Saturday, August 25, 2018

College Football Rules Changes for 2018

College football fans will have to learn some rule changes for the 2018-19 season.

The NCAA announced that beginning this October, all Division 1 athletes will have the ability to transfer to nay other school without any restrictions being put upon them by their former schools. Prospective schools will not need to ask permission to the athlete’s former school to talk to them. When an athlete declares he or she intends to transfer, their name is placed in a nationwide database, and then any school can contact them. The NCAA previously forced a player to get permission from their old schools before other schools could contact a player.

The NCAA has ruled that all Division 1 football players are allowed to participate in up to four games and still be able to redshirt during the season and keep a year of eligibility. This change gives coaches a one-game larger window to decide to redshirt a player. Previously, a player was allowed to participate in up to three games and still be able to redshirt during the season and keep a year of eligibility.

The change begins this fall for both Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision players. Student-athletes still have only five years to compete in a maximum of four seasons of competition, unless an injury earns them more time. In those cases, the NCAA makes individual judgments after a review process.

A new rule applies to college football kickoffs, with fair catches anywhere inside the 25-yard line resulting in touchbacks and the football being placed at the 25-yard line. Previously, touchbacks only occurred when the kickoff was fielded in the end zone. And, in the past, any fair catch in the field of play resulted in the ball being placed at the spot where it was fielded. It is the latest of several rules changes in recent years. Back in 2012, the NCAA moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 and made it so the football would be placed at the 25-yard line, rather than at the 20, on touchbacks.

Offensive players will not be allowed to block below the waist more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, all blocks below the waist except by interior linemen must be head-on, and a 10-second runoff will occur when instant replay overturns a call inside the final minute of a half on a play in which the clock would not have been stopped.

Additional rule change information is on the NCAA's website: here

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