The NCAA will allow all Football Bowl Subdivision schools to begin playing games as early as Aug. 29, 247Sports reported Tuesday.
Previously there were only a handful of games on tap that weekend, with most schools slated to kick off the 2020 campaign on Sept. 5.
The option to play a week earlier gives schools more flexibility for reconstructing their schedules amid the chaos and uncertainty of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Pac-12 and Big Ten are moving to conference-only schedules, which have not yet been released. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC are working together to compile schedules that would include at least one non-conference game for their members, according to 247Sports. The SEC’s presidents and chancellors are meeting virtually on Thursday.
The blanket approval for an earlier start date comes on the heels of the NCAA granting Oklahoma and Missouri State a waiver to move their game from Sept. 5 to Aug. 29.
