Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of College Football Officiating, provides insights about rules changes and the mindset of college football referees. The CFO is the national professional organization for all football officials who work games at the collegiate level.

This week we finish our coverage of the 2016 rule changes for college football. Here we look at the remaining changes, which affect several areas of the game.

 

Use of Technology for Coaching- It was noted in our first column on the changes that the rules committee was recommending that coaches be allowed to use video and computers in the press box and the locker rooms. After receiving expressions of concern from a number of the conferences about implementing this change, the committee has voted to delay this new rule until 2017. This will give institutions more time to prepare for this major change in the use of technology. So there will be no change in the technology-for-coaching rule for 2016.

 

Input From a Medical Observer- In 2015, the committee approved an experimental rule that allows the Instant Replay official to interrupt a game at the request of a medical observer. This was to take care of the situation where the medical observer saw that a player had been injured on the field, but neither the officials nor the sideline personnel noticed this and therefore had not stopped the game. The committee received indications from a number of institutions that showed that this was a very successful experiment in 2015. So, for 2016 the committee has improved this as a permanent rule change.

 

Unsportsmanlike Conduct by a Coach- For many years NCAA football has had a rule wherein a player who commits two fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct is disqualified for the remainder of the game after the second foul. Interestingly enough, no such rule exists in college football for behavior by coaches. Football is the only NCAA sport that does not have such a rule. For example, in basketball when a coach receives two technical fouls, the second foul disqualifies him for the rest of the game. 

 

The rules committee believes that as teachers and adult leaders of young athletes playing football, coaches should be held to a high standard of behavior appropriate to such a responsible position. Thus, starting in 2016, the rule will be that a coach who commits two fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct will be disqualified from the game. He must leave the playing field before the ball is next put into play, and he must remain out of view of the playing field for the remainder of the game.

 

Experimental Rule:  Collaboration in Instant Replay - In addition to these changes in the rules, the committee has improved an experimental rule for the 2016 season. This experiment will allow what is being referred to as a "collaborative approach" to the use of instant replay. This means that the replay official will be in communication with observers who are watching the game on television at a site other than the instant replay booth. The replay official will be in consultation with the remote observers while reviewing a play. The purpose is to allow for a second observer in addition to this replay official to assist in making the decisions about a review. As a part of the experimental rule process, conferences that use this approach will report back to the rules committee at next year's meetings with the results of this experiment.

Upcoming Events at the Hall

May 6, NFF's MacArthur Bowl Presentation-  Calling all Bama fans! Don your houndstooth and head to the Hall to celebrate this year's National Championship. The NFF will present Alabama, with Coach Nick Saban on hand to accept, the NFF's MacArthur Bowl National Championship Trophy during a public ceremony May 6 at 2 p.m. ET. The MacArthur Bowl, presented by the National Football Foundation since 1959 to the year's most outstanding football team, was commissioned by General Douglas MacArthur and designed and donated by Tiffany & Co. Click here for tickets. 

May 8, Moms and Mimosas-  Treat Mom to a day of  relaxation and fun at the Hall on Mother's  Day. All moms receive free admission with the purchase of a regular price ticket, and they can  enjoy free manicures and chair massages from Pamper Perfect. The first 50 moms through the door will receive a "swag bag" from Kendra Scott . Moms also have the chance to win a signature  Kendra Scott jewelry item in a raffle. 

May 14, Football Blues- Still haven't gotten rid of those football blues? The Hall of Fame has just the cure! Chase away the "Football Blues" on May 14 at the Hall's football, music, food and fun-filled tailgate with tex-mex style cuisine and the Francisco Vidal Band from 1-5 p.m. Click here for tickets.

May 21, Walk the Hall- The Hall will celebrate recent high school and college graduates with FREE admission to the Hall! Grads must present a copy of their diploma or certificate of completion at the box office for entry.

The Hall on the Road

May 5-6 - Leadercast at Infinite Energy Arena 

May 12 - Taste of Alpharetta

June 1 - Lakepoint Indoor Facility Grand Opening

June 4-6 - Virginia Highland Summer Festival