The Big Sky Conference has voted to postpone college football competition until the spring, casting further doubt on the viability of staging the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff this fall due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The health and safety of our students is our top priority, and ultimately that concern guided our decision-making process over the past few months as we explored every option regarding the 2020 football season,” said Andy Feinstein, president of the University of Northern Colorado and chair of the Big Sky Presidents’ Council.
“We recognize just how meaningful these opportunities are to the student-athletes, coaches, and staff throughout our conference, and empathize that they won’t be able to compete this fall for a Big Sky championship. We are eager to provide our football programs with that opportunity in the spring when it’s hopefully safer to be able to do so.”
The Big Sky is among the deeper FCS conferences, frequently sending multiple teams to the playoffs. League officials are hoping other FCS conferences will take similar action and that the playoffs can be conducted in the spring semester as well, though that would also require a waiver from the NCAA.
“We will now shift our attention to doing everything within our power to provide our football student-athletes and coaches with a conference schedule and a championship opportunity in the spring. We already have begun actively engaging our fellow FCS conferences and the NCAA to join us then for what will be a unique opportunity to return to competition and compete for an FCS championship,” Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said.
The Colonial Athletic Association, another strong FCS league, had announced earlier it would not stage a conference football schedule in the fall but would permit its member schools to pursue their own scheduling opportunities. Perennial CAA power James Madison, which was scheduled to open camp today, has decided not to go ahead with pursuing fall football.
The Patriot League and Ivy League had also cancelled football this fall, though the latter does not participate in the FCS playoffs.