If a player is penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for actions that occurred during a play ending in a touchdown, but before the goal line was crossed, the touchdown will be nullified and the fifteen-yard penalty enforced from the spot of the foul. This change was made the year after Georgia receiverA. J. Green was called for a personal foul after catching a pass for a touchdown against LSU. The fifteen-yard penalty was assessed on the resulting kickoff, which helped LSU's position for the winning score.[2] In another game, North Dakota State defensive back Josh Gatlin pointed at the crowd at the seven-yard line before scoring a touchdown against South Dakota State. Gatlin received a penalty, but the touchdown was not taken back.[3] A similar proposal that would have nullified touchdowns for taunting or excessive celebration after the score failed to pass the NCAA Football Rules Committee.[4]
Due to how the fourth quarter ended in the2010 Music City Bowl, a 10-second runoff will be implemented (similar to the NFL rule adopted in1980) when a team commits a foul in the final minute of either half that results in a clock stoppage. The opposing team has the option to:
Take the penalty yardage and the 10 second runoff.
Take the penalty yardage and decline the 10 second runoff.
Decline both the penalty and the 10 second runoff.
Each half of a game can end due to a runoff of the game clock following a penalty. Teams can take a time-out to stop the clock and avoid the 10 second runoff. The new rule has been informally dubbed the "Dooley Rule", after thenTennessee head coachDerek Dooley.[5]
Video monitors will be allowed in coaches' booths to allow coaching staffs to determine whether they should challenge a call. The televisions will have access only to the live broadcast feed, with no video recorders. The technology, if made available at a stadium, must be provided to both teams.
Players lined up outside thetackle box—more specifically, those lined up more than 7 yards from the center—will now be allowed to block below the waist only if they are blocking straight ahead or toward the nearest sideline.
On placekicks, no offensive lineman can now be engaged by more than two defensive players. A violation will be a 5–yard penalty.
A three-man wedge is prohibited during kickoffs and punts. The penalty will be a fifteen-yard penalty from the spot of the foul, if non-contact, or from the end of the run, if contact.[6]
Players will no longer be required to wear pants that cover the knees.
The officials' uniforms were slightly changed. The shirt stripes are wider, they now wear black pants instead of white, and the initial of the official's role (ex. "R" for referee, "U" for umpire) is displayed on the front uniform pocket.
In addition, the NCAA recommends that conferences without a pregame warm-up policy should use a ten-yard, no-player zone between the 45-yard lines beginning 60 minutes before kickoff.[2]
On April 20, 2011,UMass announced that it would upgrade its football program to the FBS level and become a football-only member of theMid-American Conference beginning in 2012. Full FBS membership and eligibility for the conference championship and bowl games would follow in 2013.
On September 18, theAtlantic Coast Conference announced thatBig East Conference mainstaysPittsburgh andSyracuse had been officially accepted as the conference's 13th and 14th members. At the time, the two schools' departure date was uncertain, as Big East bylaws require a 27-month notice period for departing members. The earliest that Pitt and Syracuse could join the ACC was July 2014,[11] though later negotiations would allow Pitt and Syracuse to join in July 2013.
On September 26, theSoutheastern Conference announced thatTexas A&M would leave theBig 12 Conference and become the league's 13th member in July 2012.[12] Missouri also announced plans to depart the Big 12 to join the SEC on November 6, bringing SEC conference membership to 14 schools.[13]
Facing the imminent loss of four members, the Big 12 announced the addition ofTCU from theMountain West Conference on October 10.[14] In order to join the Big 12, TCU had to renege on an agreement it had made less than year earlier to join the Big East.[15]
On October 14, the Mountain West andConference USA announced their intention to merge their football operations and form a two-division, 22-team conference in hopes of earning an automatic qualifier to a BCS bowl.[16] The agreement was abandoned in 2012 after both conferences added new members.
The next change came on October 28, when theBig 12 formally acceptedWest Virginia from the Big East.[17] This move led to a legal battle in which West Virginia filed suit against the Big East to overturn the standard 27-month notice period, and the Big East suing in another court to have the requirement enforced.[13] In February 2012, the two parties reached a settlement that allowed West Virginia to join the Big 12 that July.[18] Several months later, both Pittsburgh and Syracuse reached their own settlements with the Big East that allowed them to leave for the ACC in July 2013.
Changes in membership reduced the number of teams in the Big 12 from twelve to ten for the 2011 season and beyond, forcing the conference to drop its annual football championship game to comply with NCAA rules.
In response to the departures of three mainstay members and TCU, the Big East announced on December 7 that five schools would join the conference for football in 2013:Houston,SMU, andUCF would join as full members in all sports, whileBoise State andSan Diego State would leave the Mountain West and become football-only members.[19] Boise State's other sports would return to theWestern Athletic Conference, while San Diego State's would rejoin theBig West after a 35-year absence.[20] Later developments in conference realignment, namely the demise of both the Big East andWAC's football competitions following the2012 season, prompted both schools to abandon these plans and remain the Mountain West.
North Carolina continued renovations toKenan Memorial Stadium, which were completed in time for the start of the season. The project included a new student center and premium seating sections. The addition of new seats enclosed the stadium for the first time and brought the total capacity to 63,000.[21]
Washington played the first six games of itshome schedule at on-campusHusky Stadium. Following the November 5 game against Oregon, construction began on a $280 million renovation project. As a result, theApple Cup rivalry game withWashington State was moved toCenturyLink Field. Washington remained at CenturyLink Field for the entire 2012 season.
Five Ohio State players were alleged to have improperly traded dozens of items to the owner of a tattoo parlor in exchange for tattoos, cash, and, in one case, a sport-utility vehicle. The players, along with head coachJim Tressel, were suspended for the first five games of the2011 season. Tressel was under investigation for lying to the university and investigators regarding his knowledge of the incident.[23] The program was also under investigation by the NCAA, the school having going before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in August 2011, with findings and decisions following shortly thereafter.[24] The scandal led to the resignation of Tressel on May 30.[25] On June 8, starting quarterbackTerrelle Pryor, one of the five suspended players, announced that he would forgo his final year of college eligibility.[26]
Initially, Ohio State offered to vacate its entire2010 season, return money received from the2011 Sugar Bowl, impose two years of probation, and use five fewer football scholarships over the next three seasons. However, after the school went before the NCAA, further rules violations emerged. Three players were suspended before the start of the season for receiving $200 from a booster. Then, midway through the season, it was discovered that the same booster had overpaid several players for summer jobs.
The NCAA announced its final penalties on December 20. While accepting Ohio State's initial self-imposed penalties, it levied additional sanctions. One extra year of probation and scholarship reductions was added, running through the 2014 season. The Buckeyes will also be banned from postseason play in2012. Tressel, who joined the staff of theIndianapolis Colts during the2011 NFL season and has since taken a non-athletic position at his alma mater of theUniversity of Akron, was hit with a five-yearshow-cause penalty, which effectively bars him from college coaching through the 2016 season. Finally, the school was required to disassociate itself from Pryor for five years.[27]
TheNorth Carolina Tar Heels, in the midst of an NCAA investigation into improper benefits and academic misconduct within the football program, fired head coachButch Davis on July 27.[28]
The school initially vacated its2008 and2009 seasons, reduced its scholarship allotment by nine over the next three seasons, and self-imposed two years of probation. Although the NCAA praised the university for its investigation, it found several aggravating factors. The NCAA confirmed academic fraud, found that players had received at least $31,000 in impermissible benefits, determined that six players had played while ineligible, and also found evidence of rampant agent involvement in the program. The NCAA added an extra year of probation, and also banned theTar Heels from the 2012 postseason.John Blake, an assistant who had been forced out with Davis, was found to have received personal loans from agentGary Wichard that he did not report to UNC, specifically for access to players. He was also cited for not cooperating with investigators. Blake received a three-year show-cause penalty.[29]
On August 16,Yahoo! Sports broke a story in which formerMiami Hurricanes boosterNevin Shapiro, currently imprisoned for running aPonzi scheme, stated that from 2002 through 2010 he had given massive amounts of improper benefits to Miami players and coaches, mostly in football but also inmen's basketball. Shapiro indicated that the benefits included cash, various goods,prostitutes, and even anabortion.[30]
On November 5, formerPenn State assistantJerry Sandusky was indicted on multiple felony charges of sex abuse against minors. Two other high-ranking Penn State administrators—athletic director Tim Curley and vice president for business and finance Gary Schultz (whose job includes supervision of the university police department)—were charged with perjury in the case.[31] The day after the indictments, the university Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting, at which Curley requested to be placed on administrative leave and Schultz stepped down.[32] Paterno, who had received notice of inappropriate behavior by Sandusky in 2002 and had reported the allegations to university administrators (though not to police), was not charged or implicated in any wrongdoing. On November 9, he announced his retirement effective at the end of the season, stating he was "absolutely devastated by the developments in this case."[33] However, hours later, the Penn State Board of Trustees fired Paterno, effective immediately.[34]
Rankings reflect theAP Poll. Rankings for Week 8 and beyond will listBCS Rankings first andAP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.
