AFCA board proposes 4 changes to college football calendar - ESPN

The American Football Coaches Association is recommending changes to the college football calendar that would end the season by the second Monday in January, while also pushing for increased access to the College Football Playoff.

The AFCA board announced Tuesday four proposed calendar changes: ending conference championship games; reducing open weeks in seasons from two to one; preserving an exclusive window for the Army-Navy game in December but allowing postseason games to be played on the same day; and reducing the minimum number of days between games to no fewer than six.

The proposal comes two weeks after the NCAA's Football Oversight Committee recommended that the regular season begin earlier, on the Thursday of what is now known as Week Zero, starting with the 2027 season.

The AFCA's plan comes in response to a longer college season with the 12-team CFP, and the possibility of further playoff expansion. The most recent CFP championship game between Indiana and Miami took place Jan. 19, and the 2027 and 2028 title games are scheduled for Jan. 25 and Jan. 24, respectively.

«Structuring the season in this way will better support student-athletes by more closely matching the academic calendar and aligning with the single transfer portal window,» the AFCA said in its statement. «It also elevates the quality of play during the most meaningful stretch of the season by removing unnecessary breaks and preserving competitive rhythm.»

AFCA executive director Craig Bohl told ESPN that the board supports further CFP expansion but not a specific number, recognizing that 16- and 24-team models are both being discussed by league commissioners.

«We'd like to have more access,» Bohl said. «Whatever that number is, the powers that