Why college football calls it a 2-minute timeout instead of a 2-minute warning
There aren't too many rule changes to keep track of in college football this year, but one of the most noticeable isn't anything taking place in the game. In fact, it has to do with stopping the game.
Much like the NFL, college football will now feature a stoppage when there are two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters.
But do not — I repeat: DO NOT — call this a "two-minute warning". Officially, this is a "two-minute timeout".
The NCAA rulebook doesn't call it a warning, and as you'll hear all season long, neither will the broadcasters.
Per Section 3, Article 5 of the NCAA rulebook:
When the game clock is running and the ball is not live, the Referee shall stop the clock with exactly two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters for a Two-Minute Timeout. If the ball is live when the game clock reaches two minutes in the second and fourth quarters, play will continue, and the Referee or covering official shall stop the clock when the ball is declared dead for a Two-Minute Timeout.
The media broadcast partner will hold back at least one media timeout to coincide with the Two-Minute Timeout. If there is no media timeout partner in the game, the timeout shall be one minute plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval.
And the NCAA is serious about not calling this a "warning" like the NFL does. You'll hear broadcasters refer to the stoppage as a timeout all year long. The reason is pure semantics, per Chris Vannini of The Athletic:
When the NCAA announced the "2-minute timeout," I asked coordinator of officials Steve Shaw why they didn't use "warning." He said because it's not a warning like it originally was created for in the NFL.
I said, "OK but everyone is going to call it the two-minute warning." https://t.co/MUyHtlxkmB— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 25, 2024
It's true, the warning was created for the NFL in an era when officials kept the official game time — and there weren't a billion screens in every stadium to display it. But this does seem a bit silly on the NCAA's part. Even if it's not a "warning" per se, it acts the same.
Why confuse fans with something they're already familiar with? That's just how the NCAA rolls, apparently.
This is also a good time to point out that the NCAA can call it whatever it wants, but it can't control how fans refer to the break. At least, as long as they aren't also broadcasting games.
So go ahead and call it a two-minute warning if you'd like. The NCAA can't hurt you.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why college football calls it a 2-minute timeout instead of a 2-minute warning
