The NCAA Board of Governors announced Wednesday its full agenda for fall championships across all divisions, and one particular item might affect University of Central Arkansas athletics.
The agenda covered a wide range of topics from honoring scholarships of players who opt out, to member schools having to meet certain testing criteria, to the NCAA having a phone number and email that will allow athletes to report any mishandling of the guidelines by universities.
It also stated that if 50% or more eligible teams in a sport cancel the fall season, then there will be no fall NCAA championship for that sport. And with the SWAC, MEAC, CAA, Northeast Conference, Ivvy League and Patriot League already canceling or postponing its fall season, the FCS football playoffs are in jeopardy. Of the 127 FCS teams, 54 are members of the conferences that will not have a fall season -- 42.5%. Still, some of those conferences, like the CAA, are allowing members to play out of conference.
Conferences will be allowed to choose whether or not to play in the fall. And for UCA and the Southland Conference, they intend to play.
"I believe in the Southland Conference, our intent would be to play if there is not an NCAA championship as long as the virus allows us to," UCA Athletic Director Brad Teague said. "That's kind of where we are right now."
According to Teague, even if the Southland Conference decided to cancel the season, UCA would try to put together some sort of fall schedule.
"And there's probably six other institutions [in the Southland] that would do it as well," Teague said. "We would try to play those as well as maybe a Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky or Northern Alabama, schools in our proximity."
There's also the possibility of playing Arkansas State University on Sept. 19, a date that is open for both schools due to other game cancellations.
Teague and the Bears would like to play a regular schedule -- UCA is picked to win the Southland. But at this point, Teague just wants to play. And he's already coming up with ideas if there isn't a fall championship.
"It just seems like from colleagues around the country there will be several conferences participating, and if not, there's going to be some independents," he said. "The other thing we would like to do -- and of course we would have to get NCAA approval -- is if there is no FCS championship, we would intend on trying to find maybe a bowl game with another FCS conference. Basically, the winner from the Southland and another conference. Just to have some sort of postseason opportunity."
Teague said the Southland's athletic directors and presidents intend to meet multiple times each week. The NCAA has an Aug. 21 deadline to make a decision on whether or not fall championships will be played, giving the Southland Conference just over two weeks to plan accordingly.
"Assuming Division I allows to play fall sports, then we've got to wait and see how many institutions can meet the testing criteria. Then we'll know if anybody is below the 50% mark," Teague said "So the NCAA does not look like it's going to cancel championships unless there's not enough participation. But what I can glean from our conversation with Southland ADs, is that even if there's not NCAA championships ... we intend to play."
UCA opened fall camp Saturday and is scheduled to kick off its season at home against Austin Peay on Aug. 29.