The NCAA Division I Council denied a request to temporarily waive the minimum number of sports required to be a Division I member, and delayed a decision on allowing all college athletes to be immediately eligible one time after transferring.
The NCAA announced that a request made recently by five FBS conference commissioners to waive numerous Division I requirements for up to four years would be considered in the coming weeks.
But, a blanket waiver permitting schools to drop below the minimum 16 sports would only be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The request was made with schools bracing for tough times as the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic begins to take a toll athletic departments.
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New scheduling options for the 2020-21 season:
The council approved a proposal to give men's basketball programs choices with 28- and 29-game schedules. The council vote still must be reviewed by the NCAA Board of Directors and won't be considered final until the conclusion of its board meeting on Wednesday.
The proposal will allow schools that schedule 28 regular-season game to participate in one multiple-team event of up to three games. Programs with 29-game regular-season schedules can participate in a multiple-team event with up to two games.
A team that does not participate in a multiple-team event can have up to 29 regular-season games. Three-day multiple-team events must by completed within 10 days and two-day events must conclude within five days, under the proposal.
Non-Division I programs may participate only if they are the event host.