Proposed New Rules for NCAA Wrestling Could Help the Sports Gain Fans

STILLWATER – If the new rules being proposed by the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee were already in place then Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix would already have won an NCAA Individual Championship and manye two instead of the three runner-up finishes that he has. Go back to March 20, 2021 and the first meeting for the NCAA 133-pound title and Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young forced overtime because he had a riding time point from riding out Fix for most of the second period. That forced the overtime at 2-2 and Bravo-Young scored a takedown to win in sudden victory.

Now the NCAA rules committee has proposed new rules including three major changes that will inject offense and an offensive mindset into a sport that in this day and age of live sports popularity lost viewers from its’ national championship telecasts this year. 

Oklahoma State Athletics

A takedown will count three. That will change the chant of the crowd in GIA.

The trio of major changes include awarding three points for a takedown. When it comes to scoring near falls the officials have had the option of two or four-point near falls, but now three-point near falls would be back in. Finally, the riding time point awarded for one minute of staying on top of or continuing to control your opponent will only be awarded if the ride includes a turn of the opponent to his back. No more just basically sitting on top of the opponent. You want the point then you must promote action. The push would be for more turns and then the dominant wrestler might as well finish it off with a fall or at least rack up near fall points toward a technical fall. The increase in points for takedowns will push toward that aim as well. 

No more matches where a defensive wrestler can use escapes to stay close and have a chance to edge out an opponent that is actually wrestling more aggressive. 

The reason I point out how that would have impacted the matches Fix lost in two NCAA Championships is because while Fix can be ridden, honestly, how many times have you seen him turned in a collegiate match. That has been extremely rare.

UNC Athletics

Former Cowboy NCAA Champion and Team USA Champion Coleman Scott is on the NCAA rules committee.

“We felt we needed to make a change right now and felt it was a crucial time,” North Carolina coach, former Oklahoma State multiple All-American and champion, and rules committee member Coleman Scott told Flowrestling. “Viewership was down for the NCAA tournament with probably some of the best storylines we’ve ever had all in one year, so we’ve got to be conscious of that to make sure the product we’re putting out is the best to build our sport and our viewership. Some of that can be dictated by the rules.” 

Having Scott on the committee gives Oklahoma State head coach, two-time Olympic Gold-medalist, and six-time World Champion John Smith as pseudo representative on the committee. 

Oklahoma State Athletics

John Smith likes the proposed rule changes.

It is not a surprise that Smith text me his approval of the new rule propositions today. 

“Great rule changes,” text Smith, who has been touting the need for changes for several years. 

Other rules recommendations by the committee included eliminating the hand-touch takedown, adjusting video review to allow for sequences to be reviewed rather than just singular moves, and counting the first medical forfeit of a tournament as a loss on a wrestler’s record, except in instances where a medical forfeit immediately follows an injury default. 

All recommendations will be reviewed and discussed by college coaches over the next two weeks. They can submit feedback to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which will meet on June 8 to discuss the recommendations and act of them. If they pass then collegiate wrestling will look and feel very different in the 2023-24 season.