Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas was flagged for targeting in the fourth quarter of the Playoff semifinal against Ole Miss, forcing him to sit out the first half of the national title game as a carryover penalty — the exact kind of outcome the NCAA is now trying to eliminate. Under the new 2026 experimental rule, a player’s first targeting foul in a season still means ejection for the rest of that game, but no longer bleeds into the next one. A second targeting foul adds a first-half suspension the following game, and a third triggers a full one-game ban, including postseason contests. Big 12 officiating coordinator Greg Burks says the underlying rule has actually worked as intended, with dangerous head-hunting hits down significantly since targeting was introduced — this change is specifically about softening the penalty’s reach, not loosening enforcement on the field itself. It’s a trial rule for 2026 only, meaning the NCAA could revert next season if the change doesn’t hold up.

College football’s targeting rule just got its biggest shake-up in years, and the change traces back to one specific ejection that cost a player a national championship appearance.