(BCSNN) — College football could officially begin earlier starting in 2027, as the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee on Thursday recommended moving the season’s start to the Thursday of what is currently known as Week Zero.
Under the proposal, the regular season would still end on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but teams would have 14 weeks to play 12 games, restoring two open dates that coaches and administrators have long argued are essential for player health and roster management. The model also preserves standalone weekends for conference championship games and the Army–Navy game.
Committee member and Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea told ESPN the calendar shift addresses a “health and safety issue” that has grown more pressing as roster limits tighten and conference schedules expand.
“To go through a season without two bye weeks is challenging to a roster,” Lea said. “In a time where we’ve imposed roster limits, and in our league where we’re playing nine league games now, we believe there’s a negative impact mentally, physically, emotionally, to the players, coaches, everyone involved.”
The recommendation arrives as leaders of the College Football Playoff continue to evaluate how and when to stage an expanded postseason. An earlier start date could provide additional scheduling flexibility for a format that is expected to evolve beyond the current 12‑team structure.
The proposal would also eliminate exceptions that have allowed teams to play before the official start of the season. Recent years have seen a rise in waiver requests for early games, including five contests on Aug. 23 in 2025 and eight scheduled for Aug. 29 this season — among them North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin and NC State vs. Virginia in Rio de Janeiro.
For the change to take effect, the Division I Cabinet must adopt the legislation. That group is scheduled to review the recommendation in June.
Discussions about moving the season’s start to Week Zero have been ongoing for years, predating the March executive order establishing an “exclusive window” for broadcasting the Army–Navy game.
If approved, the shift would mark one of the most significant structural changes to the college football calendar in decades — one aimed at balancing competitive demands with the long‑term health of the sport.
