College sports and the coronavirus: Latest COVID-19 news, schedule changes

The NCAA Division I Council met Wednesday for an action-filled meeting. Here's everything you need to know about decisions that impact fall, winter and spring sports:

• The start of the men's and women's basketball season will be Nov. 25, 2020, with practice scheduled to start Oct. 14. The first games of the season were originally scheduled to start Nov. 10, 2020.
  • There won't be any scrimmages or exhibitions this season.
  • The  maximum number of games has been decreased by four, so teams can play up to 27 regular-season games if they play in a multi-team event.
  • Teams must play at least 13 games to be eligible for the NCAA tournament – all of which must come against a Division I opponent.
  • The Division I Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball committees recommended teams play at least four non-conference games.
• The NCAA Division I Council passed legislation that will allow all student-athletes to have a mandatory off day without practice or competition on Election Day. In the future, it will be the first Tuesday after Nov. 1. It was the first piece of legislative proposal from the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since a restructuring in 2014 allowed student-athletes to have a vote at every level.
• The NCAA Division I Council approved proposals to move fall championships to the spring and they'll need to be approved by the DI Board of Governors. In team sports, brackets will be filled at 75 percent of their usual capacities.
• The Division I Council adopted a playing and practice model for schools that plan to participate in football in the spring and members also approved a framework for the FCS Championship.
  • The championship will start April 18 and end May 15, with a field of 16 teams.
  • Fall competition will be considered for determining the 16 teams in the spring championship.
  • Schools can have up to eight games over the course of 13 weeks, with the last game being played no later than April 17.
  • On-field practice can start Sept. 21 and schools can practice up to 12 hours per week through Dec. 31.
  • During the two weeks before the start of the preseason, teams can hold non-contact practice for up to 20 hours per week.
• The Division I Council extended the recruiting dead period through Jan. 1, which precludes all in-person recruiting. Phone calls and correspondence can continue.

The Division III Championships Committee on Tuesday recommended that winter and spring 2021 national championship brackets and field sizes not exceed 75 percent of their standard capacity.

A caveat to this proposal is if a sport’s maximum number of allocated automatic qualifiers surpasses the 75 percent threshold. The championship could then expand the field to accommodate each automatic berth.

The recommendation will make its way through the Division III governance structure, including getting feedback from winter and spring sport committees, before the Management and Presidents Councils make a final decision in October.

Committee members also voted to reduce the winter sports contest minimums to 50 percent to reach championships eligibility status in 2021.

The resulting minimums for championship eligibility consideration:

• Men’s basketball: 9
• Women’s basketball: 9
• Men’s ice hockey: 9
• Women’s ice hockey: 9
• Men’s swimming and diving: 4
• Women’s swimming and diving: 4
• Men’s indoor track and field: 2
• Women’s indoor track and field: 3
• Wrestling: 3

The American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday that it is postponing competition and conference championships for men's and women's soccer and volleyball to the spring of 2021. This decision follows the Division I Board of Governors' Aug. 21 announcement that it will work toward hosting NCAA fall championships in the spring.

“We were prepared to conduct competition in the fall in men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, but moving to the spring was in the best interest of our student-athletes as it will align our schedules to allow our teams to compete for national championships," AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said in the news release.

NCAA.com has been tracking official sources for the latest coronavirus-related fall sports news.

Here's what you need to know:

• On Friday, Aug. 21, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors announced that it will work to host fall sport championships in the spring of 2021, including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's water polo, field hockey and FCS football.
• The Board of Directors approved a blanket waiver granting all DI I fall sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility and an additional year to complete it.
• Six of the 10 FBS football conferences are scheduled to play a fall season, including the ACC, Big 12, SEC, AAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt. The College Football Playoff is prepared for the fall season, as the selection committee announced its rankings release dates, which start with the first rankings on Nov. 17 and selection day on Dec. 20.
• On Aug. 27, the SEC announced it has set new start dates and formats for cross country, soccer and volleyball to compete in regular season games and SEC Championships this fall.

Good evening. Here's what you need to know in fall sports news Monday night, Aug. 24:

• The college football preseason AP Top 25 poll was released Monday afternoon for the 2020 season.
  • Clemson earned the No. 1 preseason ranking for the second year in a row.
  • Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma round out the top five.
  • Defending national champion LSU is No. 6.
  • Schools that aren't playing football in the fall were eligible for the preseason rankings.
• The College Football Playoff selection committee announced its rankings release dates.
  • The College Football Playoff selection committee released the six dates when it will reveal the CFP rankings for the 2020 season, culminating in selection day on Sunday, Dec. 20.
• Duke will begin its fall sports seasons without fans.
  • Only essential game personnel and media will be allowed in attendance.
• NC State temporarily pauses all athletic-related activities. 
  • The decision, which includes preseason football practices, is a result of a COVID-19 cluster within its programs.
• The AP's preseason All-America football team will be released on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

North Carolina State announced Monday that it has temporarily paused all athletic-related activities due to a COVID-19 cluster in its programs.

The school says it will continue to follow established medical protocols with the aide of campus and local health officials. 

"Based on the information available to us, we are making the necessary and swift decision to pause athletic-related activities until we have additional information," said Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan in a news release. "We will continue to work with all appropriate parties to evaluate the most responsible path moving forward and will provide further details when available." 

Duke University announced Monday morning that it will start the fall sports season without fans.

During Duke home games, only essential game personnel and broadcast media will be allowed in attendance.

"To be sure, our venues will not be the same without our passionate, energetic fan base," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White said in the news release.  "Given the unique and challenging circumstances, this determination was reached with the health and safety of our fans, student-athletes, coaches and staff at the forefront.  As this evolving process continues, it is imperative to be both adaptable and compliant in anticipation of hosting fans in the near future."

On Friday, Aug. 21, the Division I Board of Directors announced that it will work toward hosting scaled back fall sport championships in the spring of 2021. The sports impacted are mens's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's water polo, field hockey and FCS football.

"Board members cautioned that fall championships should be played in the spring only if they can be conducted safely and in accordance with federal, state and local health guidelines. The board acknowledged that its action pertained to fall championships only and that the final decisions on bracket sizes and composition will be approved by the board," according to the official statement.

The statement also said the priority remains "preserving opportunities for winter and spring sport student-athletes who did not have the chance to participate in NCAA championships in 2019-20."

This decision follows an Aug. 5 ruling by the Board of Directors, during which, each division was instructed to determine its ability to conduct NCAA fall championships.

On Friday, Aug. 21, the Division I Board of Directors announced that it approved a blanket waiver granting all DI I fall sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility and an additional year to complete it.

The decision comes after the DI Council made adjusted recommendations to the Division I Board of Directors on Wednesday night regarding eligibility. 

The council previously recommended athletes receive an additional season of competition if ‘they participated in 50 percent or less of the maximum number of competitions allowed in each sport.’