USIAA Varsity 9-Man American Football Rules:
Scholarship and Roster Rules:
- All programs can only have a minimum of 65 & a maximum of 85 players during the regular season.
- All programs can only have a minimum of 38 & a maximum of 45 players on the active varsity roster for all regular season games.
- All programs are required to give all 20-45 inactive players free season tickets in the designated student sections for all home games.
- The limits for the preseason tryouts and spring practices only is raised to 195 total players.
- All programs can choose whether to allow athletic scholarships or not; start-up programs are given a max of 5 years to decide whether or not to provide athletic scholarships to players.
- All D1 scholarship programs can only have a max of 63 total scholarships, and a max of 60 full scholarship players.
- All D2 scholarship programs can only have a max of 36 total scholarships, and a max of 24 full scholarship players.
- All D3 scholarship programs can only have a max of 24 total scholarship players.
- All D4 scholarship programs can only have a max of 63 total scholarships, and a max of 60 full scholarship players.
- All D1, D2, & D4 scholarship programs can only have a max of 85 athletes receiving athletic scholarships, & are allowed to award athletic financial aid to as many as 25 new players per season.
- All D3 scholarship programs are allowed to award athletic financial aid to as many as 10 new players per season.
- Coaching Staff Size = One (1) Head Coach and a max of Ten (10) Assistants. A "coach" for this rule is defined by NCAA Bylaw 11.7.
- A new period for official all-expenses-paid visits begins April 1 of a recruit's junior year in high school and ends the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of that year.
- Official visits can’t occur in conjunction with a prospect’s participation in a school’s camp or clinic.
- Coaches employed at a camp or clinic are allowed to have recruiting conversations with prospects participating in camps and clinics and requires educational sessions at all camps and clinics detailing initial eligibility standards, gambling rules, agent rules and drug regulations (effective immediately).
- Coaches can only have 10 days in June and July to participate in satellite camps and clinics; all camps must take place on a school’s campus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice or competition (i.e. multiple staffs may still work together to host a camp at a school near a recruiting hotbed, but a staff such as Michigan couldn’t take off on a month long national tour). Staff members with football-specific responsibilities are subject to the same restrictions.
- It shall be the responsibility of the home team to have a qualified physician in attendance 15 minutes before, during and available after the game.
- All coaches must remain on the field in the coaching area during the conduct of the game. No phones are permitted for use.
- There is a mandatory play stoppage with 2 minutes remaining in each half; After the two-minute warning, the play clock is run only from the snap of the ball to when the referee declares that play dead.
- All players are required to wear knee pads and pants that cover the knees.
- Players must sit at least one game after sustaining a concussion.
- Mouthguards are mandatory for all players.
- Tackling & Contact Rules:
a) Any head down or helmet-to-helmet hit gives a 15yd penalty against the offending team (i.e. a yellow card); on the first offense; the second offense gets the player charged with the penalty suspended for the rest of the game, and the first half of the next game (i.e. a red card).
b) Defensive players are prohibited from leaping over or hurdling the offensive line in an attempt to block field goal or extra point attempts.
c) The nameplate area of the jersey has been added to the current horse-collar tackle rule.
d) When a runner now slides feet first, the runner is considered defenseless, and a hit on the runner will result in a targeting penalty (i.e. meaning a 15-yard personal foul will be enforced and the player will be ejected for at least the remainder of the game after the second offense).
e) Defenders can no longer trip the runner to bring him to the ground; however, this rule does not include defenders attempting to tackle a ball carrier below the waist.
f) All players who leave the tackle box are prohibited from blocking below the waist toward the initial position of the ball.
g) All players must practice tackling and blocking without their helmets at least once per week during the season, & at least once every 2 weeks during the offseason. - Having full-contact practices twice in the same day is prohibited during the preseason, regular-season, & postseason:
a) Teams can still have 2-a-days, but the extra session has to be either film study or walkthrough.
b) No conditioning can take place at the walkthrough, and players can’t be in helmets or shoulder pads. - The defensive line can only hold up or block a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.
