League Structure

• League Size: The league consists of 24 teams divided equally into three 8-team conferences.
• Team Identity: Each Athletic Director will select a school name and mascot for their franchise, which can be either a real existing university or a mythical creation.

The Draft

Draft Order & Seeding

The 16-round draft takes place directly on the website, following a straight draft order (1–24 each round) that remains the same in every round. The draft order is determined by the reverse of the previous year’s final BCS standings, with two exceptions for the championship game participants:

• National Champion: Picks #24 (regardless of BCS score).
• National Runner-Up: Picks #23 (regardless of BCS score).
• Expansion & Replacement Teams: Expansion teams are randomly selected to pick ahead of existing teams. Teams taking over an existing franchise inherit that team's specific draft slot.

Draft Pace & Etiquette

• Timeframe Guideline: While there is no official countdown clock, ADs are asked to make their picks within 8 hours of the previous selection, operating between 8:00 AM and 11:59:59 PM ET, 7 days a week.
• Absences: If you expect to be away, provide a ranked list of desired players to the Commissioner to prevent stalling the draft.
• Penalties: Extended, unexcused absences may result in your pick being skipped (though skipped picks can be made up at any time by contacting the Commissioner). Multiple missed picks may result in removal from the league.

Player Eligibility & Roster Rules

• Finalized Order: Once the official draft order is posted on the website, no changes will be made.
• Ineligible Players: If a rostered or drafted player is later discovered to be ineligible for an MCAA squad, they will remain on your roster and count toward your 16-player limit. Compensatory picks are no longer awarded; owners are expected to check player eligibility and communicate roster updates prior to the draft.
• Roster Size: Teams must maintain exactly 16 players on their roster at all times throughout the season.

Trading Rules

• During the Draft: Draft picks and players may be traded while the draft is ongoing.
• Post-Draft: All trading closes permanently once the draft is complete.
• Future Picks: Trading future draft picks is strictly prohibited.
• Uneven Trades: Uneven trades are not allowed—specifically, trades that leave one team with an extra draft pick that they simply intend to discard.

Draft Eligibility

To be eligible for the draft, players must belong to teams from one of the following conferences or institutions:

• American Athletic Conference (AAC)
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
• Big 12 Conference
• Big Ten Conference
• Pac-12 Conference
• Southeastern Conference (SEC)
• University of Notre Dame

Note: Additional conferences or teams may be added by the league office as needed.

Season Structure

• Regular Season Length: The regular season consists of 10 weeks (or 11 weeks when the schedule allows). Each week features a head-to-head matchup.
• Weekly Schedule: Each week runs from Wednesday through Tuesday.
• Scheduling Deadlines: ADs must schedule their non-conference games before the season begins. If a schedule is incomplete by the deadline, the Commissioner will finish it for you. The Commissioner also reserves the right to rearrange schedules if necessary.

Regular Season Schedule (Weeks 1-3) *

• Week 1 (Non-Conference): Reserved for a "one season only" opponent.
  • Rule: You cannot play the same "one season only" opponent in consecutive seasons. Both ADs must agree on who is the home team.
• Weeks 2-3 (Non-Conference): Reserved for "home and home" opponents.
  • Rule: You cannot schedule the same team consecutively for a home-and-home series. Both ADs must agree on home/away designations.
  • Rivalry Exception: Week 3 may alternatively be used for a permanent, annual non-conference rivalry game if both ADs agree. These teams will alternate home/away status each year.
• General Scheduling Limits:
  • You cannot play the same opponent more than once in a regular season.
  • There is no strict limit on home games, but schedules should aim for an even split (5 home, 5 away).
• Extended Schedule Note*: In years where the calendar allows for an 11-week regular season, Week 4 becomes an additional "one-season-only" non-conference game, and conference play begins in Week 5.

Regular Season Schedule (Weeks 4-10) *

• Weeks 4 through 10 consist of your conference schedule, which is determined and managed by the Commissioner's Office.

Week 11: Playoffs & Bowls

• Playoff Bids (6 Teams):
• The 3 conference champions receive automatic bids.
• The top 3 non-champions (based on the BCS formula) receive at-large bids.
• Seeding: Teams are seeded 1 through 6 strictly based on final BCS standings (conference champions are not guaranteed a top seed or a bye).
• Seeds 1-2: First-round bye
• Seed #3 vs. Seed #6
• Seed #4 vs. Seed #5
• Bowl Games: Non-playoff teams with a record of .500 or better will receive invitations to bowl games issued by the Commissioner (with efforts made to avoid repeat matchups).

