As we enter the thick of the 2025 college football offseason, it's easy to focus on the players and coaches that we'll be watching in the fall. But, the game is much more than just the teams themselves.
While we don't want to stop the tradition that comes with college football, there are certain rules and structures that need to be changed.
Here's a look at three rules that need to be changed.
Three rules that need to be changed in college football
1. Targeting
You don't know what targeting is, and I don't either. Frankly, I'm not sure the officials do either.
The targeting rule aims to protect players from dangerous hits, especially those to the head or neck area. Currently, if a player is flagged for targeting, they're ejected from the game, and if the foul occurs in the second half, they miss the first half of the next game as well. While safety should be considered, it's time for a tiered system in targeting and for more clear definitions of the rule.
Consider this: a defensive player makes a clean tackle, but due to the offensive player's sudden movement, incidental helmet contact occurs. Should this player face the same severe penalty as someone who blatantly targets an opponent's head, which honestly, doesn't happen that often.
Just like basketball has a "Fragrant 1" and "Fragrant 2" foul policy, college football needs the same thing. Don't remove the penalty, but kicking a player out when it's clear their intent wasn't to injure needs to be changed.
2. Pass-Interference should adopt NFL rules
In college football, defensive pass interference results in a 15-yard penalty, regardless where it comes.. This can lead to situations where defenders intentionally commit interference to prevent a significant gain, knowing the penalty is capped.
The NFL, on the other hand, places the ball at the spot of the foul, discouraging deliberate interference. If you have pass-interference called at the 1-yard line, that's where the ball is placed. You can say that you like the 15-yard penalty cap, but honestly, but the NFL rule is just better.
3. The chain gang
The image of officials measuring first downs with chains has been iconic for decades. However, it's time to embrace technology. The NFL is moving towards implementing Sony's Hawk-Eye technology to determine first downs more precisely. This system uses multiple cameras to track the ball's exact position, reducing human error and speeding up the game.
College football would benefit from adopting similar technology and taking the "guess work" out of determining some of those runs that end up close to the sticks.