Everyone makes the New Year's resolution as lose weight, shed the credit card debt, quite that annoying, or unhealthy habit. We can do this for sports as well, some may be off the wall and some seem down right logical(!) This idea came from the most recent ESPN the Magazine which did something similar. So, some could be the same but here we go.
Change the traditional football view to a sky cam
Think about it the reason there is a view that is perpendicular to the the action is because when games first started to be broadcast that was the only way. Today their is technology to provide a 'video game' view which is a way to really see the action develop from the lineman and defensive front seven schemes. That view is how teams go back and evaluate to see what is going on.
ESPN had something called Full Circle which was a bonanza of different coverages of one event on all of their networks and one view was the sky cam. That is not exactly the same as the view I am proposing but it is the closest thing, but Full Circle is canceled, but if you watch NBC.com's NFL coverage that view is an option.
This view would make fans more knowledgeable and see why a running back made that cut or how they got in that hole without having to wait for the replay. The only downside is on deep plays when receivers go too far down field as they would exit the screen, and the only solution would be to widen out the screen which would make it more busy. That view would be pretty sweet to see a pulling guard take out a linebacker when teams run a triple option or to see how a shovel pass develops.
The only problem that I see is on pass plays that could be hard to keep a good view on the game which is why the traditional length wide view is still necessary to keep the flow of the game going.
Get rid of the possession arrow
This seems really obvious for the NCAA to change and would not give the team that made the effort to cause a jump but end up not having the ball because of the arrow. Everyone should be in agreement with this.
The E-Coin Toss
This is a preemptive strike on this topic. The idea is that the fans can watch the toss on the scoreboard via an electronic chip that is in the coin and see the results... oh a second or so before the ref talks. Ooh we all know the coin toss before the ref says it. The real reason for this is the reason any one days anything: money. There is a pending website with a little info for this new (and hopefully soon obsolete technology) electronic coin toss idea which was featured during tonight's Liberty Bowl for their over time toss. Here is the real reason for this idea, and why it will unfortunately come to a stadium near you:
"It shows the coin toss in real-time on the stadium display (or TV). "The audience looks at the display and also sees advertising. "The sponsor's ad. gets all kinds of attention!" "Advertising revenue is enhanced."
Of course it comes down to people trying to squeeze that extra money out of whatever they can.
Make pass interference calls spot fouls
Not all pass interference calls are equal. The NFL has this one right with the spot foul. In college if a player gets beat deep it would be to the defenders advantage to just tackle the receiver when they are 50 yards down filed. I am surprise that defenders do not try this more often. This is another perceived logical choice just like the jump ball.
Expand the NCAA hoops tournament with a twist
Not to the 96 teams that has been recently projected, but rather to 68 teams so that there is not that farce that is the play in opening round game. By adding three at-large spots which is not a big deal would make that opening round an event. This could be a nice double header on the Wednesday prior to the opening round with the winners playing Friday. Also, make these four spots at-large berths and not an automatic bid team. I know a tournament is seeded from top to bottom and these spots should go to the lowest seeded teams. That would mean the Sun Belts, Northeastern Conference, SWAC, and the other low majors would be playing in this game ever year. Rather by pitting the lowest rated at-large teams -- or last four in-- this would make for better games that would be from the caliber of the Missouri Valley and above. Those two games would be much more fun to watch, while giving the typical low majors a chance to participate in the 'actual' first round of the NCAA tournament and participate in the fanfare that goes along with that weekend.
Eliminate FCS games
This would create better matchups in the preseason which are lacking for the most part in college football today. Now, this would not immediately bring on matchups between Texas and Florida, or Penn State against Oregon, but that would eliminate teams from paying for wins or in the case of the 2007 Michigan Wolverines a loss. There would still be North Texas vs. Texas Tech or New Mexico State vs. UCLA; while those are not games they are playing by the same 85 scholarship limit.
Player/Ref Cam
With all the technology out there with the spy shops and cameras that fit on a button, why not add these cameras to the officials or players uniform for a unique view. The player cam would work best in football, baseball, hockey, and lacrosse; while it could be done in basketball it might be difficult to find a way to add it to a player that is not intrusive to the player. This would not be a full view of the entire game but highlights or snip-its would be a sweet innovation.
The running clock
Why does NCAA hoops have a running clock and only play a 40 minute game? More points is always better and a running clock -- to my best estimation -- loses about one to two seconds per made basket could add up to more points per game. In a game that is 70-60 could have 50 field goals made and could add almost two minutes of clock time to a game. That amount is not enough to drag a game along, but would add some more points on the board.
Overtime
Both the college and NFL overtime rules are a joke the NFL team that gets the toss is basically the winner, while in the college game the team can move the ball zero yards but still have a shot at points with an average kicker. Also, in the college game punting and kickoffs are not even used. My suggestion would be to have a coin toss at the start of overtime to determine who gets the ball, each team gets one possession, and if it is still tied then it is sudden death -- no ties. Yes, if both teams score the winner of the coin toss still gets an advantage with first crack in sudden death, however they would have to score and stop the other team so that advantage is minimized. This way would provide some more excitement and actually use all three phases of the game instead of in the college where a punter and return man is not even used.
Playoffs instead of the BCS
This one is real too easy and everyone knows my position on this, and if you do not check out this link.
Bring your ideas to the table or comment on the one's I listed.