The COVID-19 pandemic has college football programs preparing for any number of potential scenarios this fall. On Wednesday, the NCAA approved a waiver that will allow for some flexibility in scheduling.
As current NCAA policy dictates, FBS teams can only count one victory against an FCS opponent toward bowl eligibility. For the upcoming season, teams will be allowed to count two. The NCAA issues a release explaining its decision as well.
“The Division I Council approved a blanket waiver request to allow a Football Bowl Subdivision team to count for bowl eligibility and scheduling requirements two games against Football Championship Subdivision teams that meet adjusted minimum scholarship criteria,” the NCAA said in its announcement. “This adjustment applies only to the 2020-21 season.”
The NCAA has also loosened the scholarship requirements for which FCS teams that FBS teams can schedule and count toward bowl eligibility. In the past, FCS teams must have filled an average of at least 90 percent of their maximum scholarships over a two year period. The latest waiver drops that number to 80 percent.
Scheduling is certainly up in the air for the 2020 season right now, but allowing two FCS wins to count toward bowl eligibility may make it easier for programs to fill out a schedule if some conferences play full schedules while others do not.
Last week, the Big Ten surprised everyone by announcing that it was moving toward a non-conference only schedule for the 2020 football season. Just a couple of days later, the Pac-12 followed suit. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement on the league’s decision.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports continues to be our number one priority,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Our decisions have and will be guided by science and data, and based upon the trends and indicators over the past days, it has become clear that we need to provide ourselves with maximum flexibility to schedule, and to delay any movement to the next phase of return-to-play activities.”
The conference announced it is also delaying the start of mandatory athletic activities, until a series of health and safety indicators, which have recently trended in a negative direction, provided sufficient positive data to enable a move to a second phase of return-to-play activities.
With those decisions coming down from the Big Ten and Pac-12 — and the other three Power Five conferences weighing their options — the NCAA was looking to free up some scheduling possibilities for FBS schools.