The Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee on Thursday recommended standardizing the first contest date in the sport and eliminating all exceptions, beginning with the 2027 season.

Under the proposal, future FBS regular seasons would be standardized to 14 weeks, during which teams could schedule 12 games. The season would begin on the Thursday of what is now designated Week 0 and end on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The Division I Cabinet would have to adopt the legislation for the proposal to become official. The Cabinet is scheduled to discuss the recommendation in June. 

In addition to eliminating exceptions for teams to play before the first contest date, a 14-week regular season annually provides two open dates, flexibility for potential changes to the postseason and preserves standalone weekends for conference championships and the Army-Navy game. 

–News release courtesy of the NCAA (NCAA.org)