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Around College
The stories that actually move a decision — coaching, conferences, money, and the rules that govern all three. Every item is sourced, and the ones tied to a program are the same events that move that school's scores in the BILT comparison tool.
Updated Oct 7, 2026
Sports
Across college athletics
Football, basketball, softball, baseball, and Olympic sports — coaching moves, realignment, championships, NIL, and postseason rules.
NCAA approves a single 10-day football transfer window opening January 4
The Division I Cabinet signed off on October 7 on one football transfer window per year, shortened to 10 days and opening the first business day after January 1 (Monday, January 4). It folds the old post-season and post-spring windows into one, and it opens while some teams are still in the College Football Playoff, so players on those teams can enter before their seasons end. The FBS Oversight Committee had also approved shorter out-of-season practice (21 sessions) and a December recruiting dead period.
Why it matters to you
You get ten days, not fifteen, and no spring window as a second chance, so have your film, transcript, and advisors ready before January 4 rather than after the window opens.
First-year report: athletes got $1.77 billion in direct school payments, and 68 schools hit or neared the cap
The College Sports Commission reported on October 1 that nearly 35,000 athletes at 307 schools across 45 sports received about $1.77 billion in direct revenue-sharing payments in 2025-26, the first year under the House settlement. Roughly $1.98 billion was tracked in total once Alston awards and new scholarship spending are included. Sixty-eight schools paid at or within 5% of the $20.5 million cap, which rises to about $21.58 million for 2026-27. Schools chose how to divide the money across sports and rosters.
Why it matters to you
Because each school decides how to split its pool, ask any program recruiting you what share went to your sport last year and whether it expects to reach the cap this year, since that is the best predictor of what a revenue-share offer is really worth.
The Senate passes the Protect College Sports Act 77-22; the House likely waits until after the midterms
On September 28 the Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act 77-22 after nearly six hours of debate — the first time either chamber of Congress has approved sweeping federal rules for college athletics. Schools could pay athletes from three buckets: the House settlement revenue-share cap (about $21.6 million), a new $22.5 million retention fund and $5 million reserved for women’s and Olympic sports, for up to roughly $50 million a year. The bill also sets a five-year eligibility clock, limits penalty-free transfers, regulates agents, and stays neutral on whether athletes are employees. A late bipartisan amendment raised the cap on conference membership from 19 to 20. The House is not scheduled to return until November 9, after the November 3 midterms, and Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not expect it to be taken up before then; several power conferences are still developing self-governance backup plans in case it stalls.
Why it matters to you
It is not law yet — until the House acts, your offer is still governed by the current settlement cap, so ask any school recruiting you which numbers in its offer depend on this bill passing and what happens to that money if it does not.
A judge clears 43 athletes to play as the SEC sues LSU in federal court
After a nine-hour hearing on September 3, Judge Will Jorden granted a preliminary injunction in Pyburn v. NCAA barring the NCAA and the SEC from keeping 43 former athletes — all 2022 high school graduates, from football, softball and other sports — off college rosters, and barring LSU from penalizing them. The same day, the SEC filed a federal suit in Birmingham against LSU, coach Lane Kiffin, the athletics director and the university president to stop the school from adding former pro players. Presidents of the other 15 SEC schools had voted to reaffirm that professional athletes are ineligible in the conference; LSU’s president abstained.
Why it matters to you
Your eligibility can now turn on which court your school sits near and on whether your conference decides to punish the school for playing you, so before you count on a waiver or an injunction, get compliance to tell you in writing what happens to your roster spot if the ruling is reversed.
Basketball tips off November 1 in the first 76-team tournament season
The 2026-27 men’s college basketball season runs from Sunday, November 1 through the national championship game on April 5, 2027, opening with Notre Dame against Villanova in Rome. It is the first year of the expanded 76-team NCAA tournament, the first year teams may schedule up to 32 regular-season games, and the first under a rule allowing additional exhibitions.
Why it matters to you
Eight more tournament spots and an extra regular-season game mean mid-major and bubble programs have a more realistic March path than they did last year, so a smaller school with a strong league may get you postseason minutes a bench role at a blue blood would not.
Women’s basketball tips November 1 and adds a 12-game Opening Round
The 2026-27 women’s college basketball season runs from Sunday, November 1 through the national championship game on April 4, 2027, opening with Notre Dame against Villanova in Rome. It is the first year of the 76-team NCAA tournament, which adds an Opening Round of 24 teams playing 12 games before the main bracket. UCLA enters as defending champion.
Why it matters to you
Sixteen more teams reach the tournament than last season, so a mid-major or bubble program you are considering now has a realistic postseason path that did not exist a year ago.
College
Off the field
Financial aid, eligibility, cost, and academics. The university-side changes that decide what an offer is actually worth.
The 2027–28 FAFSA is live — the earliest launch in the program’s history, two years running
Federal Student Aid officially launched the 2027–28 FAFSA on September 23, a week ahead of the October 1 statutory deadline, after two phases of beta testing in August. Anyone who completed the form during beta does not need to resubmit. According to FSA, this is the earliest FAFSA launch on record for the second year in a row. The form uses 2025 tax returns and has a filing deadline of June 30, 2028.
Why it matters to you
The form is open now, not October 1 — filing this week instead of waiting means your aid offers land before signing day, and a real number is the only way to compare a partial scholarship at one school against a bigger one somewhere cheaper.
The 2027 U.S. News rankings reshuffle dozens of football schools — and the school cards here now reflect it
U.S. News’ 2027 Best Colleges edition, published September 22, put MIT at No. 1 for the first time and added an Earnings by Major factor while a Carnegie reclassification moved roughly a fifth of schools between categories, producing more movement than either of the last two editions. Among programs on this site, Wake Forest jumped 17 spots to No. 34 and Pittsburgh and Tulane each rose 10 to No. 59, while Purdue (No. 55), NC State (No. 73), Florida State and Texas A&M (both No. 59), Maryland and Washington (both No. 49) and South Florida (No. 100) fell. LSU dropped 33 places to No. 202, Oklahoma fell six to No. 116, and Alabama climbed 13 to No. 156.
Why it matters to you
The academic_ranking on 31 school cards was updated to the 2027 edition today — including Wake Forest 49→34, Virginia Tech 78→52, Florida State 105→59, LSU 75→202 and Alabama 62→156 — so if academics were part of how you ranked your offers, re-check the comparison.
Degree programs whose graduates earn too little will lose access to federal loans
A Department of Education final rule issued July 1, 2026 implements the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s low-earning outcomes test, replacing the old Gainful Employment framework. An undergraduate program fails if its completers’ median earnings four years out fall below what a working high school graduate aged 25-34 earns in that state; failing in two of three consecutive years costs the program eligibility for Direct Loans for two years, and institutions where failing programs account for more than half of Title IV recipients or dollars can lose all Title IV aid for those programs. The first provisions took effect August 30, 2026, most of the rule lands July 1, 2027, the first results publish by July 1, 2027, and the earliest a program could lose loans is July 1, 2028. Schools must warn current and prospective students in any program that fails in a given year.
Why it matters to you
The major you pick now can decide whether you or your family can borrow for it later, so ask an admissions or financial aid office directly whether your intended program expects to clear the earnings test — they are required to tell you once it fails.