One of the major off-season talking points has been changing the college football calendar and on Tuesday evening, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) made its recommendations public.
The AFCA has identified the length of the college football season as a critical issue that needs to be addressed. 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.
The AFCA recommends that the season be completed by the second Monday in January, and that this date serve as an organizing principle in shaping the future of college football.
To achieve this, we propose the following changes:
- Eliminate conference championship games
- Reduce scheduled bye weeks from two to one
- Preserve a dedicated window for the Army-Navy game, while allowing flexibility for other games to be played on that day outside the window
- Reduce the minimum number of days between contests to no fewer than six
In addition, future playoff models should maximize the number of participants while honoring the proposed completion date.
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.
