This is part of an ongoing series covering various college realignment news for all three NCAA Divisions as well as the NAIA. The roundup below will cover news and reports since September 30, 2026, and provide updates on previously discussed topics. As a reminder, all official moves starting with the 2026-27 academic year can be found here, and those starting in 2027-28 are here. We’ll break out the reports for each Division in the following order: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and NAIA. Clicking the links will bring you to the corresponding section.
NCAA Division 1 News
Big 12 Basketball Games to Be Broadcast by CBS
The Big 12 Conference will have 8 women’s basketball games broadcast by CBS during the 2026-27 academic year. The deal comes via a sublicensing agreement between CBS and ESPN. ESPN already has some of the rights to women’s basketball games, as does Fox. In total, 28 women’s basketball games will be shown on linear networks during the upcoming season.
College Football Video Game Series Already in Peril?
EA Sports College Football could already be facing strong headwinds after returning in 2024, according to Mike Straw of Insider Gaming. The 2024 game has been the best-performing game of the three titles since the relaunch, followed by the 2025 version and the 2026 version. Sources at EA expressed concern about the long-term future of the game, due in part to NIL costs, but also due to microtransactions. Straw noted that it costs EA about $20 million a year to fund the NIL component, which translates to 275,000 copies at $70 apiece. Additional licensing fees are paid to universities and bowl games, not to mention development costs. After scrapping microtransactions for College Football 27 earlier this year amid strong pushback from the community, EA still plans to implement them for next year’s game, College Football 28. Despite the pushback and the lackluster revenue generated by College Ultimate Team, EA believes the best plan is to forge ahead with microtransactions, but this should be of little surprise to those who know EA’s background.
D1 Men’s Soccer Proposal Round 2
The NCAA Division 1 Cabinet approved a proposal to move men’s soccer across both semesters, beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. The approval was less than 75% support, which moves the proposal to a 30-day rescission period for D1 schools to vote on it. If two-thirds of eligible D1 schools or conferences reject the proposal, it will not take effect. If less than two-thirds don’t reject it, the proposal will take effect. The D1 Women’s Soccer Oversight Committee did not move forward with a similar proposal.
In May, the D1 Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopted legislation to change the playing season, but the D1 Cabinet tabled the proposal at its June meeting. The proposed format would allow up to 18 games in the fall and 10 in the spring, but keep the regular season maximum at 25. The fall season would end on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and restart in mid-February, with the championship moving from December to the spring. In addition, the transfer portal would change from 45 days across two periods to a single 15-day window beginning the day after the national championship.
D1 Realignment News
Matt Brown of Extra Points spoke about realignment rumblings in a post at the beginning of October. He talked about the reports on Miami (OH) reaching out to The American, while echoing that the MAC could be looking at some departures. Brown also mentioned potential NEC-to-Metro movement, with the latter seeking to add two full members: Le Moyne and Stonehill. Finally, he said full membership discussions are happening across the country, in the Midwest, Great Plains, and West Coast, but he didn’t disclose any schools or conferences.
D1 Rules Modernization Proposal
The NCAA Division 1 Cabinet is proposing decentralization of certain rules across sports. One rule change would be to remove the maximum number of countable coaches, while limiting only off-campus recruiters. Another would impact recruiting by allowing schools to arrange transportation and provide accommodations and entertainment for prospects on an official visit. Those rules would be in accordance with school policies. Finally, playing seasons would have standardized starting dates for practices and the regular season, as well as standardized end-of-regular-season dates. In this case, a school’s academic calendar would no longer be considered for competition dates. These changes could be adopted as early as January 2027.
James Madison Joining American
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia) will leave the Sun Belt Conference to join the American Conference as a full member no later than the start of the 2028-29 academic year on July 1. The news comes a few weeks after a report detailed attempts by JMU, Miami (OH), and UConn to join the American. JMU will reportedly pay $23 million in entrance fees and $5 million in exit fees. James Madison is already an affiliate member of the American in women’s lacrosse and women’s swimming and diving. The women’s field hockey team will continue to compete as an affiliate of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The school’s other 15 sports will move from the Sun Belt to the American. With the addition of JMU, the American will have 14 full members and 15 football members. Both Army and Navy compete as football affiliates, while Wichita State is the only member not to sponsor football. It’s unclear whether the American will ultimately add another full member with football, add another football-only affiliate, or reduce membership by one member. For now, the conference appears to be making no additional moves.
