For two seasons, the NCAA football rules committee has been tinkering with procedures regarding when the game clock starts and stops.
The first changes came before the 2006-07 season, and were intended to shorten the length of games by 15 minutes.
Rule 3-2-5 had the clock start on kickoffs when the ball is kicked instead of when the receiving team touches it. And rule 3-2-5-e had the clock start on a change of possession when the ball was marked ready for play and not when it was snapped.
When these rules were announced, there was a large outcry against them. Critics and coaches said that game management would be fundamentally affected and that records could not be broken with so many fewer plays.
So how did the changes affect that football season for Penn?
The combined scoring of both teams dropped from 47.3 in 2005-06 to 40 in 2006-07 for the Quakers.
And they themselves averaged 4.7 fewer points.
However, total plays were only mildly affected, going from 136.8 per game in 2005-06 to 134.1 in 2006-07.
And the difference in the length of games?
Well, they did get shorter. By a minute. Average length went from 181 minutes to 180.
The effects across the NCAA were much more dramatic, as games got 14 minutes shorter.
But that also came at the cost of, on average, five points per game nationally and 66 offensive yards.
Considering the relative weakness of the Ivy League, it's no surprise that scoring would be down more in that conference than across the nation.
The 2006-07 changes favored defenses, since they would be on the field for less time per game and, consequently, not become as tired.
With fewer plays per game to get things done, offenses were compelled to take more low-percentage shots down the field.
Going into this season, the NCAA, upon further review of the changes, overturned them - and many feel that the game is the better for it.
"Overall, the [2006-07] changes did not have a positive effect on college football," rules committee director Michael Clark told USA Today before this season.
Sure, Quakers fans have to sit in Franklin Field's bleachers for five more minutes this year, but they're getting some extra football out of it - a hair over ten plays per game and 3.9 total points over the last season.
Unfortunately for Penn, the team itself is not benefiting much from these changes: Scoring for the squad is up less than a point per game from the 2006-07 season, and that includes 42-point and 59-pointgames against Georgetown and Columbia so far already this season.
