FBS Oversight Committee recommends change that would benefit North Dakota State, Sac State

In move that could boost one of the Mountain West’s new programs, the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee introduced legislation Friday to allow first-year FBS schools to play in bowl games.

“Under the recommendation, schools reclassifying from FCS to FBS would be eligible to compete in bowl games if they meet the definition of a deserving team (e.g., at least a 6-6 record) and can fill one of their conference’s bowl commitments,” per the NCAA’s website. If approved, the change would take effect for the 2026 season.

Currently, teams reclassifying to the FBS are not eligible for postseason bowl games until their second year of reclassification, except if they are an alternate pushed into a bowl due to a lack of bowl-eligible schools. North Dakota State is moving to the FBS in 2026 as a football-only member of the Mountain West, while Sacramento State is joining the MAC as a football-only member.

The recommended legislation did not touch on whether these schools would be eligible for their conference championship game, which is currently now allowed in a first year of FBS play. After accepting a spot in the MW, North Dakota State filed an NCAA waiver requesting immediate eligibility in bowl and conference title games.

The committee also recommended a change to the policy for five-win teams playing in bowls. Currently, if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams for bowl spots, teams with five wins are given bowl opportunities based on the highest multi-year Academic Progress Rate. Moving forward, conferences and their bowl partners would select one of that league’s 5-7 teams to fulfill a conference bowl commitment instead of going to the general pool of five-win teams.

These proposals are expected to be voted upon during a May 7 meeting. If the committee adopts the proposal, that action is subject to review by the Division I Cabinet, which will have an opportunity to review the committee’s decision in June.

The Oversight Committee also recommended two more potential changes:

* Removing a five-scholarship penalty for schools that violate transfer-portal rules by adding transfers to their roster who were not entered in the portal during the January window. Instead, the penalty would include a 20 percent fine of the school’s football budget and the head coach being prohibited from all football (recruiting and on-field coaching) and administrative duties (team meetings) for six contests.

* A blanket waiver for off-campus recruiting during the 2026 spring contact period between April 15-May 23. The blanket waiver would allow FBS programs to designate 16 staff members who can participate in off-campus recruiting during that period. Head coaches, who may not recruit off-campus during the spring contact period, is not required to be included. No more than 10 of the 16 off-campus recruiters may be on the road at one time.