The Ivy League will have an expanded football calendar in 2027. The conference will move from 10 to 11 weeks and add a bye week starting in the 2027 season. Currently, Ivy League teams play eight consecutive weeks. In 2026, Ivy teams start playing on Saturday, September 19, and conclude the regular season on Saturday, November 21.
The 2027 season will begin on Saturday, September 11, with four Ivy League conference matchups in what the Ivy League designates as Week 1. The regular season will continue through Saturday, October 16, before a bye week in week 7 on Saturday, October 23. The games originally scheduled for the Ivy League’s week 6 will be played in the conference’s opening week on September 11. The regular season action will return on Saturday, October 30, and continue through Saturday, November 20. The conference noted that the bye week implementation for 2028 and beyond will be discussed throughout 2027.
The football calendar expansion is the second major change the Ivy League has made in recent years. In December 2024, the conference changed its postseason abstention policy, allowing the champion(s) to compete in the FCS Playoffs for the first time. In 2025, both co-champions, Yale and Harvard, played in the FCS Playoffs. Harvard lost the first round game to Villanova, while Yale defeated the 15th-seed Youngstown State in thrilling fashion before dropping the second round game to eventual National Champions Montana State.
The additional week is also likely to help provide some scheduling relief for other conferences. The combined impact of the expanded 12-game regular season and the Ivy League’s later start can put other conferences in a bind, particularly the Patriot League. It is common to see multiple conference games followed by some non-conference Ivy League matchups in late September or early October. The Ivy League’s change won’t eliminate early season conference games, but will allow for more flexibility.
Photo Credit to Alesandra Gonzales / The Dartmouth
