Clemson football: CBS suggests four out-of-the-box rule changes

CBS suggests four out-of-the-box rule changes that Clemson football fans would probably hate

The Clemson football team will enter the 2021 season as one of the top contenders for the National Title, but unfortunately we’re going to have to wait quite a while before we see the Tigers in a competitive matchup.

Though Clemson football will play the annual Orange & White Spring Game the first Saturday in April, it will be nearly six months before we see the Tigers suit up and take the field in real competition.

When you have that much time away from a sport that is so widely love, fans are left with nothing more to do than have discussions about unrealistic aspects that we all know aren’t going to happen. Still, it can be fun nonetheless.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli presented four out-of-the-box rule changes that Clemson football fans will likely hate, but still they are interesting.

Here’s a look at the four rule changes given by Fornelli:

1. Offenses are not allowed to go for it on fourth down without picking up at least one first down.
2. Forcing a three-and-out should be worth points.
3. Longer field goals should be worth more points.
4. You only get three downs in overtime.

Clemson football fans don’t want to speed the game up, at least most don’t

Most of the time when we’re talking rule changes, we’re talking about speeding the game up so that it doesn’t last three, sometimes close to four hours. Fornelli’s fourth proposed rule change is exactly for that reason.

Personally, I’m completely fine with the game as it is. I don’t want to see changes and I am fine with how long a game takes. We only get to see (tops) 15 a year. We only get to have three months of regular season per year. True fans are going to cherish every moment and they’re certainly not going to want it shortened just for the sake of shortening it.

As far as the other three rules are concerned, they seem a bit too ‘gimmicky,’ like something you’d see in the XFL, but not College Football.

Who determines the threshold of how much a field goal should be worth? Why should a defense be penalized for stopping a team at the 40-yard line versus giving up less points had they stopped them at the 20-yard line?

In the end, these are just fun discussions. They don’t have anything to do with real rule changes that could come about and need to be treated as such.