This story will be updated.
For the first time in over half a century, Ivy League Football is back to competing for national titles.
In an announcement made Wednesday morning, the Ivy League Council of Presidents approved a proposal from the Ivy League’s Student-Athlete Advisory Commission to allow the winner of the Ivy League to compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs starting next season, reversing a 1945 ban on postseason games as part of the “Ivy Group Agreement.”
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday morning and was subsequently confirmed in the announcement from the Ivy League.
“We now look ahead to a new chapter of success and to further enhancing the student-athlete experience with our participation in the NCAA FCS playoffs,” wrote Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris in the announcement. “I want to commend the students on our SAAC for their thoughtful and thorough proposal as well as their commitment to the league’s legislative process.”
Since joining the FCS — then known as Division 1-AA — in 1983, the winner of the Ivy League has not participated in the subdivision’s playoffs. This year, the “ancient eight” were one of three conferences, along with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, to abstain from the FCS playoffs.
According to the conference’s official announcement, this is set to change in the 2025 season. While the Ivy League is set to earn an automatic bid to FCS’s 24-team playoff bracket, the details surrounding potential tie-breaking scenarios have yet to be announced.
Currently, the Ivy League does not use a tiebreaker to determine a champion. Instead, teams atop the standings all claim a “share” of the Ivy Championship. For example, this season Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia all won a share of the Ivy League title. If the scenario is repeated next season, only one of the three teams will obtain the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the FCS.
Despite its recent struggles, Cornell has a long and successful football history. The school has claimed five national titles — the most recent in 1939 — and produced multiple legends of the game including Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner 1894, Ed Marinaro ’72 and 11 other College Football Hall of Famers.