2024 Rules Changes

[adam.vol]

- 10 second runoffs for illegal incomplete passes inside 2 Minutes Warning.

- Helmet microphones.

Basically some new rules with no explanation of why it’s beneficial to the game.

 

[JohnnyJava]

They ought to disband the rules committee for 10 years.

 

[VOLfrombama]

Not sure why they chanded the incomplete pass thing. I know they have been trying to shorten games to accommodate for the extra games being played but that chandes a lot at the end of a game.

 

[JT3]

- 10 second runoffs for incomplete passes inside 2 Minutes Warning.

- Helmet microphones.

Basically some new rules with no explanation of why it’s beneficial to the game.

I think he misspoke about any incompletion under 2 mins will result in a 10 second runoff. That wouldn't make sense to penalize the offense if they have an incomplete pass nor have we seen that on any level of football.

Yea, just looked it up, must be some type of foul to trigger the 10 second runoff.

 

[GAVol]

I think he misspoke about any incompletion under 2 mins will result in a 10 second runoff. That wouldn't make sense to penalize the offense if they have an incomplete pass nor have we seen that on any level of football.

Yea, just looked it up, must be some type of foul to trigger the 10 second runoff.

Exactly . . . He's saying that any illegal forward pass thrown past the LOS or pitched forward out of bounds triggers a 10 second runoff. I think the most significant change is all the clock rules now synchronize to under 2 minutes like stopping for 1st downs, 10 second runoffs for penalties etc. It will be a lot easier to understand.

All of the changes make sense to me.

 

[Volador]

They ought to disband the rules committee for 10 years.

...and throw the rulebook at those people while they're at it. Inconsiderate bastards!

 

[WillisWG]

https://www.dfoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-NCAA-Football-Rules.pdf

 

[IndianaVol]

Yeah he was mistaken about the 10 second run off after the 2 minute warning - it has to be an ILLEGAL forward pass beyond the LOS, like intentional grounding or ineligible receiver.

I think we see more impact from the radio communications rule than anything else.
Basically, coach can talk to any player designated with a green dot on the bock of their helmet up to 15 seconds left on the play clock.
As fast as Tennessee plays, that means coach can be talking to Nico, Squirrel, etc. almost the entire game...that may actually speed the game up even faster.
I bet we can run a play every 2 1/2 seconds now...

 

[chuckiepoo]

Yeah he was mistaken about the 10 second run off after the 2 minute warning - it has to be an ILLEGAL forward pass beyond the LOS, like intentional grounding or ineligible receiver.

I think we see more impact from the radio communications rule than anything else.
Basically, coach can talk to any player designated with a green dot on the bock of their helmet up to 15 seconds left on the play clock.
As fast as Tennessee plays, that means coach can be talking to Nico, Squirrel, etc. almost the entire game...that may actually speed the game up even faster.
I bet we can run a play every 2 1/2 seconds now...

 

[adam.vol]

I wonder how well a communications tranmitter can withstand jamming signals. Navy and Air Force could become tough to play against once schools stop practicing sideline signaling.

 

[IndianaVol]

I wonder how well a communications tranmitter can withstand jamming signals. Navy and Air Force could become tough to play against once schools stop practicing sideline signaling.

HAHAHA - I get what you are saying, but from what I understand colleges are using the same company that the NFL uses for the tech.

Listening to a radio show here in B1G country (where signal and sign stealing is some what of a hot button issue), it seems that each team will have a set of digital band frequencies and the operators will roll through those bands almost continuously making it nearly impossible to break into and listen to a communication or jam that signal.
The only way we as fans are privy to any of the NFL mic'd up stuff is because the league grants permission for the team and controllers to stop for a few seconds at a set frequency.
The lengths that have been gone through to keep people from breaking into communications and talking or listening are mind boggling.

Also, there will still be side line signaling as only one or two players on the field will be equipped for in helmet communication.
The signal will still come in from the sideline to the rest of the team.
That's a huge part of our offense if you notice as the WRs are jogging towards the side line to get set for the play they are getting the signal from the sideline...they rarely get the formation from the QB.
That way when they get to formation, they are already set and the ball can be snapped almost immediately.

