Leaders within the FBS Football Oversight Committee are in favor of opening Week 0 for everyone to play in beginning with the 2027 season, according to a report Wednesday from The Athletic.
Week 0 has traditionally hosted only a handful of games -- namely in Ireland and Hawaii -- and currently requires a waiver for teams to play. The Oversight Committee is looking at removing the need for the waiver.
Many within college football wish to move the start of the season upward in order to move the end of the season forward. That change would require approval of various groups outside the purview of the Oversight Committee, namely the College Football Playoff, TV networks, and the various bowl games and host committees involved in the postseason.
This change is simply looking to permanently give teams two off weeks per season, and would essentially create a floating Opening Weekend, depending on how the calendar falls in a given year. There were 14 Saturdays between Labor Day Weekend and Thanksgiving Weekend in 2024 and '25, but only 13 in 2026, with Labor Day not falling until Sept. 7. The calendar remains that way, with only 13 Saturdays falling between the Labor Day and Thanksgiving holidays, through the end of the decade. The next 14-week year falls in 2030, with Labor Day Saturday on Aug. 28 and Thanksgiving Saturday not until Nov. 30. Just spitballing, but "the last Saturday in August" feels like an easy enough traditional start date to remember.
The Oversight Committee meets again April 16, but a decision on Week 0 may not come until June. Obviously, time is of the essence given that 2027 is just one season away.
Tthere are still only 365 days in a year no matter when the college football season begins, and so any change to the start date would have a domino effect elsewhere. For one, the championship game to the 2027 season will not be played until Jan. 24, 2028, with no current plans to move it forward. An Aug. 26 start date and a Jan. 24 end date means two teams could play a 152-day season.
That would be a problem for only two teams to solve, but moving the start date forward would likely mean moving training camp forward. And that would likely cut into July vacation time for coaches and staff members in college football.
Then again, opening up Week 0 for everyone to play in would require each team to use it. The NCAA would simply extend the season to guarantee two idle weeks, and teams would theoretically be free to take one of their two off weeks on the front end.
It's a decision for each team and conference to make, should the change be approved. And if approved, they'd need to make that decision quickly.