The NCAA has approved significant changes to the FBS calendar that will take effect on January 1, 2027, pending final approval by the Division I Cabinet on October 6-7. The new calendar moves the start of the season one week earlier to what is currently Week 0, giving each team a second bye week during the regular season.
Offseason practice overhaul
Under the new policy, teams will be permitted to conduct 21 on-field practices across two sessions in the offseason. The two sessions combined cannot exceed seven weeks, and no single session can last more than five weeks. Schools must also designate a minimum of nine discretionary or voluntary weeks when athletic activities are not permitted. The preseason will consist of 21 practices over 27 calendar days, reduced from the current model of 25 practices over 31 days.
Transfer portal window shortened
The January transfer portal window will be shortened from 15 days to 10 days, opening on the first business day after January 1. The spring transfer portal window has already been eliminated, further reducing the time players have to enter the transfer market. Based on the current calendar, the window would open on Monday, January 4, three weeks before the national championship game on January 25.
Josh Brooks, vice chair of the oversight committee and athletic director at Georgia, said the committee worked closely with the American Football Coaches Association to establish clarity in the college football calendar. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, a member of the committee and president of the AFCA, called the new schedule a "great step forward for our game" that will "allow for more flexibility for team building in the spring and summer."
