College Football rule changes 2024: What are the biggest updates in college football rule book?

Week 0 of the 2024 college football season is complete, and as a result, fans have been able to see the new rule changes in action. That said, many fans likely did not even know these alterations had been implemented for this season. The additions to the rule book mostly involve technology and communication capabilities, but there were a few in-game adjustments too.

The biggest rule changes in the 2024 college football season

Rule changes in the offseason will now become a staple of college football in the 2024 season. This is the third consecutive year that significant modifications have been implemented and are most likely to affect situations at the end of the game. Here are the new rules fans need to know about.

#1 Two-minute warning timeouts

The two-minute warning is a staple of the NFL. At two minutes left in the second and fourth quarters, the clock is automatically stopped. This is mostly done so that TV networks can run commercials, but it significantly impacts the strategy late in each half. It also makes personnel changes easier.

The two-minute warning was not part of college football, which made it distinct from the NFL. However, that is changing this season, as college football will now have a two-minute warning toward the end of each half.

#2 Coach-to-player communication

Another rule coming to college football after success in the NFL is coach-to-player communication through a headset. Like in the NFL, only one player can wear a headset, and a green dot on their helmet will indicate that they have it.

Under the new rule changes, the coach can communicate with the player until the clock reaches 15 seconds. The implementation of this rule will mean that coaches have a larger impact on playcalling throughout the game.

#3 Horse collar tackle

The biggest of the rule changes to actual gameplay is making the horse collar tackle a penalty. This alteration is being made with player safety in mind. Any player that commits a horse collar tackle will receive a 15-yard penalty.

For fans unfamiliar with this type of tackle, it is when a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back of their collar. This creates whiplash for the player being tackled and can cause serious injuries to the head and neck. Players can't protect themselves from it, so college football is trying to disincentivize the tackle.