DI Council approves college soccer schedule

by Travis Clark

September 17, 2020

On Wednesday, the Division I Council approved a package of proposals that would move fall NCAA Championships to the Spring, including men's and women's soccer. Included in that is the stipulation to reduce the tournament field by 75%, which would shrink the women's DI tournament to 48, and the men's to 36.

“While no one wanted to see fall championships impacted by the pandemic, the Competition Oversight Committee put a thoughtful proposal in front of the Council which was resoundingly endorsed. We believe we have an appropriate and considerate plan to move fall championship events to the spring, and I look forward to presenting this plan to the Board of Directors next week,” Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania, said in a statement. “The plan gives maximum opportunities to fall student-athletes to participate in NCAA championships, while preserving access to conferences through automatic qualifications.”

DI Council approves moving fall championships to the spring, brackets will be filled at 75% capacity: https://t.co/PrgbcB24dQ pic.twitter.com/efMIz61QYK
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) September 16, 2020

Fall championships slated to go forward in the fall would still count towards a conference's automatic bid, with the ACC, Sun Belt, SEC, Big 12 among the leagues planning to play in the fall.

The recommendations now go to the Division I Board of Directors for approval. Below are the details from the release, which were outlined last week.

Men’s soccer

Action at the finals site for the Men’s College Cup is May 13-17. The bracket will consist of 36 teams, with 24 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large selections. The normal bracket size for the sport is 48, with four teams advancing to the finals site. Regular-season competition can be played Feb. 3-April 17, with selections on April 18.

Women’s soccer

Action at the finals site for the Women’s College Cup is May 13-17. The bracket will consist of 48 teams, with 31 automatic qualifiers and 17 at-large selections. Normally, the bracket size for the women’s soccer championship is 64 teams, with four teams advancing to the finals site. Regular-season competition can be played Feb. 3-April 17, with selections on April 18.