NEC to Name Dan Lynch as Commissioner
The NEC will name Dan Lynch as its next commissioner, according to Pete Thamel. Lynch was most recently the Chief Commercial Officer of the New York/New Jersey World Cup. Moreen Norris led the NEC since 2010, but she stepped down on September 1. Lynch will take over a conference that has been a revolving door in the realignment world. Since 2020, Robert Morris (2020), Bryant (2022), Mount St. Mary’s (2022), St. Francis Brooklyn (2023), Merrimack (2024), Sacred Heart (2024), and Saint Francis (PA) (2026) have left the conference. St. Francis Brooklyn dropped athletics, while Saint Francis (PA) dropped to NCAA Division 3. The NEC has added Stonehill (2022), Le Moyne (2023), Chicago State (2024), Mercyhurst (2024), and New Haven (2025). The NEC has 9 full members, but could see Le Moyne and Stonehill depart for the Metro in the near future.
NIT and WBIT Changes
The NCAA announced changes to the NIT and WBIT for the 2027 tournaments. Both the NIT and WBIT will have 24 teams, 8 fewer than previous years, due to the expanded March Madness tournaments. Each tournament will have 8 first round games, with the top 8 seeds receiving a bye to the second round. All NIT games will be held at campus sites, except for the Championship. The NIT will also see a change to the selection process. Exempt bids will be allocated to the top team from the top 10 conferences based on Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, a decrease of two from previous years. The ACC and SEC will each receive one exempt bid, which is not included in the 10 conference exempt bids. Teams that won the regular season conference title and an average ranking of 125 or better across the seven metrics will receive an automatic bid. The 2027 NIT Championship will be hosted by Detroit Mercy on Sunday, April 4.
The WBIT will hold games at campus sites, except for the Semifinals and Championship games. The WBIT selection process will require an overall record of .500 or better to be considered for an at-large bid. Teams with an average NET and WAB ranking of 100 or better will automatically be considered for the WBIT. Regular season conference champions with an average NET and WAB ranking of 110 or better will automatically qualify for the WBIT. The WBIT will be hosted by Wichita State on Monday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 31.
SoCon Alters Basketball Tournaments
The Southern Conference will change the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments for the 2026-27 academic year. All programs on the men’s and women’s side will compete in the conference. The men’s tournament will feature 11 teams, with the first five teams receiving byes. The women’s tournament will feature 9 teams, with the 8/9 game serving as the first round matchup. The addition of Tennessee Tech for the 2026-27 academic year led to a slight adjustment.
Transfer Windows Adjusted for Select Sports
The NCAA Division 1 Cabinet approved transfer window changes for the following four sports: football (both FBS and FCS), cross country, track & field, and women’s gymnastics. The FBS and FCS transfer window will open on the first business day following January 1. Cross country and track & field will have their 15-day transfer windows open at the conclusion of the cross country championships, with another 10-day window opening at the conclusion of the outdoor track & field championships. Women’s gymnastics will have a 15-day window beginning on the Monday after the national championship.
Women’s Lacrosse Tournament Change
The NCAA Division 1 women’s lacrosse championship will see a few changes beginning with the 2027 tournament. The first and second round games will be played on Thursday and Saturday, instead of Friday and Sunday. In addition, quarterfinal games will now be played on Wednesday and Thursday evenings instead of only on Thursday. The rationale is to provide additional broadcast windows and maintain recovery time.
NCAA Division 2 News
CACC Sets Ideal Membership at 16
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) would like to expand to 16 members, according to commissioner Dan Mara. Mara made the comments on the Big Pear Daily Podcast with Alex Washington. The CACC. currently has 11 full members, with Monroe University starting the transition from NJCAA to NCAA D2 this year. Mara didn’t name any potential members but provided some important context about which areas the conference will consider. The CACC has a four-hour rule that no member can be more than four hours away from the farthest school to cut down on missed class time. He noted that the Post University (Waterbury, Connecticut) to Goldey-Beacom College (Wilmington, Delaware) drive is roughly four hours. Any potential new members would have to be within that footprint. Mara also mentioned that another CACC member will add golf in 2027-28, but didn’t specify which school.