- The kicker & punter positions will be merged into one, with that player doing all of the punts, kickoffs, and field goals.
- All kickoffs will be administered from the kicking team's 25-yard line, as to decrease touchbacks and increase coverage opportunities:
a) In addition, 6 players on the receiving team must line up between the kicking team's 35-yard and 45-yard lines for the possibility of decreasing "high-impact collisions".
b) Once a kickoff passes the 45 yard line, fielding rules became similar to punts in that the kicking team is not allowed to recover and regain possession (except for the kicker & any player(s) behind the kicker). - Any player can kick the ball at any time:
a) On any kick, only the kicker and any member of the kicker's team behind the kicker at the time of the kick may legally recover and advance the ball so long as the ball travels at least 10 yards; the ball doesn't have to be touched by the receiving team in order for the possession to count.
b) In such a case, the kicker or player is exempt from the No Yards rule. Thus, a player from Team A may punt or kick the ball 40 yards, chase the ball upfield, then recover an untouched ball for a Team A first down. Such instances are rare since the player would have to elude plenty of blocking to reach the ball. When it does happen, this play is highly exciting.
c) Examples = Montreal at Toronto - Wild Ending - October 29, 2010, Montreal Alouettes Perfect Fake Field Goal vs. Lions Wk. 11 2012. - No Yards Rule:
a) Punt or kick coverage teams must give a 5 yard empty zone around the opposing receiver until he has received the ball. This is called the "No Yards" rule; exceptions to the no yards rule include the kicker or a player behind the kicker.
b) Kick or punt receivers must field all kicks and punts, with no exceptions.
c) An unhandled ball from a place kick or punt may be legally recovered by the kicker or any player behind the kicker at the time of the kick. In such a case, the kicker or player is exempt from the No Yards rule. Thus, a player from Team A may punt or kick the ball 40 yards, chase the ball upfield, then recover an untouched ball for a Team A first down.
d) The ball is live under almost all circumstances during a legal play within bounds at any time during the game except for incomplete forward passes.
e) All of the players offside at the time of the kick may neither touch the ball nor be within five yards of the member of the receiving team who fields the kick; violation of this rule is a penalty for no yards. The penalty for no yards is 15 yards if the kick is in flight and 5 yards if it has been grounded. - Scoring System:
a) 6 points for a touchdown
b) 1 for a kicked convert; Extra points will be attempted from 35 yards out.
c) 2 for a passed or rushed convert (2yds)
d) 3 for a passed or rushed convert (3yds)
e) 3 for a field goal (under 50 yds); 4 for a field goal (50+ yds),
f) 2 for a safety touch; the team being awarded the 2 points has the option of either a) scrimmaging from their own 25-yard line, b) kicking the ball off from their own 25-yard line, or c) having the opposing team kick off the ball from their own 20-yard line.
g) 1 for a rouge - A rouge (also called a single) is awarded to a kicking or punting team (Team A) if an opposing player (Team B):
a) catches or recovers a kickoff, punt, or a missed field goal in his own end zone but is prevented by Team A from returning the ball back out onto the field of play (similar to a safety), or
b) elects to drop to one knee while still in the end zone before having returned the ball to the field of play, or
c) elects to run with the ball from the end zone out of bounds rather than enter the field of play. - A rouge is also awarded to a kicking or punting team (Team A) if:
1) the ball goes through the uprights or the end zone during either a kickoff or punt longer than 50yds; in that case, the ball is called as a touchback with the ball placed on the 25yd line. Hitting the goalposts won't count unless the ball bounces off the post into out-of-bounds territory.
