NCAA Football rule changes for the 2023 college football season
By Kevin Miller
Over the last several months, NCAA football has had several rule changes announced that will be implemented soon. Some of these rule changes will be off the field and will affect things like recruiting, the transfer portal, practices, or NIL, but six rule changes will affect games.
The three highest-profile changes to the NCAA football rule book are related to the game clock as clock stoppages, timeouts, and untimed downs were all affected.
First downs will no longer stop the clock for the offense until the final two minutes of each half. The previous rule allowed for the clock to be stopped until the first down marker and chains were reset to reflect the new spot of the ball.
Teams now will be prohibited from taking back-to-back timeouts. Unless an injury or equipment issue is the reason behind the timeouts (which will be granted as official timeouts, not team timeouts), the game clock and play clock will not be affected if a team attempts to take two timeouts in the same dead ball period.
Untimed downs have been allowed at the end of any quarter that has an accepted defensive penalty on the quarter’s final play. Now, the untimed down will be limited to only the end of each half (2nd and 4th quarters). Accepted defensive penalties at the end of the 1st or 3rd quarters will now be assessed as normal at the start of the next period.
Three more rule changes also have been implemented that will affect NCAA football games this fall.
In an effort to create a fairer competitive environment, halftime shows and performances will no longer be able to keep teams from warming up with three minutes left on the halftime clock. Both the home team and visiting team will have access to 40 yards of the field (from the 30 yard-line through the end zone) for warmups for at least three minutes at the end of the intermission.
To eliminate opportunities for cheating, drones will not be allowed over the field or team sidelines while players are on the field or sideline. Athletic departments will still be allowed to use drones for certain media purposes, but they will be prohibited at any time when players are on the field or sideline.
Instant replay now will be available in venues that do not have a replay booth on the premise. Replay kiosks (similar to those used in the NFL and MLB in the past) can be used as long as they are not near team sideline areas. The lead referee and one additional official can conduct instant replays and investigate coaching challenges through the use of these kiosks.