The Mid-American Conference is now requiring teams to give player availability reports to the league at least three hours before football games this season. This new rule follows a similar one put in place last year by the Big Ten.
The league shared this new rule on Thursday, explaining that the Council of Directors of Athletics approved it in July. These availability reports are part of efforts in college sports to protect the fairness of games, especially with the increase in legalized gambling.
The availability reports from all 12 teams will be posted on the MAC website and on the X social media platform. Teams that do not follow this rule could face penalties. The league will review the process and the accuracy of the information throughout the season.
The Big Ten began requiring its teams to submit availability reports to the league office no more than two hours before kickoff last season.
The Big Ten is the only major conference with a league-wide availability report. The Atlantic Coast Conference tried a less formal midweek injury report a few years ago, and the Southeastern Conference is thinking about making it a rule.
“We continue to advance the student-athlete availability reporting policy, but it has not been finalized,” SEC spokesman Herb Vincent told The Associated Press. “The policy has been updated and is subject to further review. We will announce a final decision when it is complete.”
Vincent added that the pre-game availability reports would only apply to SEC games.
