NCAA Council assent to plan for FCS football championship in spring, playoff field trimmed to 16 teams

The FCS end of the season games will be diminished from 24 groups to 16 groups and played April 18 through May 15, as per a proposition embraced by the NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday. The arrangement should be affirmed by the Division I Board of Directors one week from now.

Under the proposition, groups would be permitted to play a limit of eight customary season games during a time of 13 weeks driving into the start of the end of the season games. Groups will be permitted rehearse and can have as long as 12 hours of “countable athletics activity” between Sept. 21 and Dec. 31.

“The intent of the model is to allow maximum flexibility for conferences and schools, with an overarching goal of returning to the normal calendar for the 2021-22 academic year,” read an NCAA statement on the proposal.

Just a modest bunch of FCS programs are messing around this fall after a few gatherings deferred their seasons in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the fall crossing out imprint arrived at half for FCS groups, NCAA president Mark Emmert affirmed there would be no fall titles for NCAA-supported postseasons in fall sports. Yet, FCS groups that are playing in the fall will have their fall games thought about when the field for the FCS end of the season games is resolved under the proposition affirmed by the Division I Council on Wednesday.

One significant note for FCS programs that will likewise apply to any FBS groups playing in the fall is that midyear enrollees will be restricted from contending in the spring season.