CFB rules committee to consider changes to targeting punishments, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The question of what constitutes (or doesn’t constitute) targeting has become an annual topic of discussion among college football fans. While that debate probably won’t be settled anytime soon, there could be some changes that affect how punishment of an upheld call is handled.
Under current rules, a player who is whistled for targeting in the second half will miss the first half of the following game. According to The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is considering a proposal that would end that practice. Rather, the player would still be ejected but remain eligible for the following game, with the 15-yard penalty continuing to be enforced. Meanwhile, “harsher punishment” could be on the table for repeat offenders.
As for removing targeting altogether, that’s off the table, Vannini reports, as well as a “two-tiered penalty system” similar to how flagrant fouls are assessed in college basketball and the NBA.
There remains little to no support for backing off of targeting itself or creating a two-tiered penalty system, as the coaches association proposed in 2019. That’s because it would make officiating the rule even more subjective, and college sports leaders (and their lawyers) are concerned pulling back on the penalty could be used in any potential future legal claims around head injuries.
“No one wants to de-emphasize what a targeting call is. Why mess with it if it’s working?” one person briefed on the situation said. “But I don’t think a guy in the next game recognizes (the severity) of the game before, or you have someone who has weeks off and then can’t play in the first half of the national championship.
The Rules Committee is set to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Any proposals that come out of that “will go to the Division I Football Oversight Committees for ratification in mid-March,” Vannini said.
Looking forward to the new season? Here’s a look at Kalshi’s top probabilities to reach the College Football Playoff next year.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
