College football is set to change one of the most significant rule differences between its game and the NFL.
The NCAA is set to approve a rule change on Friday that will allow the clock to continue running after first downs, a dramatic change to the game and the way it has been played for decades.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported that the change is expected to be approved and that it will be enforced at all levels of college football with the lone exception of Division III as it pushed back against the proposal.
According to the report, the clock will continue to stop on first downs inside of two minutes which will still give trailing teams a pretty big advantage as they attempt to score. But removing the first down stoppage earlier in the game is expected to shorten the average college football game by at least seven plays per game.
The clock has stopped after all first downs until the ball can be re-spotted since the 1968 season and it has been a signature difference between the collegiate game and the pro game.
It has also been a great equalizer for teams that have a talent disparity or trying to play from behind late in games. The brief clock stoppage basically served as a series of extra timeouts and allowed teams a greater opportunity to win games they otherwise would have lost.
The change is going to put a great emphasis on timeout usage and clock management as coaches will have to be far more judicious in how they use their three timeouts per half.
Speaking of which, this is not the only change that is expected to be enacted for this season.
Teams will also no longer be allowed to call consecutive timeouts. That was another significant difference between the college and pro game over the years and it usually came into play late in games when coaches were trying to ice an opposing field goal kicker before a big kick.
