SEC NOTEBOOK:

Rule changes not viewed as quick fix HOOVER -- If games seem shorter this season, it's not just you. The NCAA has made two rules changes designed to fit games more snugly into the television networks' three-hour window. The 40-second game clock, which gives teams time to prepare between plays, now will begin as soon as the previous play ends rather than when the ball is spotted by officials. Also, the clock will begin almost immediately after plays that end out-of-bounds. The game and play clocks will begin on the referee's signal -- not on the snap as before -- except during the final two minutes of each half. Sound confusing? Coaches feel the same way. "It's a pain in the butt every year to have to go through all these processes to change (rules), particularly when you're going to be different in the last two minutes of a... [read full story]