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Ivy League Agrees to Let Football Teams Compete in the Playoffs Next Year
The conference’s eight schools will be able to participate in the Football Championship Subdivision’s 24-team playoff.
Among the tens of thousands of college athletes who compete for an N.C.A.A. championship, there is one subset who never get the chance: Ivy League football players.
Since the conference began play in 1956, as a bulwark against athletics encroaching on academics, Ivy League football seasons have come to an end on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
No bowl games. No playoffs.
But that will change next year after the Ivy League’s presidents announced on Wednesday that they will allow the league’s teams in the Football Championship Subdivision’s 24-team playoff.
The inability to participate in the playoffs has been a persistent source of disappointment among Ivy League coaches and players, so the announcement on Wednesday was welcome news to the eight programs.
“That’s the joy of competition,” said Bob Surace, who played at Princeton and is the longest-tenured football coach in the league after completing his 15th season. “There’s a score and somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose, and you find out on that day who is the better team.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
