The NCAA Football Rules Committee has approved several proposals aimed toward shortening the length of college football games.

According to the National Football Foundation, the committee passed measures to lower the kicking tee from two inches to one, presumably to prevent clock stoppage stemming from touchbacks, and also altered rules as to when the clock starts running in certain situations.

Now, the clock will start once the ball is spotted on change of possessions, rather than when the ball is snapped. Also, the clock will start once the ball is kicked on kickoffs, rather than when it’s received.

Of Kansas University’s 12 games last year, all went over three hours, including two – at Texas Tech and the Fort Worth Bowl against Houston – that went over 3:40.

The Texas Tech game had nine touchbacks, and the clock never started on any of those plays.

It will now.

Other proposals also are making their way through the proper NCAA committees. Among them, halftimes would be cut to 15 minutes, and coaches will have the power to challenge calls made by officials. As it stands now, calls are designated for replay by an official in the press box.

The new legislation might shave only a minute or two off the length of games at the most. But it appears to be a step in the right direction to keep contests around three hours, widely considered the target length to appease the attention span of the average sports fan.

“I think maybe some of them last too long,” KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said.

“But I’m not a fan of reducing halftime. I think that’s a mistake.”

Elsewhere, a long-discussed measure to change the name of the Division I-AA designation was postponed.