Transfer portal gets shortened
Coaches requested a smaller window
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a smaller window during which football players, as well as basketball players, can enter their names into the transfer portal and retain immediate eligibility for the following season from 60 to 45 days.
The council was finishing up two days of meetings in Indianapolis, during which it also approved a package of proposals that would regulate name, image and likeness compensation for athletes.
The NCAA also announced on Wednesday that it will advocateg for changes to state gambling laws and regulations to provide more protections for college athletes.
Transfer windows for undergraduate athletes were first implemented last year, and the timing of the transfer period is determined on a sport-by-sport basis. In football, there were two windows: a 45-day window starting in December, after the regular season, and a second in the spring. The first window will shrink to 30 days.
Football coaches had called for shorter windows, and it became apparent that most players were acting quickly so they could switch schools and join their new teams in time for the winter/spring semester.
Fresno State
Talk about under the radar. While most attention Saturday will be on headline matchups such as Texas-Oklahoma, LSU-Missouri, Notre Dame-Louisville, there is a big latenight clash in the Mountain West Conference.
Fresno State, ranked 24th and riding a 14-game winning streak since a 1-4 start in 2022, travels to Wyoming (4-1, 1-0 MWC). This one likely will be decided by the Bulldogs’ run defense, which is allowing an average of 93 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry, against Wyoming running back Harrison Waley, who’s averaged 150 yards per game and put up 191 last week against New Mexico.