Report: Sun Belt, MAC, AAC, MWC & C-USA Ask NCAA To Relax D1 Requirements

Five FBS conference commissioners sent an e-mail to NCAA President Mark Emmert, requesting leniency on Division 1 requirements, according to a report from Yahoo! sports.

“As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic turmoil has resulted in the direst financial crisis for higher education since at least the Great Depression," the commissioners wrote.

In the e-mail, commissioners from the Sun Belt, Mid-American Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Conference USA asked for assistance for financial aid requirements as it pertains to grant-in-aid scholarships and a drop of average football attendance D1 requirements.

Division 1 FBS football programs are required to have a minimum of 15,000 in paid attendance on average every two years, on a rolling basis. If programs cannot meet the requirement, they can lose D1 status.

NCAA D1 schools also must sponsor at least 16 varsity sports to maintain D1 eligibility.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a reprieve of NCAA requirements, particularly for G5 conferences, will be vital for the sustainability of the athletic programs moving forward.