INDIANAPOLIS--The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved proposals from several rules committees today, including a coaches challenge component for the use of video replay in football.

The panel approved a revised proposal by the Football Rules Committee to allow one challenge opportunity per team per game, provided the team requesting the challenge has a timeout available. If the challenge is successful, the timeout will be retained, but that will be the only challenge opportunity in the game for that team. If the challenge is not successful, a timeout will be charged.

“This revised proposal achieves the intended result of the rules committee to incorporate a challenge into the video replay system,” said John Cochrane, commissioner of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and chair of the panel.

Also in football, the rules committee revised its recommendation with regard to halftime. The rule will state that halftime is recommended to be 20 minutes in duration but allow the competing institutions to shorten or lengthen halftime by mutual consent.

The panel also approved all proposals as submitted by the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rules Committees. Included in the package was the requirement that, beginning with the 2010 season, Division II and III institutions will be required to have a game clock with the 10th of a second display, a red light or LED lights and shot clocks mounted on the backboard.

“The panel’s main concern with this change was financial, and the group is comfortable that the rules committees have provided plenty of time to plan and budget for this important aspect of the game,” Cochrane said.

Also approved was the rules committees’ proposal that does not allow an airborne player falling out of bounds or into the backcourt to be granted a timeout.

In other actions, all proposals from the rifle and wrestling rules committees were approved. The committee also received reports from the field hockey and women’s gymnastics championships committees. The NCAA does not write the playing rules for field hockey or women’s gymnastics, so championships committees may propose rules modifications.

In field hockey, the panel accepted the proposal that established a more detailed procedure for the administration of a red card, similar to what is in place in soccer. Additionally, the panel heard an informational item that the field hockey committees are requesting the appointment of a rules interpreter.

In women’s gymnastics, the panel approved a proposal to allow the use of video to correct errors in scoring a routine. This proposal does not allow teams to use video to question judgment but does allow for reviews specific to the performance (or non-performance) of a particular skill, combination of skills or neutral deductions (e.g., out of bounds).