In a typical year, the standards for bowl eligibility are pretty cut and dry. Finish the season at .500 or better (6-6), and you can participate in the postseason. If there aren’t enough teams hitting that mark, 5-7 squads are eligible based on the Academic Progress Rate.

That’s going to be much different in 2020, with different conferences scheduling varying numbers of games, some playing out-of-conference opponents and some having to deal with postponements or even cancellations. There’s really no easy way to go about bowl eligibility this season.

According to a report, there’s been a waiver filed to the NCAA, calling for the elimination of bowl eligibility this season. CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd had the news:

A waiver seeking elimination of all bowl eligibility requirements has been submitted to the NCAA by Football Bowl Association executive director Nick Carparelli. A decision could come as soon as next week.

Under normal circumstances, bowl eligibility begins with a team having a .500 record. If there are not enough teams to fill all the bowl slots, teams with one additional loss get consideration in order of their Academic Progress Rate (APR).

This proposal would likely mean that teams would be considered for bowl eligibility on a case-by-case basis, rather than by a blanket standard that typically determines which teams can participate in the postseason.

It’s an interesting proposal and could add a new wrinkle to the 2020 season.