Week 12: Semi-Finals

• The #1 seed plays the highest remaining seed, and the #2 seed plays the lowest remaining seed.

Week 13: National Championship

• The winners of the semi-final matchups face off for the MCAA Championship.

Bowl Eligibility & Lineup Penalties

• Incomplete Lineup Penalty: To maintain a competitive league, ADs must submit a lineup every week.
• Bowl Disqualification: If an AD fails to submit a lineup on three separate weeks during the season, the Commissioner has the discretion to declare that team "bowl ineligible," regardless of their record.

Conference Standings Tiebreakers

When teams finish with identical records, the following sequential criteria will be used to break the tie:

1. Conference Record (Applicable only to ties involving teams within the same conference)
2. Head-to-Head Record
3. Overall Win/Loss Record
4. Total points scored
5. Head-to-Head points scored
6. Coin Flip

Multi-Team Tiebreaker Procedure

• Step-by-Step Application: When three or more teams are tied, the criteria above are evaluated for all involved teams simultaneously.
• Elimination & Reset: As soon as one team is declared the "winner" of the tiebreaker, they are removed from the tie, and the process restarts from step one (Conference Record) for all remaining tied teams.

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS)

The BCS is the league's official ranking system used to determine playoff bids, bowl eligibility, and postseason seeding. The poll is updated weekly throughout the regular season.

Postseason Qualifications

• Playoffs: Following the final week of the regular season, the 3 conference champions (regardless of rank) and the 3 highest-ranked non-champions advance to the MCAA Playoffs, provided they are bowl eligible.
• Bowl Games: Additional non-playoff teams with a record of .500 or better are invited to compete in other BCS bowl games.

BCS Calculation Formula

Teams are ranked 1 through 24 based on a composite score. (Note: For all sub-rankings, tied teams share the lowest rank number among them - e.g., two 10-0 teams both receive a rank of 1).

Core Formula

BCS Formula = (((Wins + Wins^PR + PR + Wins^PPG + PPG)/5) + Losses + SOS) - Quality Win Points + Lineup Penalty Points.

Component Definitions:

• Wins: Rank by total wins.
• Wins^{PR}: Rank by wins combined with Power Ranking (hypothetical record against every team every week).
• PR: Rank by Power Ranking alone.
• Wins^{PPG}: Rank by wins combined with Points Per Game.
• PPG: Rank by Points Per Game alone.
• Losses: Total team losses.
• SOS (Strength of Schedule): Your schedule difficulty score (calculated below).

Strength of Schedule (SOS) Calculation

• The team with the hardest SOS receives a score of 1, the second-hardest receives a 2, and so on.
• This number is divided by 25 to determine the points added to your BCS score (e.g., toughest schedule adds +0.04 points; 10th-toughest adds +0.4 points).
• Ties share the lowest possible point value, with the next level resuming normal points.
• Self-Exclusion: SOS records exclude your own games (beating a team doesn't add a loss to their contribution, and losing doesn't add a win).

Modifications & Adjustments

1. Quality Win Points (Bonuses)

Bonuses are subtracted from your BCS score to reward high-tier wins. Quality win points do not take effect until AFTER Week 7 games are played. Because deductions are the last calculation in the BCS, they may change the rankings.

• Beat current #1 team: -1.0 point
• Beat current #2 team: -0.8 points
• Beat current #3 team: -0.6 points
• Beat current #4 team: -0.4 points
• Beat current #5 team: -0.2 points

Important Rules on Quality Wins:

• Current Rank Matters: Bonuses are based on the opponent's current BCS rank at the time of the poll (before deductions), not their rank when you played them. If an opponent falls out of the top 5, you lose the bonus.
• Multiple Wins: If you defeat the same top-5 team twice in a season, you only receive the quality win bonus once.

2. Lineup Penalty Points

Penalties for incomplete lineups are added directly to your BCS score:

• 1st Offense: No penalty
• 2nd Offense: +0.50 points
• 3rd Offense: +1.00 point
• 4th Offense: +1.50 points (plus possible league expulsion)

Final BCS Tiebreakers

If two or more teams finish with identical BCS scores in the final poll, ties are broken using the following sequential criteria:

1. Head-to-Head Record
2. Overall Win/Loss Record
3. Conference Record (Applicable only to teams within the same conference)
4. Total Points Scored
5. Head-to-Head Points Scored
6. Coin Flip

Multi-Team Tiebreaker Procedure

• Step-by-Step Application: When three or more teams are tied, the criteria above are evaluated for all involved teams simultaneously.
• Elimination & Reset: As soon as one team is declared the "winner" of the tiebreaker, they are removed from the tie, and the process restarts from step one (Conference Record) for all remaining tied teams.