“We’re always looking to add members, always looking to add, if they’re the right schools, always looking to add sports to provide opportunities for our student athletes. It would be nice if perhaps we could get an indoor track and field championship for men and women going in the next couple of years. We currently have outdoor, but we don’t have indoor. I’d love to have men’s tennis come back as a championship sport. We have Monroe University coming in, in the near future as our 12th member. The plan is we’ve always said we’d like to be a conference of 16. We’ll see what’s out there and see what we can do in terms of members.
Since I became commissioner in 2006, NJIT left in June, I became commissioner July 1, but they didn’t leave. They didn’t have the ability to stay because they became a Division 1 institution. They had actually been a Division 1 institution the previous year, but had played in the CACC. Then they were able to get a Division 1 schedule for 2006-07 and left us on June 30, 2006. Since then, no institution has made the decision to leave. We’ve had schools close, we’ve had schools merge. You know the higher ed landscape is ever evolving. But we’ve never had anybody say ‘Sorry, it’s not for us.'”
Cheney Plots NCAA Return
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is eyeing a return to the NCAA. The school is developing a $36.5 million athletics complex, including a 2,500-seat basketball arena, NCAA-compliant track, and soccer field. The complex should be ready by fall 2028. Cheyney competed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) from the 1951-52 academic year through 2017-18. The school left the NCAA at the start of the 2018-19 academic year and has competed without any affiliation since then. It’s unknown whether the school will attempt to rejoin NCAA Division 2 and the PSAC, or opt for D3. The Wolves compete in men’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, and women’s volleyball, according to the school’s athletic website. The track & field schedules haven’t been updated since the 2017-18 academic year.
In-Region Non-conference Proposal Returns
The NCAA Division 2 Championships Committee supports a policy establishing a requirement for schools to play at least one in-region non-conference contest for all sports that utilize the NCAA Power Index, or NPI. For football, the requirement would be to play only one non-conference game, and the opponent could be out of region. The rationale is that the policy will provide the sports committees a chance to compare teams when seeding and bracketing. In the summer, the Committee proposed the same policy, but it was not supported by the D2 Management Council due to cost impact and the uncertainty of NPI implementation for the 2026-27 academic year. The D2 Conference Commissioners Association had two options. The first would have in-region non-conference minimums: baseball and softball at six, soccer and women’s volleyball at two, and all other sports at one. The other option is only a minimum of one in-region non-conference opponent for all team sports, except football, and would take effect with the 2027-28 academic year. Teams that cannot meet the requirement because of existing scheduling contracts can apply for a waiver.
Valdosta State Joining Peach Belt
Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Georgia) will leave the Gulf South Conference to join the Peach Belt Conference beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. All sports will move to the Peach Belt, except for football, women’s cheerleading, and women’s dance. Football will compete as an independent since the PBC doesn’t sponsor the sport, but it “will continue to pursue football conference affiliations and strong scheduling partnerships.” Valdosta State will join the PBC as Flagler College (St. Augustine, Florida) departs for the Sunshine State Conference. The move will keep the Peach Belt at 11 full members. Georgia Gwinnett College could also be a future Peach Belt Conference member. GGC is exploring a move from the NAIA to NCAA D2, and the PBC is the most sensible option if they move up.
Valdosta State’s departure from the Gulf South also leaves the conference with only two football members: Delta State and West Alabama. The plans for those two football programs have not been announced, although both could also wind up as D2 football independents. The Conference Carolinas are looking to expand its football membership by at least one and possibly two, according to commissioner Chris Colvin in July 2026. The Gulf South will also maintain 11 full members in 2027-28. Christian Brothers (NAIA’s Mid-South Conference) and Valdosta State will depart, while Loyola New Orleans (NAIA’s SSAC) and Spring Hill (SIAC) will join.
NCAA Division 3 News
Membership Committee Takes No Position on Eligibility
The NCAA Division 3 Membership Committee will not take a position on the age-based eligibility proposal that will be presented at the 2027 NCAA Convention in January. The committee noted there was not enough time in the next three months to fully understand the complexities and nuances of the proposal to take a stance.
NAIA News
GSAC Expanding Basketball Tournament
The Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC) will expand its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments from 4 to 6 teams beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. The highest seeds will host each round. The women’s bracket will be played on February 23, February 26, and March 1, while the men’s games will be played on February 24, February 27, and March 2.
