College football leaders are meeting this week in Indianapolis to consider three rules changes that could shorten game times and reduce the number of plays during games this upcoming season, a continued push to monitor player safety as the sport prepares for a 12-team College Football Playoff beginning in 2024.
The rule changes under consideration include: running the clock after a first down is awarded, except in the last two minutes of either half; eliminating the option for teams to call consecutive team timeouts; and carrying over any fouls to the next period instead of finishing with an untimed down.
The rules committee and competition committee are meeting jointly this week, and the rules committee is expected to make public on Friday any proposed changes that ultimately have to be approved by the playing rules oversight panel in April.
Shaw said the idea surrounding the first-down change was to keep the game moving but preserve the uniqueness of the last two minutes of the half.
“To me, that’s a beautiful difference between the college game and the NFL game that lasts two minutes,” Shaw said. “Even though you may not have a timeout, if you make a first down, you have an opportunity to get to the ball and get a snap. It makes for an exciting end to the game.”
What’s not exciting is when the defense uses all three of its remaining timeouts to ice the opposing kicker’s manageable 40-yard field goal attempt and he ultimately makes three straight kicks anyway. By eliminating a team’s ability to call consecutive timeouts, this scenario would disappear.