Less is more. Up is down. Black is white.

Make sure you read this depressing post at EDSBS about the new, improved (for the third straight season!) clock rules.

And pay particular attention to this quote from Michael Clark, the head of the NCAA Football Rules committee, the group responsible for this latest travesty:

“NFL studies showed that adding the 25-40 clock will actually add 4 to 5 plays per game based on consistent pace of play. BCS Football and officials themselves were for this change. With the ready for play, live ball out of bounds rules, (This happens about 12 times per game, with on average 3 of those in last 2 minutes) we should get the same amount of plays in a time span that is a few minutes shorter. For the record it is BCS football, TV, Conference Commissioners with lengthy seasons and television that leads the push for faster games. The Committee’s stance is that the game has given about all it can give back without a negative influence on product. Next move will have to be from Administrators or Television themselves. It is still a great game. MC”

Like Orson, I don’t get the committee’s version of the new math, but as murky as the logic appears to be in the first three sentences, what’s said in the next three is both clear and sad.

Television is our master.

Sure, he’s not happy about it, and I’ll give Clark a couple of brownie points for not hiding his feelings on the subject.

But even with that, Clark still can’t bring himself to draw a line in the sand completely. “The Committee’s stance is that the game has given about all it can give back without a negative influence on product.” “About all”? About? What hole cards has the committee held back at this point?

I said sarcastically in an earlier post that this was all about finding a happy medium and that the broadcast folks would let us know when the football wonks hit the sweet spot. Little did I know how true that is.

I hate to beat the dead horse here, but this is why it’s near impossible for me to accept anyone’s assurance that any small change to the D-1 postseason will be a final step. Seriously, why should we expect any difference in behavior when it comes to the subject of playoffs? Once that’s in motion, nothing will stop until the networks say so.

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UPDATE: Orson backtracks on the fuzzy math issue. That doesn’t affect my point on the second part of Clark’s quote, though.

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UPDATE #2:  SMQ thinks Orson may have been too hasty with his concession.