Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
College football is just around the corner, and there will be several rule changes, which are directly connected to injury timeouts, overtime and player communication.
Here’s a breakdown of the key changes:
Injury timeouts
A new rule will penalize teams for calling an injury timeout after the ball has been spotted for the next play. If a player goes down with an injury after the ball is set, the team will be charged a timeout.
If the team is out of timeouts, a 5-yard penalty for delay of game will be assessed.
This change is designed to discourage teams from faking injuries to gain an advantage.
Overtime rules
Overtime rules are also being modified. Starting with the third overtime period, each team will be limited to a single timeout for the remainder of the game.
Player communication
Defensive players are prohibited from mimicking offensive signals, and offensive players cannot use terms reserved for the defense.
Other notable changes
Two-minute warning:
The two-minute warning in the second and fourth quarters will now be observed, stopping the clock when the ball is not live.
In-helmet communication:
One player on offense and one on defense per team will have in-helmet communication with their coaches, indicated by a green dot.
Sideline tablets:
Teams can use up to 18 tablets on the sidelines and in the coaches box for video review, but they cannot be connected to other devices.
Collaborative replay review:
Conferences can now use collaborative replay review systems, where officials review plays from conference offices.
Horse-collar tackles:
Horse-collar tackles within the tackle box will be penalized as a 15-yard personal foul.
Scholarship limits:
Scholarship limits have been removed, allowing schools to carry up to 105 players on scholarship, aligning with the House settlement.
After last year’s 12-team CFP gave byes to the four most highly ranked conference champions, this year’s will not happen this year.
Conference commissioners voted to go to a straight seeding format (with five spots still reserved for conference champions) in 2025.
