The college football schedule of events that fans have gotten used to could soon change dramatically.
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Tuesday announced four rule changes to the college football calendar that it will propose, including eliminating conference championship games, reducing bye weeks during the regular season from two to one, giving the Army-Navy game its exclusive window but still allowing postseason games on the same day and reducing the minimum number of days between games to no fewer than six. According to ESPN, the AFCA also favors an expanded College Football Playoff from the current 12-team field.
Brent Venables included in AFCA board looking to change college football calendar
All these recommendations come as the AFCA wants the season to conclude by the second Monday in January, even with an inflated playoff, as the college football calendar is longer than ever. The AFCA doesn't have any direct authority to actually implement these rules, but the organization board is made up of head coaches, including Oklahoma's Brent Venables, and has enough power to influence changes.
"The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has identified the length of the college football season as a critical issue that needs to be addressed," the AFCA said in its statement. "As we modernize our game to better serve student-athletes, we have fallen short in structuring a season that concludes in a timely and sustainable way. ...
"Structuring the season in this way will better support student-athletes by more closely matching the academic calendar and aligning with the single transfer portal window. It also elevates the quality of play during the most meaningful stretch of the season by removing unnecessary breaks and preserving competitive rhythm."
College football has gotten itself in such a mess that there's no easy fix at this point, and definitely not one everyone will agree with.
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The 2025 college football season didn't end until Jan. 19, 2026. National championship games are even later the next two years on Jan. 25, 2027, and Jan. 24, 2028. That calendar no longer lines up with the academic calendar, as most schools have started the spring semester by then. It also interferes with the lone Transfer Portal window in the winter.
Transferring student-athletes' only options are either transfer before the season is over or after the next semester has already begun. Neither are a good option for a student-athlete, especially to keep bowl games relevant and keep the "student" part important in student-athlete.
The quickest and most obvious fix is to shorten the time between the regular season and postseason. The Sooners waited 20 days between their final regular-season game and first-round game in the College Football Playoff. The AFCA also agrees that much time is unnecessary.
Most fans will be thrilled about less time between meaningful college football games, but will be split on the elimination of conference championship games. However, other than another trophy, that extra game has no benefit right now to participating teams. It's still another chance at a championship, though, that fans don't want to miss.
The AFCA's want to expand the CFP again will also just be another division among fans that will also make shortening the season even more of a challenge, and maybe even impossible unless something is eliminated.
Regardless, the college football postseason is flawed right now as coaches have to manage roster retainment, the Early Signing Period and recruiting transfers all while preparing for the most important games of the season.
Change is definitely coming to the college football calendar, and what the AFCA just laid out might have just prepared fans for what's next.
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