The NCAA has approved the rules changes proposed in February – wedge blocking is banned, eyeblack messages are verboten, and – sure to get the most press today – taunting during a play will be enforced as a live-ball foul.

The actual frequency of this penalty will have to be watched when the rule is put into place for the 2011 season. I still expect that the rule will be applied much less than people seem to think – most taunting occurs after the play. Remember – in the oft-cited A.J. Green play (even brought up in today’s AP article!), the new rule wouldn’t have changed a thing.

People seem to be projecting their dislike for the celebration penalty and the capricious way in which it’s applied onto this particular rule. That’s fine, but repeal/reform of the celebration call is another issue. In this case, the new rule is correct – if we’re going to have a celebration penalty, a live-ball taunting penalty should be treated like holding or any other live-ball foul and be penalized from the spot of the foul. The only real room for a gray area is on plays where the guy scoring dives into the end zone.