A year after turning down a waiver for a Week One football game between HBCU conferences, the NCAA has changed the rules regarding games before Labor Day for Division II schools.
The NCAA Division II council passed 2024-1 which states: “In football, to specify that a member institution shall not participate in its first contest with outside competition in the championship segment before one week prior to the Thursday preceding September 6.”
SIAC Commissioner Dr. Anthony Holloman and CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams floated the concept of a game between the two conference champions to the NCAA. The network was hoping the carry the game on Saturday, August 26 of 2023 with Benedict College of the SIAC hosting CIAA Champion Fayetteville State.
Such games, based on their history, have been played between Div. I FBS or FCS programs. The Mid Eastern Athletics Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletics Conference (SWAC), the two HBCU Div. I conferences, received a waiver and played the first MEAC/SWAC Challenge in 2005. That Week Zero game will have its 19th iteration this season.
The NCAA denied the waiver request of the two conferences last spring. Other conferences such as the MIAA, Gulf South and Lone Star conference joined the CIAA and SIAC in sponsoring legislation that would permit an institution to play its first football contest with outside competition one week earlier than the current Division II start date.
In essence, the change will give institutions an additional week to complete its regular season football schedule. This legislative exception will provide institutions with the flexibility to schedule and play the maximum 11 regular season football contests over a 12-week period, if desired. Benefits from this change include the ability to provide a bye/off week in the scheduling that year as a benefit to the student-athletes’ health and safety; lessening the burden of finding available non-conference opponents and the added flexibility and financial benefit to include unique opportunities such as sponsored or destination-site football contests.
SIAC Commissioner Dr. Anthony Holloman was elated at the change.
“The SIAC and its member institutions are pleased that this permissive legislation has passed,” Dr. Holloman told HBCU Gameday. “Paving the way for our football playing schools to, in some cases monetize this play date with games like the Red Tails Classic and the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic and in other cases utilizing the bye week for strategic scheduling purposes. A true win for Division II Football.”
Benedict College is the reigning SIAC champion while Virginia Union is the reigning CIAA champion.