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DESTIN, Fla. -- Much has changed in college football over the past 26 years.

Various style of offenses have come and gone, the spread is proliferating around the country and players have generally gotten bigger, stronger and faster.

Today, college football is frequently played at warp speed.

However, one important aspect of the game hasn't changed - the number of officials working a game.

In 1986, the SEC increased that figure from six to seven and that's where it has steadfastly stayed for the past quarter century plus one year.

Until now.

After experimenting with an eight-man crew on a limited, "pilot test" basis last season (one game per week), the SEC has given the green light for eight officials in all games under its jurisdiction in 2015.

The new official will be known as the "center judge" and his primary responsibility on each play will be watching the quarterback.

"We're going to all crews of eight officials," SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said Thursday afternoon during the third day of the SEC spring meetings at the Sandestin Resort along the Gulf of Mexico.

"The game has changed. Back in 1986, nobody had heard of the spread. Teams were still running the wishbone and the veer was probably the most prevalent offense out there. Nobody thought of sending five receivers out on a route.

"Today, we have the spread, we have tempo. People are all over the field and it's a tougher game to officiate."

The center judge will line up opposite the referee in the offensive backfield and take over the responsibility of spotting the football without any pre-snap responsibilities.

"We are going to have an extra view of the quarterback, which is very important," Shaw said. "Before we had a center judge, if five receivers went out, five officials are occupied and the umpire and referee were left to officiate all the stuff in the middle. Now we'll have an extra view. And he can move in and out, allowing the umpire to do his count, get his formation and get his keys and get ready to officiate.

"That's how our center judge is really going to help us. The goal of the center judge is not to go faster, but keep a consistent pace and manage the substitution process to allow the other officials to do what they have to do to work the game. Most plays, the center judge will spot the ball."

Shaw rebuffed the assertion that putting eight officials on the fields translates into more penalties being flagged.

"Our goal is preventive officiating," Shaw said. "When you break it down to fouls per game, the 8-man crew that worked all year was dead in the middle," Shaw said. "Four (seven-man) crews had more fouls per game, four had less. So, that doesn't mean we're going to necessarily have more fouls because we have an extra officials.

"Hopefully, we'll have more interaction with the players and preventive officiating."

With eight officials guaranteed to be on the field, attention turns to what type of calls will generally be made throughout the course of a game.

According to Shaw, college football nationally is emphasizing four categories of calls officials during the 2015 season: 1) Pace of play; 2) Targeting and dangerous contact; 3) Sideline management; 4) Unsportsmanlike conduct.

"Pace of play has been a huge topic," Shaw said. "Last year, we managed pace of play pretty well based on the rules as written. We did a great job with substitutions. Few coaches complained. The center judge will help us manage that even better, so we don't have to have the umpire yo-yoing in and out. But we have to continue to work because pace of play is just a reality in our game."

Shaw said the two-year old targeting rule has largely produced the modified player behavior college football rulemakers were striving to achieve, but remains a work in progress.

"We are not backing off on targeting," Shaw said. "We have to continue to work to take those high hits we don't need out of the game and make it a safer game. We are making progress. We are seeing player behavior changes. It will continue to be a strong point of emphasis."

Shaw says the SEC has made significant progress over the last few years to "clean up" the sidelines in terms of keeping players and coaches within their designated areas.

"We made great progress last year cleaning up the sidelines," Shaw said. "What we are trying to do is get the players back in the team area, the coaches in the coaches box and the restricted area clean so the officials can work. We allow the coaches to step to the boundary to signal their teams, but once they've done that they need to get back into the coaches box."

Shaw maintained sideline warnings (total of 18 last year) have proven effective in curtailing misbehavior on the sidelines and keeping the players within the team area.

NOTES:

-- Because the SEC has gone to eight-man officiating crews, Shaw had to hire nine new center judges during the off-season.

-- Striking the 'Heisman' pose after a big play will draw an automatic flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. In addition, pulling a player off a pile will produce a flag as well.

-- Blocking by the kickoff team before they are eligible to touch the ball (10 yards) on an onsides kick is now subject to replay review. Shaw used video from last year's USC-Auburn game to illustrate the point.

-- In pre-game warmups, both teams have access to the field for warmups until 22 minutes before the opening kickoff, resulting in a shorter period teams must sit in their locker rooms.

-- Those overbuilt face masks that have become extremely popular among NFL linemen are now illegal in college football. Shaw said the increased weight of the facemask "can impact the integrity of the helmet" and "tends to pull the head forward," which could result in players being unable to keep their heads up when they tackle."

-- Shaw said two SEC referees have retired - Matt Moore and Penn Wagers.

-- Shaw said the conference commissioners have created a "football competition committee" that should be formed before the 2016 season. "The competition committee will look at the broad picture of the game, what's good for the game, what's trending for player safety, what do we want the game to look like," Shaw said.

DM