KCAC Commissioner Talks Membership
Brandon Buchanan, commissioner of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), talked about the conference’s membership, but didn’t offer any specifics. There hasn’t been much talk of adding a football championship, with more focus on adding a non-conference matchup for the teams. Buchanan said 2-to-4 more KCAC schools will add men’s volleyball over the next three years, adding to the five KCAC members currently sponsoring the sport. He spoke about the criteria for finding a potential new member, stressing that the footprint is important, as are the ties to the existing communities.
“I wouldn’t say the book is closed on expansion by any means beause there’s always thoughts and always strategic growth meetings and task force[s]. We have interest from institutions and that just speaks to how highly the KCAC is regarded, which we’re very thankful for at the same time but it has to align with what our institutions, our Board of Presidents, our conference needs as a whole. Is it really adding value to the conference? That’s one of our main questions and we don’t just add to add… Like I said, the books never closed on that. Growth is always something we’re looking into, obviously, with what we’re doing in viewership and storytelling and impressions, all those things.
But at the same time, you have to understand what the conference really needs and you have to be very intentional with how you’re going about it. Not to say the ones that have shown interest in us aren’t good fits. Is it the right time? We’re working through a lot of things and with leadership change this last year, you kind of try to tackle some other pressing things first and foremost, getting you to a really good ground, laying the groundwork for how we go forward and how do we grow going forward. I think now that we’re in the second year of me being the commissioner, I feel like we’re in a little bit better place to perhaps tackle some of these things going forward.”
NJCAA and Small Colleges Update
In non-NCAA and NAIA news, Minnesota State Community and Technical College announced the closure of the M State Detroit Lakes campus. The campus will remain open through at least summer 2028, and the remaining three M State campuses are not impacted. This specific campus serves just 111 students. Its closure will save at least $1 million annually and $18 million in future capital investments. Last month, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system said it would likely close some campuses in the future due to financial issues. 26 of the 33 schools and 48 of the 55 campuses are two-year community and technical colleges. The Detroit Lakes campus did not sponsor any sports, as the athletic programs for M State are based at the Fergus Falls campus.
The NJCAA has a few membership updates from the last few weeks. Most recently, Mid-State Technical College (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin) is planning to reinstate athletics beginning with the 2028-29 academic year. The school plans to bring back men’s and women’s basketball for the first time since dropping the sports in 2008. MSTC will apply for membership in the NJCAA, but does not plan to offer athletic scholarships.
MSTC is not the only college applying for NJCAA membership. The College of Western Idaho formally submitted its application to the NJCAA in September, with a decision expected in spring 2027. CWI would join the Scenic West Athletic Conference in NJCAA Region 18 if the application is approved. In May, the school announced it would start an athletics program, but provided few details. More than a dozen institutions have already started new athletic programs since the 2025-26 academic year or announced plans to add intercollegiate sports in the coming years. The table below is not an exhaustive list, as additional schools could have added varsity athletics.
| School | Affiliation | Conference/Region | First Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker (MI) | NAIA | WHAC | 2027-28 |
| Berkshire CC (MA) | NJCAA | Region 21 | 2025-26 |
| Carteret CC (NC) | NJCAA | Region 10 | 2026-27 |
| Drake State CC (AL) | NJCAA | ACCC | 2025-26 |
| Eastern New Mexico – Ruidoso | NJCAA | Independent | 2025-26 |
| Florida Poly | Unaffiliated | Independent | 2026-27 |
| Forsyth Tech CC (NC) | NJCAA | Region 10 | 2025-26 |
| Hudson County CC (NJ) | NJCAA | Region 15 | 2026-27 |
| Michigan-Flint | NAIA | WHAC | 2028-29 |
| Mid-State Tech (WI) | NJCAA | TBD | 2028-29 |
| Northeast Iowa CC | NJCAA | ICCAC | 2025-26 |
| Robeson CC (NC) | NJCAA | Region 10 | 2025-26 |
| Sonoma State | NCAA D2 | CCAA | 2027-28 |
| Tidewater CC (VA) | NJCAA | Region 10 | 2025-26 |
| Valley Forge MC (PA) | NJCAA | Region 19 | 2027-28 |
| Western Idaho | NJCAA | Scenic West | 2027-28 or 2028-29 |
| Wor-Wic CC (MD) | NJCAA | Region 20 | 2027-28 |
Photo courtesy of James Madison Athletics
