NCAA FBS Oversight Committee proposes new college football transfer portal window

Key Points:

• The NCAA Division I FBS Oversight Committee proposed changing the college football transfer portal notification period to a 10-day window starting the first business day after January 1, shifting it to open after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals instead of the current January 2-16 window.
• The committee also proposed introducing OTA-style offseason workouts beginning January 1, 2027, allowing two practice periods with a total of 21 on-field practices over a maximum of seven weeks, along with a minimum of nine voluntary weeks for athletes.
• The preseason practice period would be reduced to 21 practices over 27 calendar days, four fewer than currently allowed, to accommodate the additional spring and summer practice opportunities.
• The 2026 transfer portal cycle eliminated the spring window, limiting athlete transfers to the January period unless coaching changes trigger exceptions, as seen with Northern Illinois University.
• Other calendar changes proposed include moving the season start to Week 0 with a 14-week schedule featuring 12 games and two bye weeks, maintaining standalone weekends for conference championships and the Army–Navy Game; these changes await approval by the Division I Cabinet.