College football rule changes: NCAA announces new rules for 2022 season

What you need to know about the rule changes in college football this season.

Get ready to see some changes on the field in the 2022 college football season after the NCAA announced a number of new rules in time for this fall.

The NCAA introduced new measures including: an appeals process for the targeting rule, rules for fake injuries, fake slides, blocking below the waist, and defensive holding.

An appeal for targeting

• Schools are now allowed to appeal second-half targeting calls to determine if the player who committed the foul will be forced to sit out the first half of the team's next game.

• A conference will be allowed to submit an official appeal to the national coordinator of college football officials, who will determine if the foul was called correctly on the field. 

• If the officials determine the foul wasn't properly assessed, the penalty will be overturned after the fact and the player in question will be allowed to play the first half of the team's next game.

Faking injuries

• The NCAA announced it was concerned with the practice of faking injuries, especially as the pace of college football increases with more up-tempo offenses being played

• Conferences and schools are now allowed to submit a formal report to the national coordinator of officials, who will provide additional feedback to the conference.

• From there, the conference or school would then levy any additional punishment.

• "We considered all options to address this issue, including allowing both teams an opportunity to substitute after a first down," said David Shaw, the Stanford head football coach and chair of the Football Rules Committee. "This is another step to consider in the future."

The "Kenny Pickett Rule"

• Be careful if you're a college football player trying to imitate the Pittsburgh quarterback's famous fake slide from last season — any player that fakes a feet-first slide will be considered down at the spot where he was.

• The rule comes into effect after Pickett ran for a 58 yard touchdown in last season's ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest after faking a slide.

Kenny Pickett hit the fake-slide 🤧pic.twitter.com/8f4VoUtxV4

— PFF (@PFF) December 5, 2021

Blocking below the waist

• Going forward, blocking opposing players below the waist will be allowed by linemen and stationary running backs inside the tackle box.

• But applying any below-the-waist blocks outside the tackle box is prohibited.

Defensive holding

• Holding remains a 10-yard penalty, but always carries an automatic first down.

(h/t NCAA)

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