A field goal kick appears to be on its way to go through the
goalposts, but hits the camera mounted on the bottom-center of the
goalpost and bounces back on the field (i.e. doesn't go through the
goalposts). In the NCAA, is it ruled a field goal or not?

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 12 Nov 2005 21:19 PST

Howdy awarz-ga,

Was the goal post camera in front of the uprights and crossbar?  Thanks!

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

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Clarification of Question by awarz-ga on 12 Nov 2005 21:44 PST

The goalpost camera sits on top of the lower crossbar. It is present
in many big NCAA and NFL games. Note: this is a hypothetical question
about NCAA football rules-- I am not aware of this ever happening. If
it has, I would be interested in knowing about it.

While I couldn't find an explicit answer to your question, there is
one reference that I could find that deals with what would happen
should a football hit one of the cameras on the field.

This is from a question and answer service with a former NFL Referee
Jerry Marbreit who rights (or wrote) a column for a Chicago sports
website.

This question  and answer can be found at:
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/askthereferee/cs-031203jerrymarkbreitsanswers,1,2627249.story?coll=cs-bears-asktheref-utility&ctrack=1&cset=true

Hey Jerry. My question is about the new cameras that hang over the
field. I realize they're always behind the play and the ball won't
ever hit it. But, since it is in the field of play, there must be a
rule just in case the ball ever hits it. What happens if during a
pass, field goal or punt the ball hits the camera or the strings
holding up the camera? Do they simply replay the down? --Jon Redmond,
Batavia, Ill.

The new camera that hangs over the field is called the Sky Cam. You
are correct in stating that this camera is always behind the play, so
that it won't get in the way. There is, however, a special rule which
was initiated back in the 'seventies, called "The Gondola Rule." The
gondola was a speaker and scoreboard system hanging from the ceiling
in the New Orleans Superdome. During a Raider-Saints game played
there, Ray Guy, the great Raider punter, hit the gondola with a
tremendously high kick. The referee, not having a rule to hang his hat
on, decided to replay the down; and thus was born "The Gondola Rule."
If a live ball hits the Sky Cam or any other non-football related
thing, such as a bird in flight, the down will be replayed.

Hope I could help.
   Dude3731

I believe the NCAA cameras are placed like the NFL cameras; they are
on the center-stay of the goal post slightly behind the cross-bar. If
this is true, then the ruling would probably br the same as it is in
the NFL. In the NFL, if a kick hits the camera, the kick is considered
'good' whether it bounces back into the field of play or if it bounces
through the uprights.