The FCS Daily Dose is a blog-style article series featuring an assortment of news, rumblings, quick hitters, and commentary on various topics.
A new Daily Dose will be published multiple times a week.
FCS Oversight Committee Votes In Favor Of Annual 12-Game Regular Season
The FCS Oversight Committee voted in favor of allowing FCS teams to play 12 regular-season games every year starting in 2026. The FCS season is usually 11 regular-season games unless the weekly calendar in a given year allows for 12 games before Thanksgiving, which is the start of the FCS playoffs.
For final approval, the Division I Council must adopt this recommended legislation during its June 24-25 meeting.
If adopted, what has been Week 0 would be the new Week 1 for the FCS.
FCS teams would be allowed to play two Thursdays prior to Labor Day. This could provide great three-day media exposure Thursday-Saturday, as the FCS could take over televisions. The FBS only plays a few games during Week 0. With that said, the FBS may not be far behind in also moving fully to Week 0, especially as the expanded CFP goes deep into January.
Other benefits of the FCS moving fully into Week 0 include the chance of better non-conference games for those national TV opportunities, increased ticket revenue, and flexibility for byes as scheduling a 12th game would be optional.
If approved, FCS teams could begin competing on Thursday, Aug. 27, for the 2026 season. Week 1 for the FBS that season begins Thursday, Sept. 3. There are only two FBS games currently scheduled for Week 0 in 2026 (Aug. 29) — Hawaii at Stanford and North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin.
The FCS Oversight Committee is made up of 17 members (15 voting members), including:
- 1 Student-Athlete
- 1 Faculty Athletics representative
- 13 FCS representatives (1 from each FCS conference AND must include 1 conference commissioner, 1 conference football administrator, 1 head coach)
2 non-voting, ex-officio members, which include:
- Executive Director of the AFCA
- Chair of the Division I Football Championship Committee
FCS Teams Face APR Penalties
FBS member Akron and FCS members Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff have received 2025 football postseason bans due to low multi-year APR rates.
Florida A&M, Missouri State, Murray State, and Utah Tech received practice time reductions
Schools are judged for their athletes’ performance over a four-year time span. The NCAA temporarily suspended APR eligibility requirements following the COVID-19 pandemic due to reasonable interruptions to universities and athletics. But it was brought back last year.
Past Daily Doses
University of New Haven Joining The NEC + SDSU Gets 2x 1,000-Yard FCS RB From The Portal … READ MORE
MVFC, Summit League Officially Announce Partnership + Jackson Named Next MVFC Commissioner … READ MORE
Richmond, William & Mary To Continue Rivalry Game + In-Helmet Communication Coming To The FCS … READ MORE
