TIME OUT: Annual Meeting of the NCAA Rules Committee

Periodically, Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of College Football Officiating, will provide 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.

The NCAA football rules committee convened in Charlotte, N.C., for its annual meeting on February 6 for two days of deliberations. The year 2012 is the "off year" of the two-year rules change process, so any changes in the rules were unlikely. However, the committee is always empowered to make rules changes that impact player safety. With all the concern about injuries, especially concussions, the committee considered some modifications aimed at protecting the safety of the student athlete.

The majority of voting members of the twelve-person committee are head coaches from all three divisions of NCAA football. Other members include athletic directors and conference administrators. At the committee's open sessions, the members received input from officials, trainers, commissioners, and other stakeholders. Voting took place on the last day of the meeting in a session that is closed to all except the voting members.

The off-year meeting allowed the committee to step back and look at the game holistically. They considered such issues as the competitive balance between offense and defense, conduct of players and coaches, blocking schemes, and a number of other issues. As stewards of the game, the committee is vitally interested in the overall state of the sport.