College Football 2026 Rule Changes: NCAA Announces Major Updates for New Season

College football fans who don’t like how targeting penalties or pass interference calls have been punished will see a notable difference on the field in 2026, as the NCAA has announced a series of sweeping new rules heading into the new season.

Now we’ll just have to see how they’re enforced. What are officials working with? Here’s how the new rules look on paper.

Changes to targeting punishment

College Football 2026 Rule Changes — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“An experimental rule for 2026,” as the NCAA described it officially, this season will introduce a notable change that is aimed to lessen future disqualifications, including getting rid of the carryover on a player’s first targeting foul.

So if a player is flagged for targeting in the third quarter of a game, his subsequent suspension for the first half of his next game has been abolished completely.

If the same player is flagged for targeting a second time, he will miss the first half of the next game. And if he targets a third time, he’ll be disqualified from that game in addition to the entirety of his next game.

“Targeting penalties that are upheld will include a disqualification for the current game,” the NCAA said in its update.

Steve Shaw, the NCAA’s secretary rules editor for football and the national officiating coordinator who is retiring on Sept. 1, revealed that one particular targeting ejection moved the organization to act.

Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas was called for a target in the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal win against Ole Miss, and had to miss the first half of the national championship game as a result. That could be the last time that happens.

Offensive pass interference change

College Football 2026 Rule Changes: NCAA Announces Major Updates for New Season — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Five yards are being taken off when an offensive player commits a pass interference, with the penalty being reduced from 15 yards to just 10 yards starting this season.

“Drive killers” was how Shaw said coaches described the previous infraction, and they stressed to the NCAA that offensive interference could be judged the same as when committed by a defensive player.

Unsportsmanlike flags

Taunting won’t be changed, as the game looks to prevent players from doing anything directed at their opponents that disrupts or delays games.

But now celebrations will be judged a little more closely, with five main offending categories: any simulation of brandishing a weapon/gun imagery; simulated throat slashing/nose wiping gestures; removing a helmet on the field; pushing, shoving, or striking when the ball is clearly dead and game action is over, and; pushing/pulling players off a pile after a ball is dead/play is over.

Fair-catch kick rule

Going forward, if an opposing team kicks off and the receiving team calls for a fair catch, the latter has the option to claim a fair-catch kick, a kickoff formation with the defense 10 yards away with no rush.

At that point, the kicker is not allowed to use a tee, but they can kick from wherever they are on the field and try to score three points, a maneuver that could add some interesting developments at the end of close games this season.

Jersey patches aren’t going anywhere

Traditionalists and purists will groan, and are justified in groaning, as college football is allowing programs to display advertising and sponsorships on jerseys for the first time.

The ever-greater need for schools to raise money made this basically inevitable, with bigger programs spending around $30 million per season on players, and having to bring in that cash from somewhere.

You can see the complete rule changes for the 2026 season here.

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