NAIA cuts football regular season to nine games for 2020
In what it says is a cost-cutting measure, the NAIA is reducing the number of regular-season games its football teams can play from 11 to nine.
Football Scoop reports that the NAIA’s Council of Presidents executive committee sent a list of new protocols to member schools for the 2020 fall season.
Eight Kentucky colleges play NAIA football: The University of the Cumberlands, Pikeville, Thomas More, Georgetown, Union, Campbellsville, Lindsey Wilson and Kentucky Christian. No. 4-ranked Lindsey Wilson lost 34-24 to No. 2 ranked Marian in the NAIA semifinals last season.
Besides football, the NAIA is reducing volleyball’s regular season from 28 to 22 games and soccer’s regular season from 18 games to 14.
“The reductions are proportional to the shortened seasons and are consistent with recent feedback from presidents, athletics directors, and commissioners expressing a desire to reduce regular-season costs,” said the statement.
The NAIA postseason will not be affected.
The committee also said that NAIA football teams can begin practicing on Aug. 15. Conditioning activities that are not “practices” will be allowed to occur before Aug. 15. The start of the season will be Sept. 12.
Also, the NAIA said that least 47 of its 95 football-sponsored schools must be cleared for the sport to be played in the fall.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel, the NCAA Football Oversight committee has been meeting to work on protocols for the 2020 season.
2019 Mid-South football standings
Appalachian Division
- Reinhard 6-0/9-3
- St. Andrews 5-1/5-5
- Point 4-2/5-7
- Bluefield 3-34-7
- Kentucky Christian 1-4/3-8
- Cincinnati Christian 1-4/2-8
- Union 0-6/0-11
Bluegrass Division
- Lindsey Wilson 7-0/12-1
- Cumberlands 6-1/10-2
- Georgetown 4-3/5-5
- Pikeville 4-3/5-5
- Cumberland (Tenn.) 3-4/5-5
- Bethel 2-5/5-6
- Thomas More 2-4/4-7
- Campbellsville 0-7/1-9
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
