Well, the football/golf kickoff is officially over, the last event being this morning's presentation by the ACC commissioner.

Check the Web site/paper for the coverage of it. John Swofford and Shane Lyons spent a good chunk of time talking about how the ACC has conducted background checks on its officials since last summer. The other newsy item was the discussion about future sites for the league championship game. Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville are all in the mix. It should be decided by mid-December.

And it wouldn't be the ACC Football Kickoff without a couple of rule changes ...

CLOCK 

They want to (try to) make the game shorter. Again.

On the kickoff, they're going back to the old rule of two years ago. When the kick occurs, the clock will not begin to wind until the ball is first touched in the field of play.

After a TV timeout, a 15-second playclock will immediately start. That will force teams to be on the field, on the ball quickly.

A regular, charged team timeout will be 30 seconds instead of 65.

After a change of possession, the referee will mark it ready for the snap and the clock won't start until it's snapped.

KICKOFF

Also, the kickoff was moved back to the 30-yard line, which means you'll likely see a return on every play. As soon as the referee hands the ball to the kicker, the 25-second clock starts.

Here's the catch:

On an out-of-bounds kick, a team can either kick again, accept where it went out of bounds, or have the ball placed on the 30-yard line.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see some teams kick it out of bounds," coach Ralph Friedgen said.

REPLAY

Three new plays will be reviewable:

1) Error in downs

2) Interference off the bench

3) Muffing the kick

You'll hear one of three results:

- The call is confirmed.

- The play on the field stands as called (meaning there's no video to prove otherwise)

- Or, the play is reversed because ...

So, there's the nitty-gritty. Check back for some more leftover Ralphisms tomorrow.