Now where this in-helmet communication may hurt this offense is a signal is sent from the sideline, everyone gets that signal and sets, coach send an audible across the helmet, the QB now has to audible and if the new signal is not close to the original in terms of set, there has to be movement (which is waste) and that costs time.
Sorry for rambling - I've been reading up on how this works since they used it in the bowl games last season.

 

[hog88]

Yeah he was mistaken about the 10 second run off after the 2 minute warning - it has to be an ILLEGAL forward pass beyond the LOS, like intentional grounding or ineligible receiver.

I think we see more impact from the radio communications rule than anything else.
Basically, coach can talk to any player designated with a green dot on the bock of their helmet up to 15 seconds left on the play clock.
As fast as Tennessee plays, that means coach can be talking to Nico, Squirrel, etc. almost the entire game...that may actually speed the game up even faster.
I bet we can run a play every 2 1/2 seconds now...

Pretty sure only one green dot at a time is allowed on the field.

 

[adam.vol]

HAHAHA - I get what you are saying, but from what I understand colleges are using the same company that the NFL uses for the tech.

Listening to a radio show here in B1G country (where signal and sign stealing is some what of a hot button issue), it seems that each team will have a set of digital band frequencies and the operators will roll through those bands almost continuously making it nearly impossible to break into and listen to a communication or jam that signal.
The only way we as fans are privy to any of the NFL mic'd up stuff is because the league grants permission for the team and controllers to stop for a few seconds at a set frequency.
The lengths that have been gone through to keep people from breaking into communications and talking or listening are mind boggling.

Also, there will still be side line signaling as only one or two players on the field will be equipped for in helmet communication.
The signal will still come in from the sideline to the rest of the team.
That's a huge part of our offense if you notice as the WRs are jogging towards the side line to get set for the play they are getting the signal from the sideline...they rarely get the formation from the QB.
That way when they get to formation, they are already set and the ball can be snapped almost immediately.

Now where this in-helmet communication may hurt this offense is a signal is sent from the sideline, everyone gets that signal and sets, coach send an audible across the helmet, the QB now has to audible and if the new signal is not close to the original in terms of set, there has to be movement (which is waste) and that costs time.
Sorry for rambling - I've been reading up on how this works since they used it in the bowl games last season.

I’d be interested to read about some safety measures.

It may not be commonplace, but someone will eventually figure out a way to match the changing frequencies. With AI assistance, it may not even be that complicated. If it happens, it will be more difficult to pinpoint than Connor Stallions and his network of sign stealers. There are a lot more college football games than the 6 or less that the NFL plays at a time.

 

[WillisWG]

Pretty sure only one green dot at a time is allowed on the field.

Yep

Only one (1) player may be on the field per team at a time with radio receiving capability and the player must be identified by an unbranded green dot on the back midline of the helmet • Coach-to-player communications will be shut off when the play clock reaches 15 seconds or at the snap, whichever comes first, and will remain off throughout the down When the play clock is reset to 25/40, the communications will be restored If more than one green dot helmet per team is detected on the field by the game officials, the result is a live ball 5-yard equipment violation penalty, and this penalty initiates a conference review • A conference may develop a policy to provide guidance in handling situations dealing with communications failure

 

[bigorangepoppa]

I think he misspoke about any incompletion under 2 mins will result in a 10 second runoff. That wouldn't make sense to penalize the offense if they have an incomplete pass nor have we seen that on any level of football.

Yea, just looked it up, must be some type of foul to trigger the 10 second runoff.

I was wondering about that, then realized that maybe they are referring to an intentional grounding. They surely don't mean spiking the ball to stop the clock.

 

[GAVol]

I was wondering about that, then realized that maybe they are referring to an intentional grounding. They surely don't mean spiking the ball to stop the clock.

They’re just making it so that the offense can’t get rewarded with a stopped clock for an illegal forward pass that’s incomplete like a throw beyong the LOS or intentional grounding.

