Clemson defeated Clemson West by a score of 38 to 24 yesterday. They did so by exploiting several rule changes of which I, as a Clemson fan, was previously unaware. To wit:

1. Apparently your quarterback is allowed to throw the ball to a teammate downfield. If the ball is caught by your own team– without it touching the ground first– your team gets those yards and any yards the “receiver” can run for after that.

1(a). If the “receiver” is touched by the opposing team after catching the ball, he doesn’t have to fall down or fumble it away.

1(b). If the “receiver” catches the ball in the end zone or runs into the end zone after catching the ball (again, he doesn’t have to drop it), that counts as a touchdown– and “receiving” touchdowns are worth as many points as real touchdowns!

2. You’re allowed to have more points than your opponents do at the end of the game even if your opponents had the lead at some point earlier in the game. So, like, even though Clemson was down 21-7 in the second quarter, outscoring Auburn 31-3 the rest of the way was totally legal.

3. If your opponents are ranked higher than you, or if they are the defending national champions, you’re still allowed to win the game. There’s no fine or anything.

Hopefully, Clemson will continue to take advantage of these loopholes the rest of the season, and we’ll see if the NCAA keeps them in place for next year.