CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Since 1968, the NFL and college football have had stark contrasts when it comes to clock stoppage.
In the NFL, the clock runs after first downs while in college, the clock stops on first downs which has been the case since 1968.
But that will change in 2024 as college football will allow the clock to run after first downs with the exception being the final two minutes of each half.
The approval will come from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel which each year examines any rules changesproposed by the NCAA Football Rules Committee, which made that recommendation in March.
The PROP is also expected to approve two other recommendations from the rules committee: teams will be prohibited from calling consecutive timeouts and any penalties at the end of the first and third quarter will be enforced on the first play of the next quarter.
South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer was speaking in Chattanooga and he told the local CBS station WDEF that he doesn’t expect the running clock after first downs to radically change the game. Beamer understands the fan perspective of how games have become too long and with less plays run in a game should also lead to less injuries.