INDIANAPOLIS — In all levels of football, protecting the players has become a key part of the game. In the college football ranks, the referees sometimes indiscriminately decide that certain hits fall under the “targeting rule,” which ejects the player who made the hit.

There is much confusion every week over exactly what is considered targeting, so the NCAA has decided to eliminate all gray area.

Starting this upcoming week, all forms of tackling will be considered targeting and every player who makes a tackle will be ejected from the game.

A spokesperson from the NCAA defended this decision, which is sure to be controversial.

“The NCAA cares deeply for the safety of our players, so we have taken an additional step to protect the lives of the student-athletes,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Removing tackling from the game will surely reduce the amount of injuries to our players.”

This rule is sure to affect some schools more than others. It will not change the game much for some programs such as Baylor that rarely tackle as is. It is sure to be a busy week for all defensive coordinators, though, as they prepare for this new era of college football.