The Ivy League will reportedly consider a proposal that would allow its football teams to participate in the Football Championship Subdivision postseason, a first in the 79-year history of the conference.
In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Athletics acknowledged the proposal, noting that it was brought forth by the student committee within the Ivy League administration.
“We are aware of the proposal for league participation in the FCS playoffs that is student-driven from the Ivy League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee,” Penn Athletics wrote. “We will continue to follow the league’s governance process for any policy change.”
The FCS playoffs consists of 24 teams all competing for a national championship in college football’s second-highest division. Many of these spots come from bids automatically given out to conference champions, which the Ivy League could qualify for if not for its self-imposed ban.
In order to pass, the proposal would need to gain approval from all eight Ivy League athletic directors as well as the schools’ presidents. Ancient Eight teams have not been permitted to play in the postseason since 1945, when the presidents signed the Ivy Group agreement which placed a self-imposed ban on postseason play as well as other practices such as athletic scholarships.
That decision was rooted in the conference’s paramount commitment to academics, citing the additional burden that postseason games would place on student-athletes, particularly late in the semester during reading and finals periods. But as other sports like basketball and lacrosse have not only competed but also found success in their respective national tournaments, many have argued that football should enjoy the same opportunity.
“I’ve actually written papers about this for classes [at Penn]” Penn football senior quarterback Aidan Sayin said of the policy in 2023. “We want to be able to play in that playoff, and every year there’s at least one team from the Ivy League that’s ranked high enough that would be in it. It would be a great opportunity to be able to go do that.”
There is currently no timetable for the proposal’s approval.
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