his committee, which includes six coaches and six administrators who represent all levels of NCAA football.

"I think what you learn, especially after going through this, is I think you need to have more and more coaches involved in terms of possibilities," Calhoun said. "Probably the other thing too is just, if it really is a safety matter, to have more medical people present too."

I implore you to watch this very touching footage from the candlelight vigil held to honor Ted Agu. A memorial service for Ted will be held at Haas Pavilion on Monday night at 6:30 p.m.

Rugby

Women's Water Polo

Kelly McKee blogs about the team's past week, including meeting with a sports psychologist

Baseball

Check out the intro video used for the series against Texas
Freshman Daulton Jeffries is the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for his pitching in his Cal debut in a shutout of Texas
Allen Craig will be playing with a Cal-emblazoned bat knob

Several StL Cardinals players will be using bat knob decals with the logos of their alma maters: pic.twitter.com/9rz2rm40ow
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) February 18, 2014

Men's Golf

The Golden Bears have a 7-stroke lead after the first round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate

Women's Basketball

Time to honor our four seniors on Saturday!

Men's Basketball

No. 23 UCLA demolished Cal at home, 86–66
Footage from the post-game press conference with Mike Montgomery, Jordan Mathews, and Jabari Bird

Men's Soccer

The Pac-12 Network will have an upcoming short on the Pac-12 Sports Report featuring Christian Dean, the third-overall pick in the MLS Draft, and his unique relationship with his brother, Stanfurd's Josh Heustis

Football

A very kind gesture from Mike Riley and the OSU Beavers sending their condolences to our team

Thank you @OSUBeaversFB & @beaverathletics for your kind thoughts. #Pac12Family #GoBears #GoBeavs @BennytheBeaver pic.twitter.com/N4Iho9BtiH
— Oski Bear (@Oski) February 19, 2014

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