The NCAA on Friday announced a series of recommended rule changes, which include a two-minute warning at the end of each half, tablets on the sideline and the allowance of player-to-coach helmet communication for FBS programs. Those rules have long been a staple of the NFL. But college football, particularly when it comes to in-helmet audio, has been slow to adapt as schools have expressed hesitancy about the cost.
The Friday recommendations still need to be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which meets April 18, but the recommendation is eventually expected to be adopted.
What impact could those potential rule changes have on the sport? Let’s break that down below.
Helmet communication is a huge, commonsense change
No story in college football drew more attention this season than Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal. The Wolverines were accused of a robust operation of illegal advanced scouting with the goal of picking off an opponent’s signals.
The introduction of in-helmet communication eliminates much of the competitive advantage that came from schools stealing signs — in legal or otherwise fashion — because the call goes directly into the quarterback’s ear. The giant poster boards with silly pictures on the sidelines that have become so common in college football? Those would no longer be as necessary.
Coaches would have the ability to call the play directly to the quarterback until an automated 15-second cutoff mark of the play clock. The helmet communication would be allowed to one player on the field. That player would be identified by having a green dot on the back of his helmet.
“I do think the helmet communicator is a real positive for the game,” retired Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in October. “You can’t steal signs or do any of this stuff if you don’t have a helmet communicator. I think it would be a good thing. It’s worked out well in the NFL.”
Quarterbacks will no longer need to look to the sideline to get a signal. They’ll be able to keep their eyes on the defense and stay alert for any formation changes. The shift will also allow teams to get play calls into their QB more quickly, which means pace-based offenses can move even a tick faster.
Sign stealing won’t completely go away in college football. It’s legal in most cases — you just can’t advance scout — and a fabric of the sport. But there will be far fewer chances to pick signals in 2024 because of the in-helmet communication. That art will soon be a thing of the past.
Two-minute warning makes comebacks easier
Large-scale comebacks became a bit harder last offseason with a rule change that eliminated clock stoppages after each first down with the exception in the final two minutes of each half. But the NCAA is making it a bit easier this year with the addition of a two-minute warning. The rule change, which brings college football regulations more in line with the NFL, will create a play stoppage at the two-minute mark at the end of each half.
That could be huge for teams in terms of last-minute drives. The two-minute warning is basically a free timeout. Given that the clock still stops after each first down under two minutes, the final two minutes of each half could last a long time. Teams could have three timeouts, the two-minute warning and clock stoppages after first downs to work with.
Conceivably, we could see more late lead changes with this shift. Perhaps multiple given the number of clock stoppages that are possible.
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The two-minute warning is also a guaranteed TV timeout for networks during each half. That’s not ideal for fans, but it should help networks avoid having to take back-to-back media timeouts late in halves if they were unable to squeeze them in earlier in the proceedings.
