MAC wants to cut average game time by 5 minutes

CANTON, Ohio (AP) The Mid-American Conference wants shorter football games. The average game in the conference is 3 hours and 25 minutes, a minute longer than

CANTON, Ohio (AP) The Mid-American Conference wants shorter football games.

The average game in the conference is 3 hours and 25 minutes, a minute longer than the national NCAA average. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said Wednesday the aim this season is for games to come in at an average of 3:20.

Steinbrecher said conference officials are studying ways to get a handle on games that have been drawn out by more passing and scoring, penalty administration, TV timeouts and other factors.

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There will be greater emphasis on restarting games after halftime, and referees will work on getting the ball ready for play more quickly and efficiently after each play.

The conference also plans to experiment with in-stadium clocks to let fans know how much time remains in TV timeouts.

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