Big Sky latest FCS league to call off fall football season

The Big Sky Conference has voted to postpone college football competition until the spring, casting further doubt on the viability of staging the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff this fall due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Big Sky is among the deeper FCS conferences, frequently sending multiple teams to the playoffs. League officials are hoping other FCS conferences will take similar action and that the playoffs can be conducted in the spring semester as well, though that would also require a waiver from the NCAA.

The Colonial Athletic Association, another strong FCS league, had announced earlier it would not stage a conference football schedule in the fall but would permit its member schools to pursue their own scheduling opportunities. Perennial CAA power James Madison, which was scheduled to open camp today, has decided not to go ahead with pursuing fall football.

The Patriot League and Ivy League had also cancelled football this fall, though the latter does not participate in the FCS playoffs.

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