mGrowOld

November 19th, 2010 at 12:24 PM ^

I cant believe people arent seeing this for what it is.  This is the NCAA's answer to the NHL's "you pickem" All Star game promotion.  Delany saw all the positive press hockey was getting for using schoolyard techniques for a modern game and wanted some of that for himself.

So obvious really.

iawolve

November 19th, 2010 at 2:37 PM ^

This should not be any sort of surprise in the least. Someone had to saw, "let's play a game at Wrigley" and somebody else had to, I mean had to, say "ok, this is what it would look like, are you cool with this fit?". It would defy logic if that discussion did not take place. It would be like your builder finishing your house and then asking if it is ok that your living room now extends into your neighbor's garage so he could keep the square footage shown on the plan.

emGeauxBleu

November 19th, 2010 at 11:30 AM ^

did NOT think this out well at all. Why didn't they just put the field like it was back in the day when they did it? It looks like they switched the orientation of the field

MH20

November 19th, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^

With the added seats over the years, bringing the fans closer to the foul lines, it would have been just as tight a fit to do it that way (i.e., when the Bears played at Wrigley).

This is a colossal fuck-up on the part of all parties involved in planning this debacle.  I suppose you have to give them some credit for realizing this today, and not, say, tomorrow, 15 minutes before kickoff.  Actually, no, no credit is deserved.  This is just an all-around fucking disaster .

jtmc33

November 19th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^

What are you talking about?!?!?!  It was planned out perfectly:

Priority #1:   $ for Wrigley

Priority #2:  $ for N'Western and Illinois

Priority #3:  $ for the City of Chicago

Priority #4:  $ for the buisinesses in Wrigleyville

Priority #5:  Integrity for the NCAA and Big 10

Priority #6:  Football

treetown

November 19th, 2010 at 4:48 PM ^

Agree with your analysis of the thought process. Somewhere along the line, the basic background work wasn't done ..."hmmm it's been a long time since FB has been played there and with all of our rules about distances and separation I wonder how we should configure the field inside the stadium. Let's get a set of plans, a ruler, and do some drawings and see if it is even doable."

This is not a proud moment for Northwestern, Illinois or the Big Ten bureaucracy...basically no one checked! Everyone assumed someone else had done the background work.

Would this be a "legal" game by the rules of FB? If the field isn't regulation for play - and this sort of swapping back and forth seem very irregular, would the game count? Have there been HS or other college games where one part of the field was crappy (e.g. standing water) and so both teams played towards the opposite end. Anyone know of any other examples of this?

Alton

November 19th, 2010 at 11:23 PM ^

The closest I can come to answering that question is Rule 1-2-8-b:  "Any markers or obstructions within the playing enclosure but outside the limit lines constituting a hazard shall be reported to game management by the referee.  Final determination of corrective action shall be the responsibility of game management."  That last sentence almost gives a blank check to "game management" (the Big Ten office) to come up with a solution.

In the end, though, that's pretty weak.  There are several game rules that will be violated during this game, and the rule book states that "game conduct rules" (including allowing teams to choose their direction after the coin flip, and mandating switching sides at the end of a quarter) may not be altered.  I think that if I were an official assigned to the game, I would try very hard to decline the assignment.  It's a lose-lose situation.

Both teams have a very good argument that this isn't a "real" NCAA football game, because the officials have been instructed not to follow the NCAA football rules.

You ask how this happened.  It's obvious--somebody measured the field and said, "no problem--we have 120 yards.  That's all we need."

mGrowOld

November 19th, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^

OMG this is beyond funny.  I'm going to be at the game on Saturday but rest assured the NU game is going to getting DVR'd in my house.  WTF are they going to do on turnovers?  Blow the whistle mid-play or just have everyone turn around once they hit the 50? 

Sounds like a halfcourt basketball game to me.