According to multiple reports, the NCAA has approved a waiver for the 2020-21 bowl season which allows all FBS teams to count two games against FCS opponents towards bowl eligibility.
Previous bowl eligibility rules allowed FBS teams to count one game against an FCS opponent. The NCAA has relaxed the rule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This adjustment will help college football teams that have suffered non-conference game cancellations due to COVID-19. SO far, the Big Ten and PAC-12 have canceled their entire slate of non-conference games as their members move to conference-only schedules.
The three other Power Five conferences – the ACC, Big 12, and SEC – have not made official rulings on whether they will move to conference only schedules or not.
As for the record requirement for bowl eligibility this season, that will not change. A .500 record will still be the requirement for bowl eligibility even in a shortened season. So, if everyone is playing only 10 games, a 5-5 record will be bowl-eligible.
This ruling could have a huge impact for the Flames as Liberty is currently scheduled to play two FCS teams in 2020. The Flames are scheduled to host North Carolina A&T on Sept. 12 and Western Carolina on Nov. 14.
This is the third straight season Liberty is scheduled to face two FCS opponents, doing so in each of the prior two seasons as the Flames made the transition from FCS to FBS Independent. In the previous two years, only one win could count towards bowl eligibility.
