The COVID-19 pandemic has ensured there will be fewer games this fall. The NCAA put it on paper Monday, with the Division I Council Coordination Committee granting “a blanket waiver that reduces by 50 percent the current legislated minimum number of contests that teams in fall sports other than football must play.”
The NCAA’s press release noted that the waiver is for programs participating in cross country, soccer, field hockey, men’s water polo and women’s volleyball. Those schedules have already been heavily impacted by COVID-19, with conferences like the Ivy League and Atlantic 10 choosing to cancel all sports for the fall semester, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 are among those to eliminate nonconference competition, and the Western Athletic Conference and the Horizon League are among many that have postponed the start of fall seasons.
Related content: Five Conferences Cancel Fall Sports; WAC, Horizon Delay
“The change allows teams that continue to play the opportunity to avoid scheduling additional games near the end of a season that could put student-athletes, coaches and staff in at-risk positions with additional travel and exposure,” the NCAA’s release reads.
The D1 Competition Oversight Committee also adjusted any potential postseason events, no longer requiring teams to have at least a .500 record to be selected for any championship field.
Related content: New NCAA Protocols as Data Moves in ‘Wrong Direction’
