Last Updated 5:00 PM, September 22, 2020
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College sports and the coronavirus: Latest COVID-19 news, schedule changes

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Dan Gavitt: We'll deliver a March Madness tournament in 2021
4:28
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The sports included in the decision are men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo. As part of the plan, brackets sizes will be filled at 75 percent of their normal capacities.

All championship sites will be predetermined and the number of preliminary-round sites will be reduced to support health and safety.

“The plan sent to us by the Division I Council provides the maximum number of opportunities to fall student-athletes to participate in NCAA championships while still being fiscally responsible,” said acting board chair Denise Trauth, president at Texas State. “We look forward to the spring, understanding things will look a little different but knowing the competitions will be just as meaningful as in normal circumstances.”

More information on each championship can be found in the table below.

Fall championships information.
7:30 pm, September 16, 2020

NCAA Division I Council announces basketball, Election Day, FCS updates

The NCAA Division I Council met Wednesday for an action-filled meeting. Here's everything you need to know about decisions that impact fall, winter and spring sports:

  • The , with practice scheduled to start Oct. 14. The first games of the season were originally scheduled to start Nov. 10, 2020.
    • There won't be any scrimmages or exhibitions this season.
    • The  maximum number of games has been decreased by four, so teams can play up to 27 regular-season games if they play in a multi-team event.
    • Teams must play at least 13 games to be eligible for the NCAA tournament – all of which must come against a Division I opponent.
    • The Division I Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball committees recommended teams play at least four non-conference games.
  • The NCAA Division I Council passed legislation that will allow all student-athletes to have a mandatory off day without practice or competition on Election Day. In the future, it will be the first Tuesday after Nov. 1. It was the first piece of legislative proposal from the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since a restructuring in 2014 allowed student-athletes to have a vote at every level.
  • The NCAA Division I Council and they'll need to be approved by the DI Board of Governors. In team sports, brackets will be filled at 75 percent of their usual capacities.
  • The Division I Council adopted a playing and practice model for schools that plan to participate in football in the spring and members also approved a framework for the FCS Championship.
    • The championship will start April 18 and end May 15, with a field of 16 teams.
    • Fall competition will be considered for determining the 16 teams in the spring championship.
    • Schools can have up to eight games over the course of 13 weeks, with the last game being played no later than April 17.
    • On-field practice can start Sept. 21 and schools can practice up to 12 hours per week through Dec. 31.
    • During the two weeks before the start of the preseason, teams can hold non-contact practice for up to 20 hours per week.
  • The Division I Council extended the recruiting dead period through Jan. 1, which precludes all in-person recruiting. Phone calls and correspondence can continue.
6:57 pm, September 16, 2020

Proposal caps brackets at 75 percent for DIII winter, spring championships

The Division III Championships Committee on Tuesday recommended that winter and spring 2021 national championship brackets and field sizes not exceed 75 percent of their standard capacity.

A caveat to this proposal is if a sport’s maximum number of allocated automatic qualifiers surpasses the 75 percent threshold. The championship could then expand the field to accommodate each automatic berth.

The recommendation will make its way through the Division III governance structure, including getting feedback from winter and spring sport committees, before the Management and Presidents Councils make a final decision in October.

Committee members also voted to reduce the winter sports contest minimums to 50 percent to reach championships eligibility status in 2021.

The resulting minimums for championship eligibility consideration:

  • Men’s basketball: 9
  • Women’s basketball: 9
  • Men’s ice hockey: 9
  • Women’s ice hockey: 9
  • Men’s swimming and diving: 4
  • Women’s swimming and diving: 4
  • Men’s indoor track and field: 2
  • Women’s indoor track and field: 3
  • Wrestling: 3
5:11 pm, September 10, 2020

Start of ice hockey season delayed

The men's and women's DI ice hockey seasons will be delayed because of COVID-19, according to a release today from the Hockey Commissioners Association:

More details, including the start date, schedule and number of games will be released later.

for men's and women's soccer and volleyball to the spring of 2021. This decision follows the Division I Board of Governors' Aug. 21 announcement that it will work toward hosting NCAA fall championships in the spring.

“We were prepared to conduct competition in the fall in men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, but moving to the spring was in the best interest of our student-athletes as it will align our schedules to allow our teams to compete for national championships," AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said in the news release.