Editing Line of scrimmage (section)

== Dimensions ==
A line of scrimmage is [[Parallel (geometry)|parallel]] to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground before the [[football snap|snap]]. In American football, the set distance of the line of scrimmage between the offense and defense is {{convert|11|in|cm}}, the length of the ball. In Canadian football, the set distance of the line of scrimmage is {{convert|1|yd|cm}}, more than three times as long as the American line.

Under [[NCAA]], and [[National Federation of State High School Associations|NFHS]] rules, there are two lines of scrimmage at the outset of each play: one that restricts the offense and one that restricts the defense.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/30/17472556/illegal-formation-shift-rule-ncaa|title=The illegal formation rule is simple. Officiating it is tricky.|last=Kirshner|first=Alex|date=2018-08-30|website=SBNation.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-28|archive-date=2020-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228235749/https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/30/17472556/illegal-formation-shift-rule-ncaa|url-status=live}}</ref> The area between the two lines (representing the length of the ball as extended to both sidelines) is called the ''[[Neutral zone (American football)|neutral zone]]''.