Targeting, Replay Review Subject of College Football 2020 Rule Change Proposals

The NCAA Football Rules Committee has recommended changes for the 2020 season, including limiting replay reviews to two minutes and allowing players ejected for targeting to stay on the sidelines. 

Greg Johnson reported the committee's suggestions on NCAA.org (h/t Yahoo Sports). Others include limiting duplicate jersey numbers to two players per team and beginning officials' jurisdiction of the game to 90 minutes beforehand (as opposed to 60).

Kickoffs underwent a "thorough discussion," per Johnson, but the committee did not recommend further changes.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel must approve all changes and will discuss the proposals on April 16.

College football underwent a host of changes during last year's process for safety purposes, including imposing stiffer penalties for repeat target offenders, outlawing the two-man wedge on kickoffs and moving overtime periods to one-off tries from the three-yard line beginning with the fifth OT.

The theme of this year's process is adding common-sense rules.

Increasing referees' time of jurisdiction to 90 minutes should seemingly help curtail any issues pregame between trash-talking (or fighting) teams.

Allowing players to remain on the sideline post-targeting penalty acknowledges the fact that not all penalties of that ilk are equal. Some penalties are targeting by the letter of the law but don't appear as severe (or carry an intent to target) enough for a player to be banned from the field too.

And replay reviews have stretched for far too long at times, dragging games to a halt.

If these rule changes come to fruition, then fans will see them in action beginning on Saturday, August 29, when the 2020 Division I-FBS college football season is set to begin.