 

[cardvolfan]

Informative stuff here, but nothing earth-shattering. It is good to know that the man-in-charge is proactively engaged in the training and review of officials.

 

[NATHAN05]

Not sure why they chanded the incomplete pass thing. I know they have been trying to FIT IN MORE COMMERCIALS TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE FOR THEMSELVES and to accommodate for the extra games being played but that chandes a lot at the end of a game.

Fyp for you bro

 

[BearBryant]

- 10 second runoffs for illegal incomplete passes inside 2 Minutes Warning.

- Helmet microphones.

Basically some new rules with no explanation of why it’s beneficial to the game.

Most rules changes are designed for more Satanic Commercial Time.

 

[WillisWG]

 

[livefaith]

Pretty sure only one green dot at a time is allowed on the field.

What kind of dot will Oregon and Michigan State? Conspiracy!

 

[VFL-82-JP]

HAHAHA - I get what you are saying, but from what I understand colleges are using the same company that the NFL uses for the tech.

Listening to a radio show here in B1G country (where signal and sign stealing is some what of a hot button issue), it seems that each team will have a set of digital band frequencies and the operators will roll through those bands almost continuously making it nearly impossible to break into and listen to a communication or jam that signal.
The only way we as fans are privy to any of the NFL mic'd up stuff is because the league grants permission for the team and controllers to stop for a few seconds at a set frequency.
The lengths that have been gone through to keep people from breaking into communications and talking or listening are mind boggling.

Also, there will still be side line signaling as only one or two players on the field will be equipped for in helmet communication.
The signal will still come in from the sideline to the rest of the team.
That's a huge part of our offense if you notice as the WRs are jogging towards the side line to get set for the play they are getting the signal from the sideline...they rarely get the formation from the QB.
That way when they get to formation, they are already set and the ball can be snapped almost immediately.

Now where this in-helmet communication may hurt this offense is a signal is sent from the sideline, everyone gets that signal and sets, coach send an audible across the helmet, the QB now has to audible and if the new signal is not close to the original in terms of set, there has to be movement (which is waste) and that costs time.
Sorry for rambling - I've been reading up on how this works since they used it in the bowl games last season.

Indiana, I haven't read up on the NFL and NCAA efforts in this field as you have, but it is possible what you thought of as "operators rolling through frequencies" is actually automated. And happens on the order of a frequency change every less-than-a-millisecond. Like, they're going through 1,000 or more frequency changes every second.

That's called frequency-hopping, and has been part of radio encryption technology since the 1970s. We had it in the US Army in the early 80s when I was on my very first tour.

Each team would have their own unique, randomly-generated encryption key (not really a physical key, more like a super-long password on a closely guarded memory stick), which sets up an algorithm--a mathematical formula--for which frequency to go to next, then next, then next, then next, and also keeps everyone using that key on the same 'heartbeat' for the shifts.

Some dude in charge of communications for the team generates a random "key" before the game, then goes from radio to radio physically copying the key into each team radio, including the ones in the players' helmets.*

As long as that dude keeps his mitts tight on his key generator, and all the team radios stay in friendly hands, there's no way anyone else can listen in. Mathematically impossible.

And it is entirely possible both teams are using the same band of frequencies. If I'm randomly hopping among them using one encryption key, and you're randomly hopping them using another, we will never even notice each other.

The only way to jam a frequency-hopping network is to blast the jamming signal on ALL those thousands of frequencies they're using, or at least the majority of them. So much harder to jam, though not impossible.

Really fascinating stuff, and entirely unbreakable unless you can steal or talk a turncoat into giving you the other team's encryption key.

Go Vols!


* Edit and possible correction: it has been decades since I last used FH radio encryption--it is entirely possible they figured out secure ways to pass the key from radio to radio without even needing a guy walking around with a memory stick. Showing my age, heh.

 

[Bloodrunsorange27]

They need to change the targeting penalties to be more like unsportsmanlike conduct.
They've gotten better about reviewing and not ruling targeting, but the ejection for first offense is too much in most cases

First targeting - 15 yards
Second - 15 yards and ejection