Other rule changes:
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Increasing the bench area. Team sidelines can now stretch to the 20-yard line on each side, an increase from the 25. The sideline area was temporarily expanded to the 15 this past season to accomodate as much social distancing as possible.
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Holding the video and lighting crews accountable. Home teams can now be assessed unsportsmanlike penalties if the officials view their video board and lighting operators have created “any distraction that obstructs play.” This is likely in response to the LED lighting teams have installed and weaponized across SEC stadiums.
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Cracking down on faking injuries… eventually. The Panel did not announce any actionable punishments for teams caught faking injuries, but they wanted us to know they “supported the Football Rules Committee proposal to provide a framework to allow a school or conference to request a postgame video review about questionable actions through the NCAA secretary-rules editor/national coordinator of officials.” They’re on to you, folks.
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Points of emphasis for 2021:
- For the 85th year in a row, the NCAA’s rule minders would like to crack down on taunting. “Committee members think these actions reflect poorly on the game and can lead to unnecessary confrontations.” There aren’t enough eye rolls in the world for this trash. Someone, please get it through the Panel’s heads that no one watches college football to see players behave like schoolchildren. Come on, man.
- Officials have been instructed to send players out of the game for violating dress code. This specifically applies to “pants, jerseys and T-shirts that extend below the torso.”
- The NCAA is warning coaches that leaving the sideline and/or the coaching box to argue with officials should be met with an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct foul. We’ll see how strictly that’s enforced.