FCS programs are one step from increasing their regular-season football schedule in 2026 after the NCAA FCS oversight committee approved a recommendation for an annual 12-game campaign.
The recommendation provides for a standard 13-week schedule, which opens on the final Thursday in August each year.
Currently, FCS programs’ schedules fluctuate on the calendar. In years when 12 weeks separate Labor Day weekend from the FCS playoff selection show — which airs the Sunday before Thanksgiving — FCS teams play 11 games. When Labor Day weekend is 13 weeks before the selection show, the season consists of 12 games.
The committee cited the consistency of programs playing the same number of regular-season contests as FBS participants as a reason for the 12-game approval. FBS teams operated with the same calendar-dependent schedule until 2006, when a 12-game schedule went into effect.
“Standardizing the start date and number of contests in FCS football enhances the overall experience and provides FCS football student-athletes with the opportunity to participate in the same number of regular-season contests as FBS football student-athletes, regardless of the calendar year,” the committee wrote in its report.
Final approval will come next month at the full NCAA Division I Council meeting, where it is likely to pass.
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