The college football offseason means transfers, spring practice and — wait for it — rule changes.
With the NFL Combine starting Monday, the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee will meet in Indianapolis to discuss some consequential alterations. Among them will be a change to a long controversial penalty: Targeting.
Fans have been split over the need for increased player safety and subjective punishment for nearly unavoidable contact in the game of football. So far, head injuries seem to be down since targeting became a thing in 2008 but the increase in penalty to a player, specifically a first half suspension in the following game for an ejection in the second half of a contest, introduced in 2013 could be under the microscope.
On top of that, the NCAA also wants to crack down on gameday fashion of all things. Let's dive into it.
Simplifying the targeting-ejection rule is the right call
It's never made much sense that a player who gets ejected in the second half of a game for targeting has to sit out the first half of the following contest. Why punish a team the following week for a foul that occurred in the previous game? In some cases where there's a bye, it's two weeks after the infraction occurred.
In 2022, the NCAA added an appeals process for players that received the first half suspension but that may now only apply to repeat offenders going forward. The governing body is considering removing the punishment for first-time offenders and, frankly, that's a great move.
The trick about backing off the severity of the targeting penalty without de-emphasizing safety is making it a pseudo-tiered call. The first offense affects an ejected player and team in the game in which the foul occurred. That seems fair. If you've been tossed for targeting before in the same season, you're out of luck. The punishment has to be steeper for the message to get through.
There's already a system in place for players who rack up three targeting calls in a season: A full game suspension. This rule change would simplify the process and add that second step for a repeat offender before the book is dropped on them. It gives teams a chance to coach dangerous hits out of their players before things impact their seasons further.
Regulating on-field fashion choices is a waste of time
Next on the docket for the NCAA is a discussion about cracking down on players whose pants are too short. Yes, you read that correctly.
After vocal complaints from some head coaches like Colorado's Deion Sanders and pundits like ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit about certain players wearing pants that cut off above the knees, the NCAA — which previously didn't enforce the already existing rule — is going to take a more critical approach.
The "Daisy Dukes" look, among other wardrobe infractions like cutoff jerseys and multiple mouthguards, could result in a sideline being warned upon first notice by on-field officials and if not remedied a timeout would be charged. There has been no indication yardage penalties will be considered as part of a punishment.
Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell is one of the most prominent players in the Power Four who wears pants that cutoff above the knee. The main concern is pads don't properly fit in those pants but also that inconsistent uniforms don't look good for a team sport.
"I'm not changing it."#Sooners kicker Tate Sandell on shorts after criticism from broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit on national TV during Saturday's game against Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/CO5Z81xS2e
— OU Daily Sports (@OUDailySports) November 2, 2025
It's called fashion, NCAA, look it up.
In all seriousness, there are more pressing issues the governing body should be attending to like eligibility limits and preventing conferences from breaking away to form a super league.
Nobody cares that much about minor uniform deviations except the coaches that sound like old men yelling at clouds. Safety is a priority but if a player is restricted or uncomfortable due to arbitrary uniform standards, they should be allowed to make adjustments.
And let's be real, if you're getting upset about the kicker not wearing the proper pants then you need to get your priorities straight. As long as the ball is going through the uprights and he's not getting hurt, there is no there there.