2) the ball goes through the end zone on a field goal attempt or a punt, but only for attempts at least 50 yards or longer. - A rouge is also awarded to a team on defense (Team A) if they:
a) force an interception, or
b) recover a fumble, or
c) blocks a field goal, or
d) force a turnover on downs. - On a field goal attempt, the defending team may return a missed field goal to the kicking team's end zone for a Touchdown.
- On a convert attempt after a touchdown, the defending team may return a missed kick convert to the kicking team's end zone for 1 point, or if the convert was a rush or pass play may return a fumble or interception for 2 points.
- Prior to the snap of the ball:
a) All offensive and defensive backfielders and receivers, except the quarterback, are allowed unlimited motion in any direction provided that they remain behind the line of scrimmage.
b) Offensive & Defensive linemen must not move. - All redshirt players can appear in up to 4 varsity regular-season games (plus 1 post-season game) and still retain redshirt status for that season, but only under the following circumstances:
a) If their respective position has the 1st-string & 2nd string players are either injured or suspended (for academic and/or athletic reasons like failing to maintain the minimum GPA or committing two spearing penalties in a single game); coaches can also change a red-shirt player's position to fill a need and maybe tryout a new role for that player.
b) All red-shirt players can only play in varsity games after the JV season ends unless the team has at least 8 players in all of the related position(s) (i.e. offensive & defensive lineman, cornerbacks & safeties, wide receivers & tight ends, etc.) either injured or suspended from varsity competition.
c) If a player(s) opts to enter the NFL draft over playing in a bowl game.
- A coin toss at the start of overtime determines the team that first receives possession in overtime, and which end zone will be used.
- Each team in turn receives one possession starting with 1st-and-10 at the defense's 25-yard line.
- The game clock does not run, but the play clock is enforced.
- At all levels, possessions end when the offensive team scores, misses a field goal, or turns the ball over. Field goals and convert kicks are not allowed in overtime—all conversion attempts must be scrimmage plays (i.e., two-point attempts at minimum).
- The defensive team to score after gaining possession on a turnover can advance the ball upon gaining possession; if it scores a touchdown, it will satisfy the condition of each team having a chance to score and thus end the game.
- Each team has 1 timeout per overtime period.
- If the score remains tied at the end of an overtime procedure, another procedure follows (except as noted below), with the team that had the second possession in the previous procedure having the first possession of the next procedure.
- In regular season games, the USIAA allows a maximum of three procedures, with the game declared a tie if it remains level. In postseason games, procedures continue until a winner is decided.
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for scoring at least 4 touchdowns.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more touchdowns than the opponent.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by 8 points or less.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing in overtime.
- All D1 programs must have an average home attendance of at least 15,000 or at least 70% of stadiums capacity for steams with stadiums smaller than 15,000 (over a rolling two-year period) in order to have their home games broadcast on live national TV networks. However, this doesn't apply to the following:
a) university sponsored network channels for students,
b) local TV networks,
c) streaming services like WatchESPN,
d) The postseason (i.e. tournament & bowl games). - All D1 & D2 programs play an 11-game season (either 6h/5a, 5h/6a, or 5h/5a/1n if they were selected for a regular-season bowl game) beginning in the final Saturday of August and ending in the first Saturday of November.
- All D3 & D4 programs play either of the following:
a) an 11-game season (5h/5a/1n) beginning on the final Saturday of August and ending on the first Saturday of November, if they were selected for a regular-season bowl game.
b) a 10-game season (5h/5a) beginning on the first Saturday of September and ending on the first Saturday of November, if they were not selected for a regular-season bowl game. - All programs are required to play at least 6 in-region games, with 3 home & 3 away games.
- All 5 non-regional games are only allowed for the following:
a) teams that are within 700 (D1) or 500 (D2-D4) miles of the program in question.
b) sprint football teams (D4 & schools that have both 11-man/9-man & sprint football teams only).
c) JV teams (D4 only).
d) The only exception to this are the regular-season bowl games. - All teams can only have a max of 1 game in a neutral location.
