NCAA Proposes Earlier Football Season Start

Committee recommends 12-game schedule over 14 weeks starting in 2027.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 2:59pm

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes and planes in shades of red, orange, and blue, conceptually representing the dynamic action and energy of a college football game.The proposed changes to the college football calendar could reshape the sport's visual identity, breaking down the game into a dynamic, fragmented geometric display.Indianapolis Today

An NCAA committee has recommended that Football Bowl Subdivision teams play a 12-game schedule over 14 weeks starting in 2027, with the season beginning on the Thursday of what is currently designated as Week Zero and ending the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Why it matters

The proposed changes would allow for an earlier start to the college football season, providing more scheduling flexibility and potentially generating increased fan engagement and media coverage during the early fall months.

The details

The NCAA committee's recommendation calls for FBS teams to play a 12-game schedule over 14 weeks, starting the season on the Thursday of what is currently designated as Week Zero. This would push the end of the regular season back to the weekend before Thanksgiving, rather than extending into early December as the current schedule does.

  • The NCAA committee made the recommendation on Thursday, April 17, 2026.
  • The proposed changes would take effect starting in the 2027 season.

The players

NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the primary governing body for college sports in the United States.

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What’s next

The NCAA's Division I Council will review the committee's recommendation and decide whether to implement the proposed changes to the college football calendar.

The takeaway

The earlier start to the college football season could help generate more fan interest and media coverage in the early fall months, but would also require adjustments to the current scheduling model.