Starting Lineups

Lineup Composition

Each week, Athletic Directors must submit a starting lineup consisting of the following positions:

• 1 Quarterback (QB)
• 2 Running Backs (RB)
• 3 Wide Receivers / Tight Ends (WR/TE)
• 1 Place Kicker (PK)

Position Eligibility

• A player's position is locked based on their status on draft day.
• Disputed Positions: If a player's position is questioned, it will be resolved using the following steps:
1. The listed position on the player's school official athletic website.
2. League research (e.g., how other fantasy leagues classify them, or where they played the majority of their snaps the previous season).

Incomplete Lineup Penalties

ADs are expected to field a full lineup every week utilizing available roster spots and free agency. Starting an active player (non-bye week) in every required slot is mandatory. Excuses like "I forgot" or "I ran out of time" will not be accepted.

Incomplete lineups will result in penalties added to the AD's BCS score:

• 1st Offense: Official warning (no penalty)
• 2nd Offense: +0.50 BCS penalty
• 3rd Offense: +1.00 BCS penalty
• 4th Offense: +1.50 BCS penalty and a potential vote by league ADs for expulsion (requires a majority vote of those cast to pass).

Lineup Deadlines & Submissions

• Website: All lineups must be submitted on your team site at mcaafootball.com.
• Time Zone: Please note that all times displayed on the website are in Eastern Time (ET).
• Deadline per Player: Lineups lock individually at the official game time of each specific player. Once a player's game has started, they can no longer be or modified.
• Missed Deadlines: If you fail to submit a lineup in time, your previous week's lineup will automatically roll over, regardless of player injuries, game cancellations, or bye weeks.

Weather-Related Substitutions (Back-Up Players)

If you are concerned about a game cancellation due to severe weather (such as hurricanes), you may name a replacement player by posting on the message board, subject to the following rules:

Submission Requirements

• Specific Designations: You must explicitly name both the player being replaced and the specific replacement player.
• Deadline: The post must be published before the game time of whichever player plays first.
• Example: If your replacement player has a 1:00 PM kickoff and your starter plays at 7:00 PM, your post must be made before 1:00 PM.
• Cancellation Condition: The substitution will only take effect if the starter's game is completely cancelled.

Mid-Game Cancellations

If a player's game is started and later called off due to weather, the league will follow the official NCAA ruling:

• If the NCAA officially rules the game as final, the player's stats count, and you cannot use your backup player's points.

Redshirt Players

• Allowance: Each team is allowed up to 2 redshirt players. Redshirt players do not count toward the team's roster limit.
• Draft Restriction: Players cannot be designated as a redshirt until after the draft is complete.
• Burning a Redshirt: Once an Athletic Director removes a redshirt tag from a player (activating him), that redshirt is permanently "burned" - no replacement redshirt slot will be granted for the remainder of the year.
• Roster Compliance: When activating a redshirt player, the AD must simultaneously drop another player to stay at or below the roster limit.

Activation Deadlines

To remove a redshirt designation, the AD must use the "Remove RS" link for the player on their team home page:

1. Free Agency Deadline: By the deadline of the Third Free Agent period for the week.
2. Game Kickoff: Before the scheduled kickoff of the player's specific game if they are to be used in that week's lineup.

Scoring System

Game Tiebreakers

If a matchup ends in a tie, the winner will be determined using the following sequential steps:

1. Highest Scoring Starter: The team with the individual player who scored the highest number of points in the matchup wins.
2. Second Highest Scoring Starter: If still tied, look at each team's second highest-scoring player; the team with the higher score wins.
3. Home Team / Bowl Rank: If still tied, the home team or higher-ranked BCS team wins, depending on the game type:
• Regular Season / Conference Games: The home team wins the tiebreaker.
• Bowl Games / Playoff Games: The team higher-ranked in the BCS standings wins the tiebreaker.

Scoring Games

• Official Source: All official scoring statistics are pulled from ESPN.com.
• Score Posting & Protests: Scores are typically finalized and posted the morning following the last NCAA game of the week. Athletic Directors have until 11:59 PM ET on the third complete day after the final game to protest a score. (If the final game kicks off Saturday night, the deadline is Tuesday at 11:59 PM ET.)
• Dispute Guidelines: ADs may only dispute statistics as listed on the official website. If an error is suspected, the AD must provide links to alternative sites demonstrating the discrepancy.
• Corrections: The Commissioner reserves the right to correct data entry errors at any time, which may affect the outcome of fantasy games.