- The preparatory schools for all of the military service academies must play each other at least once for the Preparatory Academy Football Cup (PAFC); this also includes 1) Georgia Military College & Marion Military Institute (for Coast Guard students) & 2) New Mexico Military Institute (for Merchant Marine students), and must receive funding from the government for the long-distance trips.
- The D1, D2, D3, & D4 Tournaments begin on the first week after the regular season and ending five weeks later.
- All tournament games must be played on either Thursday or Saturday; for D1, the first game must be played on Thanksgiving at 3:30pm EST.
- The D1 Regional Bowl Championship Series (RBCS) is a series of bowl games in which the best teams from each region/division (excluding any other program selected to compete in the tournament) play against each other as an inter/intra-regional championship; The RBCS starts at the same time as the tournament and ends the next week.
- The D2-D4 State Bowl Championship Series (SBCS) is a series of bowl games in which the best teams from each state (excluding any other program selected to compete in the tournament) play against each other as an intra-state championship; The SBCS starts at the same time as the tournament and ends the next week.
- To be eligible for the post season:
a) all D3 & D2 programs must have a minimum record of 6-5 (or 5-6 with good academic standing), and not be on probation.
b) all D3 & D4 programs that participated in a regular-season bowl game must have a minimum record of 6-5 (or 5-6 with good academic standing), and not be on probation.
c) all D3 & D4 programs that didn't participate in a regular season bowl game must have a minimum record of 5-5 (or 4-6 with good academic standing), and not be on probation.
USIAA JV 9-Man American Football Rules:
Scholarship and Roster Rules:
- All institutions with any of the following do not need to have a JV schedule for the football team but may choose to do so if they wish:
a) An arena football program alongside a main varsity football program.
b) Sprint football program alongside a main varsity football program.
c) Institutions providing athletic scholarships to players in a main varsity program, regardless of division/level.
d) D4 institutions - All JV teams can only have a max of 40-47 players listed on the game-day roster:
a) All varsity programs are required to have all of their redshirted players on the active JV roster for all JV games during the regular season for at least 1 year with no loss of varsity eligibility, but may also have their practice squad players on the roster as well. - Coaches are allowed unlimited substitutions:
a) All athletes must play in at least 1 game per season; All players in JV games must play at least 4 total possessions (or at least 16 total plays) per game.
b) From the moment a player leaves, the player is considered "dead" and cannot return to play until either 1) the designated time is served or 2) the substitute player is injured.
c) "Dead" time is 2 total possessions (2 offensive or 2 defensive or 8 total plays); Exception = a "dead" player may participate on special teams plays such as kickoffs/field goals/punts, etc., or as long snapper or holder.
- All programs (except for all of the exceptions mentioned above) must play a 4-game (2h/2a) JV season beginning on the last Sunday of August and ending on the last Monday of October:
a) This must be extended to 5 (3h/2a or 2h/3a) if either 1) the university also sponsors a sprint football team, 2) the JV team schedules a preseason game with sprint football team from a other school, or 3) the school is designated as a military academy or senior military college (as the JV team must also play their respective preparatory school or designated senior military college rival at least once).
b) This must be extended to 6 (3h/3a) for the military academies that have a sprint football team.
c) Designated senior military college rivals: 1) The Citadel & University of North Georgia, 2) Norwich University & Texas A&M University, & 3) Virginia Military Institute & Virginia Tech. - People with tickets to the varsity games may also go to the JV game in either of the following circumstances for free if they wish, but they must show their ticket for the varsity game:
a) At least 3 hours before the Saturday varsity game.
b) The day before (but only for Thursday & Saturday varsity games).
c) The next day (but only for Thursday & Saturday varsity games). - All of the JV teams must play all of their home games in the varsity program's stadium on any of the following:
a) Friday (either after a Thursday game or before a Saturday game).
b) Saturday (at least 3 hours before the varsity game).
c) Sunday.
d) Monday