The NCAA published its 2026-27 Division I Manual on Monday, which is normally a day that passes unmarked, except this year it put into writing the new mechanisms by which the organization will determine when its football seasons begin.
As was formally approved by the Division I Cabinet back in June, but put into the NCAA version of the Bible on Monday, the football season in FBS and FCS will usually -- but not always -- begin one week earlier than has in the past, including the 2026 season.
FBS
Officially, the FBS season now permanently runs in the 14 weeks from the final Saturday in November forward. As written in the Division I Manual, "an institution shall not play its first contest (game or scrimmage) with outside competition before the Thursday preceding the Saturday that is 14 weeks before the first Saturday in December."
In effect, this means Week 0 will become the official start date for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons. In 2030 and '31, the calendar adds an extra Saturday into the fall, and so Week 0 will resume its place as "the Saturday before the season really starts" and the majority of teams will begin their seasons the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend.
This change means each FBS team will have the opportunity for two idle weeks over the course of a 12-game season, as has been the case in the 2024 and '25 seasons, where there were 14 weeks between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. In years with only 13 weeks between Labor Day and Thanksgiving (like 2026), the season will now begin one week earlier.
FBS Season Start Dates, 2027-31
-- Thursday, Aug. 26, 2027
-- Thursday, Aug. 24, 2028
-- Thursday, Aug. 23, 2029
-- Thursday, Aug. 29, 2030
-- Thursday, Aug. 28, 2031
FCS
FCS has enshrined its regular season covers the 13 weeks before Selection Sunday, which is always the Sunday before Thanksgiving. As FBSchedules notes, this change went into effect for the 2026 season, but was enacted too late for any teams to take advantage of it. Similar to FBS, FCS teams will permanently have the option to play a 12-game season with two off weeks no matter how the calendar happens to fall; since the FCS regular season ends one week before FBS, its regular season will begin one week earlier. FCS seasons will now begin as early as Aug. 16.
FCS Season Start Dates, 2027-31
-- Thursday, Aug. 19, 2027
-- Thursday, Aug. 17, 2028
-- Thursday, Aug. 16, 2029
-- Thursday, Aug. 22, 2030
-- Thursday, Aug. 21, 2031
Finally, just because teams have the option to begin as early as Aug. 23 (FBS) or Aug. 16 (FCS) does not mean they have to begin that early. A team can choose to take its first "off" week early and then play its 12 regular season games over the following 13 weeks, as will be the case this season.
With that settled, the only question left is this: Are we going to call the new start dates Week 0 or Week 1?