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Report: FBS Oversight Committee advances legislation to make transitioning FCS teams bowl-eligible

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz05/08/26NickSchultz_7

The NCAA Division I FBS Oversight Committee has advanced legislation to make transitioning FCS teams bowl-eligible, Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported. If the Division I Cabinet adopts the change, North Dakota State and Sacramento State would be able to play in bowl games this coming season.

Under current rules, teams making the leap from FCS to FBS have to wait two years to be eligible for bowl games. That notably impacted James Madison in 2022 when the Dukes went 8-3 in their first season in the Sun Belt and could not compete in a bowl game. In 2023, JMU and Jacksonville State – in its first year of FBS – were able to play in bowls because there were not enough eligible teams.

In March, the FBS Oversight Committee recommended the elimination of the two-year postseason probationary period. The Division I Cabinet is scheduled to review the committee’s decision in June.

North Dakota State is making the jump from the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference to join the Mountain West, giving the conference 10 football members with Northern Illinois also joining the fold from the MAC in 2026. NDSU announced the move in February, and Yahoo! Sports reported at the time it would come with a “substantial” entry fee.

Rumors have long swirled about when NDSU would make the jump from FCS. The Bison have won 10 of the last 15 national championships, which helped fuel speculation about when the program would jump up to FBS. In fact, since a 3-8 record in 2009 – two years after joining the Missouri Valley – the Bison have won at least 11 games every full season. They went 7-3 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Just over a week after North Dakota State’s announcement, Sacramento State received entry into the MAC as the league looked to replace Northern Illinois. The Hornets will compete as a football-only member in the conference after years of attempting the move to the FBS ranks.

Sacramento State previously put together an aggressive approach to try and get to the FBS ranks. A group notably tried to get the Hornets into the Pac-12 while another round of conference realignment began, raising NIL funds to do so.

Sacramento State will now get ready to compete in the MAC with new head coach Alonzo Carter at the helm following Brennan Marion’s departure for Colorado. Sacramento State went 7-5 last year as a member of the Big Sky.