I had no clue about this, and I would think neither did the majority of you, but the NCAA recently approved rule changes recommended by the college football rules committee, all of which will go into effect this next season. And here's the most interesting thing, they're pretty much all rules that the NFL uses. So anyway, rather than bore you, let's get to what the new rules are.

* The 25-second clock is gone. Instead, the college game will be like the NFL. There will be a 40-second clock that will start immediately after the end of each play. Previously, the 25-second clock didn't start until the ball was marked ready to play by the officials. .

* The clock will stop when a player goes out of bounds, but the clock will restart when the ball is marked ready for play. Previously, the clock did not start until the ball was snapped. The new rule will not apply in the final two minutes of the first half or the final two minutes of the game.

* All facemask penalties will be 15 yards. There will no 5-yard incidental facemask penalty. That's a return to the rules of the 1970s.

* When a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team will have the option of taking the ball on its 40-yard line, instead of the 35 as the past. This is another change that copies the NFL.

* Coaches who use an instant replay challenge will get an extra one if a challenge is upheld. Previously, coaches had just one challenge, regardless of what the ruling was.

* There will no longer be sideline warnings for players and coaches who crowd the field during games. Instead, officials can assess a 5-yard penalty without warning.

* A "horse collar" tackle, in which a defender grabs a runner inside the back of his shoulder pads, will now be a personal foul.

Obviously, many of these rules could have a significant impact on games. My personal favorite is that the "Roy Williams Rule" has now officially made it to college football. I wonder if the $15,000 fine will as well.

For the most part, the timing changes should speed up the game a bit more, so we don't have to slog our way through 4 hours games. But the strange thing is that the out-of bounds rule doesn't apply during the final two minutes before halftime and the end of the game. That makes perfect sense, by which I mean it makes no sense at all.

So anyway, we'll see a new college football game on some level this next season. It'll be a lot like the pros, except the players don't get paid quite as well. Or at least some of them.