College football rule changes include removing next-game DQs for a first targeting penalty

Those are among the changes for the 2026 season, the National Football Foundation announced Tuesday in its annual summary of rules changes. The targeting penalty change will be an experimental rule for 2026. The trial rule will apply regardless of which half the targeting penalty is called. A player who draws his second targeting penalty of the season will be required to miss the first half of the next game. A conference can choose to initiate an appeals process after a player’s second targeting penalty.