The ebb and flow of college football means that rule changes are something of a regularity, as new tactics and scenarios arise that the rules committee needs to deal with. The new set of rules and rule changes was just announced for the upcoming year, and while there are a few things that are extremely niche and won't be all that noticeable, there are some intriguing things in here as well.
The most notable change that fans will see right off the bat is the attempt to address the veritable epidemic of fake injuries that has swept the sport recently. Most think of Lane Kiffin's team's antics when it comes to this problem, but there are others who have engaged in this practice as well, and the rules committee has had about enough.
Starting this season, players that go down with an injury after the ball has been spotted will cost their team a timeout— or a delay of game penalty if all timeouts have been used. This should do something to curb this issue, though it will doubtless still be an issue in some quarters.
Addressing fake injuries is top of mind for college football rule changes in 2025
There are more interesting rule changes, as well: after the second overtime period, teams will only have one timeout for the rest of the game, and there will also be no media timeouts in order to shorten games during the two-point shootout portion of overtime.
Additionally, replay review announcements have been changed: instead of the "confirmed" vs. "stands" distinction, rulings will now be announced to have been "upheld," meaning fans will no longer know whether or not the referees considered there to be enough evidence to confirm a call.
Another point of interest is the rules committee attempting to address defensive lines messing with snap counts. We saw the Aggies flagged for "delay of game" penalties against Alabama in 2021 when the referees thought they were trying to emulate a snap count, but now sudden movements by defensive linemen in attempts to draw a false start will also qualify for such penalties.
There are a few more points of interest, including expanding availability of tablet technology during in-game proceedings and increased stringency on celebrations that mime using weapons, but you should read the entire document, linked in the first paragraph, to get the lowdown on what's happening.