INDIANAPOLIS — With the news of the Pac-12 following in the footsteps of the Big Ten and playing football this fall, comes another college football update-- all teams could be bowl eligible in 2020.
The NCAA's Division I Football Oversight Committee met Thursday, releasing a statement that recommends waiving all requirements to be eligible for the postseason.
“Providing a more flexible framework for the postseason in this unprecedented time will provide some certainty moving forward,” said Shane Lyons, director of athletics at West Virginia and chair of the oversight committee in a statement. “These are important postseason opportunities for our student-athletes, and this will help everyone to prepare.”
Typically, teams must have won at least six games or receive a special waiver to be eligible to play in a bowl.
According to CBS Sports, a large part of the discussion arose from the possibility of all teams not being able to play a full slate of games.
"CBS Sports spoke to three members of the management committee. The other two spoke on the condition of anonymity, but all three agreed about the looming issue regarding teams playing different amounts of games. The management committee discussed eligibility on one of its recent calls "
The committee's recommendations require approval by the Division I Council, which is scheduled to meet Oct. 13-14.
The news is of interest especially for first-year coaches Jeff Scott of USF and Mike Norvell of Florida State, whose tough schedules and pandemic-related issues have led to rough starts to the season.
In addition, if the Florida Gators fall short of the College Football Playoff, it could be an opportunity for UF and FSU to play, after the annual rivalry between the two was canceled this year.
The Tampa Bay area plays host to two bowl games. The Outback Bowl and the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, both played at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Raymond James Stadium.
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