Ohio Valley and Southland to Propose Permanent 12th Game in FCS Football

The Ohio Valley and Southland conferences will propose legislation for a permanent 12th football game in the NCAA Division I Football Championship subdivision. The proposal, that would permissively lift the current restriction of 11 regular season games in most seasons, is scheduled for submission into the 2016-17 NCAA Division I legislative cycle.



Currently, FCS programs are only permitted a 12th game in years when there are 13 weekends between Labor Day Weekend and the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, something that will naturally occur just four times over the next 15 seasons.



The permissive proposal will call for the weekend prior to the Labor Day weekend to become available for the initial games of an FCS season. FCS teams, like other Division I programs, are normally restricted to starting a season the Thursday prior to Labor Day, except those teams in the annual FCS Kickoff Game, a nationally-televised contest played on the earlier weekend, also referred to as “Week Zero.”



In a joint statement, OVC commissioner Beth DeBauche and Southland commissioner Tom Burnett said: “The 12th game proposal gives FCS programs additional opportunities for non-conference contests, including games against FBS competition, and a better chance to secure six home games in a yearly schedule. Additionally, this proposal allows more flexibility in non-conference scheduling for leagues that have recently expanded and have more conference games. This proposal would also provide more potential nonconference FCS games for the Division I NCAA Football Committee to better determine berths and seeding for the FCS playoffs.”



Without a proposal and subsequent approval, FCS will only have a 12th game opportunity in 2019, 2024, 2025 and 2030. During these four seasons, or others that naturally allow 12 games, the proposal would not apply.