Editor’s Note: NCAA Rules.

It will be helpful to quickly review Part I of this series for background. We can then continue through the NCAA Rule Book with our quest for simplification of interpretation and more “reader friendly” rules!

4.2.3.a...A ball not in player possession, other than a kick that scores a field goal, is out of bounds when it touches the ground, a player, or a game official or anything else that is on or outside a boundary line. Again, we have a case of overstating the obvious. If the ball touches “anything”, that includes all things listed. Therefore, the rule could simply state, “A ball not in player possession, other than a kick that scores a field goal, is out of bounds when it touches anything on or outside the boundary line.”

6.5.3.a...“During a down in which a kick is made, no player of Team B shall make any illegal fair catch signal during a free kick or beyond the neutral zone during a scrimmage kick.” No need to double up the language and make it confusing, shorten the statement to, “No player of Team B shall make any illegal fair catch signal during a free kick down or beyond the neutral zone during a scrimmage kick down.”

6.5.3.c...“Illegal signals beyond the neutral zone apply only to Team B.” The rule is introduced by stating that Team B shall not make illegal signals. Why add to the bulk of the wordiness? This statement needs to be erased since it adds no meaning.

Continued...