The Division I Board of Directors agreed at its October 29 meeting to sponsor legislation in the 2009-10 cycle that would treat football teams with .500 records the same as teams with winning records for bowl participation.

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe asked the Board to sponsor the proposal to ensure that there are enough eligible teams to fill the 68 available bowl slots.

Current rules allow 6-6 teams to be considered for bowl participation, but only if the team’s conference has a contractual affiliation and all teams with winning records are placed in other games or all teams with winning records have received bowl invitations. The proposal would eliminate those exceptions and allow teams with 6-6 records to be considered immediately.

Some Board members expressed a desire to examine the bowl structure in general, particularly in regard to the proliferation of bowls and the financial sacrifice some schools and conferences must make to participate. Others said bowl games were an excellent experience for student-athletes and that the market will determine whether the number of games was viable.

That discussion will play out over the coming months, before the proposal receives its initial consideration by the Division I Legislative Council at the 2010 NCAA Convention in January.