This season, college football games have a new rule: a stoppage of play at the 2:00 mark in the second and fourth quarters.
If only there were some familiar term to apply to those timeouts that fans could readily grasp. Wait, how about “two-minute warning,” the term the NFL has used to signify that stoppage since 1942?
No, for some reason, the NCAA opted not to use that popular term for the timeout. It’s instead called the “two-minute timeout.”
During Sunday night’s USC-LSU game on ABC, play-by-play announcer Rece Davis sounded almost apologetic when he said “two-minute timeout” in the second quarter.
“There is a new two-minute timeout. We’ve been asked not to call it a warning,” Davis said.
“There is a new two-minute timeout. We’ve been asked not to call it a warning.” – Rece Davis 🏈🎙️ pic.twitter.com/URmtnhJM0I
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2024
For many college fans, the plain vanilla term may take more getting used to than the stoppage in play itself. Fans everywhere are asking, why? Is the “two-minute warning” trademarked by the NFL? Does the NCAA really feel the need to differentiate itself on such a trivial matter? Is the word “warning” offensive to some people?
There have been plenty of bizarre theories floating around on X, but The Athletic‘s Chris Vannini asked NCAA director of officials Steve Shaw recently why college football is not using “two-minute warning.” Shaw said it’s because the timeout is not a warning as originally intended in the NFL, when officials were the only ones keeping time, and they literally warned teams the clock was nearing expiration.
As Vannini wisely observed: “I said, ‘OK but everyone is going to call it the two-minute warning.'”
When the NCAA announced the “2-minute timeout,” I asked coordinator of officials Steve Shaw why they didn’t use “warning.” He said because it’s not a warning like it originally was created for in the NFL.
I said, “OK but everyone is going to call it the two-minute warning.” https://t.co/MUyHtlxkmB
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 25, 2024
Announcers like Davis seemed to toe the line in the opening week of college action, going with the “two-minute timeout.” However, as of Sunday night, other media, such as Wikipedia, had apparently not gotten the memo.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
College football fans and even sports media seemed baffled by the NCAA’s decision to use the bland term.
NCAA trying to rebrand the two minute warning as the two minute timeout is working out about as well as Twitter rebranding to X.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 2, 2024
I think as a CFB society we should collectively rebel against “two minute timeout,” long live “two minute warning”
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) August 30, 2024
Been wondering about this. Does the NCAA just not want to be seen copying the NFL? What is the matter with using the word ‘warning’?
— Vader Johan (@jobin_theman) September 2, 2024
We used to be a country. https://t.co/YciZkF9DLu
— Jonathan Von Tobel (@meJVT) September 2, 2024
[ABC]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.