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The college football landscape continues to be adapting on a year-to-year basis. The long-awaited 12-team playoff finally takes place for the upcoming 2024 season along with some drastic conference re-alignment. In addition, the NCAA is once again considering expanding the College Football Playoff. This
time it will potentially add two more teams, making the post-season format a 14-team playoff rather than 12. The NIL era is surely affecting the new age of college football. In addition, the NCAA Rules Committee is pushing for 3 new changes to the college game:
1. Helmet communication
The new landscape is determined to adapt to the times by modernizing some rules that many fans
across the college football world have been inquiring about. The NCAA could be finalizing a coach-to-player communication concept, much like the NFL's. Why would this come about now? The answer to that is the recent sign-stealing scandal that resulted in former Michigan Wolverines Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh, receiving a three-game suspension. These sanctions may even carry on to the 2024 season for the Wolverines. Former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban weighed in on the debacle by suggesting the newly proposed rule change: If you look historically, you'll know that there were reasons that they (the NFL) changed the rules so you couldn't do that (steal signs)," Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show. "Then they come with the microphone in the helmet, whatever they call it, and there was no sign stealing. There were no signs because it was just communication. Which, I think we would solve a lot of those problems if we would do the same thing in college football." This addition essentially solves the problem of another sign-stealing scandal and makes it a much easier process for quarterbacks to get the play in for the remaining 10 players in the huddle.
2. Tablets On The Sideline
Another proposal that seems to be well on its way to the college football world is tablets for the players and coaches to use on the sideline. The tablets are a simple addition that should transition smoothly for most schools. The tablets, much like the NFL, will potentially allow players and coaches to look at past plays on the sideline. This is something the NFL has had for years. The only challenge here is for the schools that may not be able to afford such technology. However, that should not be much of an issue in Division 1. Tablets will be a crucial addition for all players to learn from their mistakes on the fly, especially quarterbacks. Quarterbacks will be able to see what the opposing defense is throwing at them as soon as they get to the sideline.
3. Two-Minute Warning
The third and final proposal from the NCAA Rules Committee is the widely known two-minute warning. Many football fans are familiar with the rule since it's something that's been enforced in the NFL for decades. The two-minute warning is used when the two-minute (or last play before) mark strikes at the end of the half and the fourth quarter. This serves as a clock stopper for teams to get a break and strategize how to go about their final drive before the end of the half or the fourth quarter. For an unknown reason, it hasn't been a part of college football. This would be a necessary and also fun addition to college football.
NCAA Rule Change & PROP Thoughts
The NCAA Rules Committee seems to be adapting to the new world that college football is morphing into and adopting some key pointers from the NFL. This is still a fluid situation and has yet to be officially put into action. While these changes have been proposed, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) still has to approve the changes first. The changes are set to be discussed later this spring on April 18th.
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