Alabama Football: New rules set to take effect this season

The NCAA adopted new rules and regulations that will affect how College Football will be played. With just days separating fans from Alabama Football, we break down some of the big changes and how they will affect the game.

While some Alabama football fans may balk at the idea of new rules making the game so-called soft, these rules are made for the greater good of the game. The purpose of the rules is to not only enhance the product on the field but protect the players.

We’ll break down three of the rules and analyze their purpose:

Kickoff Fair-Catches

According to the new rules, kickoffs can be fair-caught much like punts. You could always do that, but the move was considered foolish if you did it other than on short kickoffs. However, the NCAA added a provision that, if a fair-catch is made, the ball will move to the 25-yard line. The idea is to create an incentive for teams to call the fair catch more often during kickoffs.

Kickoffs have been recently considered football’s most dangerous play. With two teams coming at full speed against each other, it’s no wonder more injuries occur. The NCAA is trying to mitigate the injuries without harming the style of play. It’s a safety issue. With the rule, fans can expect to see fewer returns this year, if any.

New Redshirt Rule

Redshirt used to be a dirty word for some college players. Being redshirted meant you wouldn’t see any playing time for a full year, which would be frustrating to players who felt they were ready to play. For coaches, it was equally as frustrating when you had to burn a redshirt putting them in the game.

The NCAA has now given huge leeway to redshirts, allowing them to participate in up to four games for the season they are redshirted. This will be huge for younger players and coaches alike to give redshirts the playing time they need to develop. Though you shouldn’t expect a huge on-field impact, it’s a big strategy call for coaches.

10-Second Runoff Replays

This is probably one that you won’t see arguments about. If a replay occurs within a minute left in either half, the call is reversed AND the correct ruling would not have stopped the play clock, the clock will be adjusted. The clock will reset to the time it should be at minus 10-seconds.

This is a good rule. We can’t have the replay system favor the team that needs the clock to slow down.

Overall, the changes aren’t sweeping and they don’t necessarily harm the integrity of the game. Much of the other rule changes involve other safety measures and on-field procedures. Overall, don’t expect the game to change much from the rules.

Alabama football coach, Nick Saban is a vocal proponent of improved player safety. He is not a fan of the new kickoff rule. Saban believes a safety enhancement could have been achieved by moving kickoffs to the 40-yard line and thereby greatly reducing the number of returned kicks.