NCAA Football Rules Committee Proposes Several Changes to Make Games Quicker

College football games could be shorter in 2023 after several proposed changes by the NCAA Football Rules Committee announced Friday.

The most notable change will be the clock continuing to run after a first down outside of the last two minutes of either half. Under the current rules, the clock stops after every first down until the ball is set.

"This rule change is a small step intended to reduce the overall game time and will give us some time to review the impact of the change," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. The two-time defending national champion is a co-chair of the committee.

Other proposed changes include a rule that teams cannot call consecutive timeouts, while penalties at the end of the first and third quarters would carry over to the next quarter.

The proposed changes must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on April 20.

According to committee chair and Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen, the changes are intended to reduce the number of plays per game, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. The projected rules could eliminate an estimated seven-to-10 plays per game, which could help player safety.

The NCAA has also been hoping to shorten the overall length of games after a dramatic rise over the past decade.

Games averaged three hours and 32 minutes in 2022, including weather delays, which is up from three hours and 17 minutes in 2013, per Seth Emerson of The Athletic.

Executives have been considering a wide array of solutions, including potentially running the clock after incomplete passes, according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.

Though the official proposed changes don't include the clock stoppage after incompletions, the other rules could put the college game more in line with the pace of the NFL.