Rules changes come every year and Nebraska football fans can agree that some are good and some are bad. However, the changes that came along over the last offseason are among the most influential in quite some time.
Having said that, it can on occasion be hard to keep track of just what has changed in college football this year. Because of how important these rules changes are, you’re going to want to make note of how the game will change.
As these new rules were laid out, the stated intent was to make Nebraska football, and every other team’s games go just a little bit faster. Timing and clock rules especially, are aimed at making things run a bit smoother with less sitting around and waiting.
Nebraska football fans may not like all the rules changes
Right at the top of the list of rule changes are how games are going to go when it comes to starting and stopping the clock.
- First downs: When the offense gets a first down, the clock will no longer stop in most instances. This is a big change that will only see the clock stop after a first down in the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters.
- Consecutive Charged Team Timeouts: Consecutive charged team timeouts will no longer be allowed by the same team. In other words, it’s going to be a bit harder for a coach to “ice” an opposing kicker from now on.
- Untimed downs: Like first downs, untimed downs due to penalties won’t have as much effect as they used to. If a penalty could lead to an untimed down, the play will actually carry over to the next period if it happens in the first or third quarter. Only the second and fourth quarters can have an untimed down at the end.
There are other rules changes that are going to affect Nebraska football fans far less, including when teams can take the field after halftime, how drones can be used and the ability for games that don’t include replay booth officials to still do replay. You can check all the rules changes out here.