July 15, 2019; Birmingham, AL, USA; SEC commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the media during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency-Birmingham. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
The NCAA has approved several rule changes for the upcoming football season, one of which is very familiar to NFL fans.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Friday approved three rules changes that are aimed at reducing the number of plays per game, according to multiple reports. One of the changes is that the game clock will now continue to run after first downs unless there are fewer than two minutes remaining in the half. Previously, the clock always stopped on a first down until the chains were set.
That is how the game clock works in the NFL and was a major difference between the college and professional games. Having the clock stop on first downs has made it far easier for college teams to move up and down the field in late-half situations. That luxury will now exist for offenses only inside of two minutes.
There were two other rule changes that were approved. One has banned the use of consecutive timeouts. The third will make it so that a foul committed at the end of the first or third quarter will carry over into the second/fourth quarter rather than playing an untimed down.
As Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic notes, a 2022 NCAA study determined that college games have an average of 180 plays compared to 155 in NFL games. The approved changes received resistance in the past, but conference commissioners have been exploring ways to shorten games now that the College Football Playoff is set to expand from four to 12 teams beginning in the 2024-25 season.
If fewer plays are run, there will be fewer chances for players to suffer injuries.
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