Free Agency Overview

Each week features three free agency (FA) periods. Teams are allowed a maximum of 3 total player additions per week, with specific limits per period.

Weekly Limits per Team

• Period 1: Maximum of 1 pickup
• Period 2: Maximum of 1 pickup
• Period 3: Pickup limits depend on your success in the first two periods:
  • 0 prior pickups: Up to 3 pickups allowed
  • 1 prior pickup: Up to 2 pickups allowed
  • 2 prior pickups: Up to 1 pickup allowed

Free Agency Periods & Schedule

Period 1: Waiver Wire (Waivers)

• Schedule: Sunday at 12:00:00 AM ET through Monday at 11:59:59 PM ET
• How to Request: Submitted via your team home page.
• Order: Waiver priority is determined by the reverse order of the current BCS standings.
• Limit: Maximum of 1 pickup per team.

Period 2: Waiver Wire (Waivers)

• Schedule: Tuesday at 10:00 AM ET through Tuesday at 11:59:59 PM ET
• How to Request: Submitted via your team home page.
• Order: Waiver priority is determined by the reverse order of the current BCS standings.
• Limit: Maximum of 1 pickup per team.

Period 3: First-Come, First-Served

• Schedule: Wednesday at 10:00 AM ET through Friday at 10:00 PM ET
• How to Request: Submitted via your team home page.
• Order: First-come, first-served based on timestamp.
• Limit: Based on how many successful claims you made in Periods 1 and 2 (up to 3 total pickups for the week).

Player Eligibility Restrictions

To prevent unfair advantages, players under the following conditions cannot be picked up:

• Games Already Played: If a player's team has already started their game for the current week, that player is locked and cannot be claimed by any team until the following week's FA period. (Example: If Minnesota plays Rutgers on Thursday night, once kickoff hits, all Minnesota and Rutgers players are ineligible for free agency for the remainder of the week).
• Recently Dropped Players: Any player dropped by a team during any period of a given week cannot be picked up by any team until the following week's FA period.

Post-Season Senior Waiver Restriction

Once the regular-season ends and the post-season begins, any senior/graduate player dropped by a team is ineligible to be claimed by any franchise - including the team that dropped them - for the remainder of the post-season.

This rule applies to any senior/graduate dropped during any of the final regular-season free agency periods and at any point throughout the bowls or playoffs.

Exceptions

• Place Kickers: The restriction does not apply to place kickers. Kickers remain eligible under normal waiver rules regardless of their year in school.
• Underclassmen: All non-senior/graduate players continue to follow standard waiver and free agency rules.

Statement of Intent

Subject to the exceptions described above, the intent of the restriction is prevent non-playoff teams from releasing star seniors/graduates - often to pick up underclassmen for future seasons - only for those seniors/graduates to be picked up as "rental" players by playoff-bound teams for a single post-season run.

Program Continuity and Roster Management

To establish program continuity, Athletic Directors retain their rostered players from year to year, with the following exceptions:

Mandatory Departures

Players automatically leave a team and cannot be retained if they:

• Graduate
• Leave school early for the NFL
• Transfer from an NCAA-member school to a non-NCAA school

Pre-Draft Roster Cuts

• Oversized Rosters (More than 10 players): Teams with more than 10 players on their roster may drop players for any reason prior to the draft to bring their roster size down to the 10-player limit.
• At or Below the Limit (10 or fewer players): Teams with 10 or fewer players are not permitted to make any pre-draft drops.

Heisman Trophy

At the end of the season, the Commissioner's Office will email Heisman ballots to all ADs.

• The Ballot: The ballot will feature the season's top five overall scorers (plus any ties for the fifth spot).
• Voting Process: ADs will rank the candidates from 1st to 5th (or more, depending on ties).
• 1st Place: 5 points
• 2nd Place: 4 points
• 3rd Place: 3 points
• 4th Place: 2 points
• 5th Place: 1 point
• 6th Place or lower: 0 points
• Winner Determination: The player with the highest total points wins the award.

Tie-Breakers

If players finish with an equal number of total points, the winner will be decided using the following sequential tie-breakers:

1. Total Fantasy Points: The player who accumulated the most fantasy points during the season wins.
2. BCS Standings: The player whose team finished higher in the final post-bowl BCS standings wins.

All-American Teams Release

The Commissioner's Office will announce and release the official All-American teams following the Heisman Trophy announcement.