College football is less than a month away and people are already mapping out the current quickest route to their favorite team’s home stadium.
Luckily for super fans, there will not only be games on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays but there will also be some rule changes for everyone to get used to.
Before you memorize your favorite team's 2024 home schedule and depth chart, learn about the six new rules in college football:
1. 2-minute warnings
Taken straight from the NFL rulebook, college football is implementing a two-minute warning.
The official timeout will come at the two-minute mark at the end of each half, or the end of the second and fourth quarters.
After the break, the clock will stop following a first down and a ten-second runoff can be imposed following pre-snap penalties while the clock is running.
2. Horse collar tackles in the tackle box will be a 15-yard personal foul
Yes, horse collar tackles have been penalized for a long time.
However, the NCAA is implementing a specificity to the penalty.
If an offensive player within the tackle box is taken down by a horse collar tackle, it will now be a personal foul and will result in a 15-yard penalty.
3. In-helmet communications
Coaches will be able to communicate with one player on the field for a specific amount of time, until 15 seconds remain on the play clock or until the ball is snapped, whichever occurs first.
The player with in-helmet communications will be signified by a green dot on the back of the player's helmet.
The NCAA used some of the bowl games at the end of the 2023 season as trial runs for the in-helmet communication systems and it was a resounding success.
4. Tablets for in-game video review
One of the more visible changes to football will be 18 tablets on both sidelines.
Coaches and staff will be able to use handheld tablets to review in-game videos but they will not be able to access any video from practices or previous games.
The tablets also can not access any analytical information or data about the team itself, not the opponent.
5. Conference-wide video review system
Each conference can utilize its own video-replay system to review plays and assist the officials in reversing (or confirming) a call.
In other words, you may not have to see any more referees peeping into those teeny tiny replay monitors.
6. Head coach interviews after 1st and 3rd quarters
Get ready to see more and hear more of your favorite coaches (Mr. Cristobal)... as well as your least favorite (*ahem* Mr. Norvell).
Broadcast teams and on-field reporters will have opportunities to speak to head coaches between the first and third quarters, instead of just before and after the halves.
Players will still not be available for interviews between quarters.