^Navy, which had the primary contract for this slot, was not bowl-eligible. For the 2011 season, the TicketCity Bowl and Military Bowl have contingency contracts with the Big 12 if those games' primary partners are not available. Since the TicketCity Bowl's primary partners (the Big Ten and C-USA) both filled their slots, Navy's Military Bowl slot was passed to the Big 12; however the Big 12 did not have enough teams to fulfill their contract, so Toledo from the MAC was invited.
^Army, which had the primary contract for this slot, was not bowl-eligible. The ACC had a contingency contract for the slot, but could only fill it if it produced nine bowl-eligible teams. Miami's self-imposed bowl ban made it impossible for the conference to fill that slot.
Since Davis had also completed his final 10 passes in the Pirates' game the previous week againstMemphis, his streak against Navy gave him a total of 36 consecutive completions over two games, breaking the record of 26 set by Rodgers in 2004.
Boise State quarterbackKellen Moore led theBroncos to a 37–26 win overAir Force, giving him 45 career wins as a starter. This tied the FBS record ofTexas'Colt McCoy (2006–2009); after a bye week, Moore could (and ultimately did) take sole possession of the record atUNLV on November 5.[50] He finished his career 50–3.
InHouston's 63–28 win overMarshall, Cougars quarterbackCase Keenum set a new FBS record for career total offense, surpassing the 16,910 yards amassed byTimmy Chang ofHawaiʻi from2000 to2004.[51] He also brought his career total of touchdowns accounted for (combined passing, rushing, receiving, and returns) to 150, tying the record set byCentral Michigan'sDan LeFevour from2006 to2009.
Penn State head coachJoe Paterno, already the holder of the record for most career wins in FBS, tiedEddie Robinson ofGrambling for the most wins in Division I history, with 408, when theNittany Lions defeatedNorthwestern 34–24.[52] Paterno, in what would prove to be his final game coached, would claim the record outright the following week, when Penn State defeated Illinois in a defensive struggle, 10–7.[53]
On October 27, Keenum's nine touchdown passes in Houston's 73–34 win overcrosstown rivalRice gave him 139 for his college career, surpassing theprevious record of 134 byTexas Tech'sGraham Harrell from2005 to2008.[54] He also took sole possession of the record for most touchdowns accounted for, with 159 (and counting).
On October 29, Paterno took sole possession of the record for most career wins by a Division I head coach when Penn State defeatedIllinois 10–7.[55] This would prove to be Paterno's final game, as he would be fired less than two weeks later in the midst of a sexual abuse scandal (more detailsbelow).
On November 5:
In Houston's 56–13 pasting ofUAB, Keenum broke Chang's record for career passing yards, ending the game with 17,212.[56]
Boise State defeated UNLV 48–21, giving Moore his 46th career win as a starter and sole possession of that record.[57]
On November 19, Keenum added another major FBS record to his collection, surpassing Harrell's previous record of 1,403 career completions in the first quarter of Houston's 37–7 win overSMU. Keenum ended with 1,427 completions.[58]
Media related to2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons