Posted by NoleCC

Here’s my annual primer on what has changed regarding the rules for NCAA football.

Limit the playclock to 15 seconds after a TV timeout
I get the feeling we’ll see some burned timeouts until coaches get used to this one. FSU is notorious about messing this one up throughout the season.

Kickoffs moved from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line.
I read an article about this being a bad move due to increased injury potential. It’s football, every play is a potential to be injured, even if a player is standing on the sidelines. I think this is a good move for the excitement of the game and for the fans. Hopefully FSU’s special teams are up to the challenge.

Reduce charged team timeouts by 30 seconds
This isn’t a bad thing really. Coaches need to move it along at times.

The clock start on the snap after a change in possession, as opposed to the 2006 rule which started the clock when the referee signaled the ball ready for play.
Thank God. That was the dumbest / worst rule invented and did nothing but give more advertising time to the television stations.

Play clock is started when the ball is handed to the kicker by the umpire on all free kicks.
It’s good incentive to kick the ball off quickly. It should have minimal effect on the actual game.

Limit instant replay reviews to two minutes to decide to overturn or confirm the ruling on the field.
We’ve all seen this before, but inevitably some reviews will go longer. I’d rather the refs get the call right and take an extra minute or two than to mess it up because they are under a time constraint.