In April 2018, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved an alteration to the game's kickoff procedure. For the first time, a kickoff would result in a touchback if a returner calls for and makes a fair catch inside the 25-yard line.
According to Big Ten Coordinator of Football Officials Bill Carollo, the reasoning behind the change was simple.
“Those pooch kicks that are in the side zones that we’re trying to eliminate in the game," Carollo said. "Because it has proven out to our testing and reviewing that some major injuries have happened on kickoffs.