College Football

NCAA Ends First-Down Clock Stoppages in Football Games With Rule Change

The change is expected to reduce the time of games

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NCAA ends first-down clock stoppages with rule change originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Major League Baseball has seen dramatic results from adding clocks to the sport. Now, NCAA football is set to change the game by letting the clock run.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a rule change on Friday making it so the game clock runs after teams get a first down. The clock will still stop after teams achieve a first down in the final two minutes of a half.

From 1968 to 2022, the clock stopped when a team gained a first down and it resumed once the referee gave a ready-for-play signal. The rule was one notable difference between college football and the NFL.

By keeping the clock running after first downs outside of two minutes left in a half, the NCAA is expecting a slight reduction in the number of plays per game and the length of games.

The rule change will be implemented in all divisions except Division III. The Division III Management Council announced on Thursday that it has adopted federated playing rules to separate itself from Division I and Division II. Division III will continue to review the proposal.

Along with the change to first downs, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved two other adjustments that will take effect across all divisions. Teams are now prohibited from calling consecutive timeouts and penalties from the end of the first and third quarters will be enforced on the first play of the next quarter.

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