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College football targeting rules, OT games could be seeing some changes
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There could be some changes coming to college football’s targeting rules and overtime games as early as 2019.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the NCAA rules committee is proposing harsher punishments for repeat offenders on targeting violations. Other changes could include a more stringent review process for targeting calls.
Currently, players are suspended for the remainder of the game if they are ejected for targeting in the first half. If a player is ejected in the second half of a game, he must then miss the first half of the next contest.
There will also no longer be a call “standing” when it comes to targeting. In other words, if a called targeting violation is inconclusive in replay, it will be overturned. It will essentially eliminate any middle ground for that kind of penalty.
In addition to the targeting changes, the NCAA rules committee is also working on a change to the overtime rules. And it’s a pretty drastic alteration.
The NCAA rules committee proposed that if a game reaches a fifth overtime, teams would then run alternating 2-point plays, rather than starting a drive at the 25-yard line. The goal is to limit the number of plays and help end the game quicker.
Player safety became a huge concern following a seven overtime marathon between LSU and Texas A&M at the end of the 2018 season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB