The NCAA has officially announced a pair of significant rule changes ahead of the 2024 college football season.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a pair of previous rule proposals. First, college football will now have a 2-minute warning at the end of both halves. Secondly, the use of headset communication tools on sidelines between players and coaches will now be permitted.

The decision to add a 2-minute warning comes 1 year after the NCAA changed its rules to no longer stop the clock after 1st downs that occur in-bounds (except in the final 2 minutes of each half).

The 2-minute warning will create an extra stoppage late in each half and potentially make it easier for teams to pull off late-game comebacks. However, the rule is not expected to add an additional media break. Instead, this rule is expected to allow media partners to spread out their commercial breaks more evenly over the course of a game.

“This is not a new or additional timeout,” rules committee co-chair A.J. Edds said last month, via The Athletic. “This is a known position that will hopefully alleviate the impression early in the quarters where media partners have taken breaks in consecutive opportunities. This will give them a larger runway over the second and fourth quarters.”

The use of headset communication comes on the heels of Michigan’s highly-publicized sign-stealing scandal that hovered over the Wolverines in 2023. Teams will now have the ability to have 1 player on the field equipped with the communication device.

According to the press release, communication between coach-to-player will be cut off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or when the ball is snapped — whichever comes first.

Both of these rule changes align college football with the NFL. The NFL has used headset communication since 1994 and has had a 2-minute warning at the end of each half since 1942.