NCAA: “You can count two FCS games towards bowl eligibility.” America: “Bowl games??”

We don’t have a metatag here at DK Nation for “cart before horse” so bear with us, but in the wake of multiple Power 5 leagues shutting down their non-conference schedules yesterday, the NCAA is already thinking about the bowl games that provide lapel pins and poorly-colored sport coats to former athletic department staffers across America.

For 2020, FBS programs will be able to count two (2) FCS bowl games towards bowl eligibility. Assuming they can find two FCS programs that will be playing football in September and are willing to travel to your stadium:

The Football Oversight Committee reviewed and approved a recommendation from the Football Competition Committee to allow an FBS institution to count two victories against FCS institutions during the 2020 season toward deserving team status and FBS scheduling requirements, provided that each FCS institution has averaged 80 percent of the permissible number of football scholarships during the rolling two-year period. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Football Oversight Committee recommends approving the requested relief to provide institutions with scheduling flexibility while ensuring an appropriate commitment to the underlying legislation in the current environment.

This is like pulling weeds in the garden while watching your house burn to the ground. The Big Ten has more bowl tie-ins than anyone, and they’re not even playing a non-conference schedule. How are they going to fill eighty bowl slots for 40 games? And with the Ivy League, Patriot League, HBCU’s and plenty others shutting down football all together, this seems even less likely.

Another case of the NCAA having their finger firmly on the pulse of what’s happening around them. Maybe that college football commissioner idea is starting to make some sense.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the Gasparilla Bowl committee, so if you’re interested in taking over the vacant title sponsorship for like $250,000-$500,000, I get extra tickets to the VIP party. It’s open bar, and they have a guy that hand rolls cigars for you! It’s great, you’re invited if you buy this for sure.