The NCAA is set to approve a significant rule change related to first downs, according to multiple reports.
And it would impact HBCU football contests across the country.
The NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed a change that would allow the game clock to run after first downs are achieved in all divisions except Division III. The clock will continue to stop after first downs during the final two minutes of each half, however.
The approval will come from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.
Breaking: For the first time since 1968 clocks will no longer stop on first down in NCAA games. PROP approves rules changes for all except — surprisingly — Division III, which pushed back. https://t.co/fcTBTaw42u
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 21, 2023
It was reported that stopping the clock after first downs has been one of the rules that have differentiated college football from the NFL since 1968. Allowing the clock to run is expected to reduce the number of plays by an average of 7 per game, according to Steve Shaw, secretary-editor of the rules committee.
