1) On kickoffs, the receiving team can fair catch behind its 25-yard-line and the ball will be treated like a touchback and placed at the 25. I didn't recall hearing this, but this will make a difference.
2) To help speed up games, the 40-second play clock will start after touchdowns and kicks. Expect less plays and lower scores. But yes, by all means speed up the game.
3) The NCAA redshirt rule has been modified. I knew about this one. Players may now participate in any four games throughout the year, without losing a year of eligibility. The previous rule stated that if a player appeared in any game, even for one play, it would count as a year of eligibility. This has been discussed a lot here and everywhere, and it will be interesting to see how coaches will adapt their substitution patterns.

I like the last 2 rule changes. The first one nullifies a place-kicker's skill, but I assume it was adopted for safety reasons..

No. 2 seems to support the Chip Kelly philosophy of speed-up and do the next play. While it might burden some who huddle up and call a play like Stanford. Also, it might unintentionally affect substitutions.

Bear8 said:

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No. 2 seems to support the Chip Kelly philosophy of speed-up and do the next play. While it might burden some who huddle up and call a play like Stanford. Also, it might unintentionally affect substitutions.

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Should cut down on celebrations, too, if I read it right.

wifeisafurd said:

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1) On kickoffs, the receiving team can fair catch behind its 25-yard-line and the ball will be treated like a touchback and placed at the 25. I didn't recall hearing this, but this will make a difference.

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I'm very curious to see if this will lead some teams to experiment with creative line-drive style kicks to see if they can consistently make tackles before the 25 yd line. Otherwise, just about every kickoff within the 10 yd line will be a fair catch. When they first went to the 25 yd line for kickoffs to the end zone, I noticed that there were still a lot of attempts to bring the ball out, and they failed to reach the 25 yd line almost 100% of the time. If teams are smart, they will take advantage of the rule, so I'd like to see some creative new kickoff play.

wifeisafurd said:

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2) To help speed up games, the 40-second play clock will start after touchdowns and kicks. Expect less plays and lower scores. But yes, by all means speed up the game.

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I don't see how starting the 40 second clock after touchdowns and kicks will result in fewer plays or lower scores, unless the game clock is also started (which I don't think is the case). This rule change will just cut down on some of the time (not game time) after TDs and kicks.

wifeisafurd said:

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1) On kickoffs, the receiving team can fair catch behind its 25-yard-line and the ball will be treated like a touchback and placed at the 25. I didn't recall hearing this, but this will make a difference.

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This rule must be intended to counteract the high kickoffs many teams used last year to force the receiving team to field the ball before it reaches the end zone.

Reportedly some kickers have been working on what amounts to a long squib kick, or a low line drive, with the hope that the ball will be bouncing around inside the 10 or at least inside the 20. We'll have to see if anyone has enough confidence in that technique to use it regularly.

What does "fair catch" mean on kick off?

Does the player catching the ball have to signal a fair catch by waving a hand (like a punt) or just catch the ball and take a knee after seeing where the opposing tacklers are?

Will there now be an emphasis on the kicker getting "hang time" on the kickoff vs distance?

I am not clear on how starting the clock after kickoffs and touchdowns will work since that is when TV usually cuts to a commercial, right?

TomBalk said:

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I am not clear on how starting the clock after kickoffs and touchdowns will work since that is when TV usually cuts to a commercial, right?

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On TDs, I think the rule is starting the play clock immediately after the TD, before the PAT. On the kickoffs, there sometimes is a commercial after the kickoff, although not as often as there is in the NFL; my guess is the play clock won't start if there's a commercial break, but otherwise will.

They need to reduce commercials and not make players run 100 mph all the time