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NCAA considering adding bye week to college football season

By Jason Parker

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 08: Kermit Whitfield #8 of the Florida State Seminoles riushes for a touchdown during a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 08: Kermit Whitfield #8 of the Florida State Seminoles riushes for a touchdown during a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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The NCAA is dealing with a variety of rule changes that could take effect, including one that would make college coaches very happy.

Starting with the first games being played on Thursday, August 31, the NCAA football season will kick off with some great Week 1 games that include Florida State-Alabama, Michigan-Florida and even a Tennessee-Georgia Tech game that could get some coach fired depending on the outcome.

It won’t be the technical first week of the season as five games will be played on Saturday, August 26 in what is being called “week zero” by some. Teams playing that week have to get an NCAA wavier because rules right now are for a 13 week season — 12 games and one bye week — for each FBS team based on the usual number of Saturdays between Labor Day Weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.

While some seasons in the future will have a 14-week schedule based on an extra Saturday thrown in there, the governing body of college sports could make that permeant as they are considering a measure adding an extra bye week into the regular season, according to NBC Sports’ College Football Talk:

"This move is being examined as a result of previous changes that eliminated two-a-days for programs across college football and the subsequent need for a host of pre-season waivers allowing teams to start fall camp earlier than normal.According to the association’s release on the matter, administrators would prefer to keep the standard early August start date for camp and move to a 14-week slate that would not result in the need for waivers to start early."

If the NCAA were to approve such a move, coaches across the country might send the committee considering it the biggest muffin basket out there. Currently, having one bye week can make it really touch for teams with loaded late season schedules and it goes against all the comments from officials claiming their care about player safety.

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Right now, the only teams who are approved for a wavier are those playing in an overseas game — such as Stanford and Rice playing in Australia this season — and those who will be playing at Hawai’i each season (along with the Rainbow Warriors themselves, who can play 13 games). Aside from UH, six FBS teams – UMass, Oregon State, Colorado State, South Florida, San Jose State and BYU – will take advantage of that exemption.

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