On Wednesday, the DI Council proposed a quite significant change when it comes to membership requirements for FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools. While this won’t affect any schools currently in the FBS, it could become quite a barrier for FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) programs looking to move into the FBS.
Part of the requirement changes would include; “90% of the total number of allowable scholarships over a two-year rolling period across at least 16 sports, including football”. The total amount of scholarships that a school offers each year would have to be at least 210 and equate to at least $6 million of aid.
The biggest change however would be to increase the transition fee for each school from $5,000 to $5 Million. This is a significant monetary investment for any university to take.
The union also proposed removing football attendance requirements as well.
Notably, while these requirements have been proposed and could be approved in the near future, the new requirements would not go into effect prior to August 1, 2027.
Since 2010, 14 schools have made the jump from FCS to FBS with James Madison, Sam Houston, and Jacksonville State being the last three programs to do so.
Last December, it was reported by ESPN that 10 FCS schools, Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Utah Tech, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, and North Alabama were looking to create a new football-only conference, and move up to the FBS level for the 2025 season. UT Rio Grande Valley would also be a member of that conference as they expect to launch a football program in 2025.