The NCAA Division I Championships/Competititon Cabinet has approved increasing the fields for five championships beginning this school year and eliminating preseason football games.
The panel, which met last week in Seattle, submitted the proposals to the Division I Management Council, one step away from the board of directors and the full membership.
The baseball tournament field–long a complaint by Big Ten coaches–would be increased from 48 teams to 64, men’s and women’s cross-country from 184 to 255 competitors, women’s soccer and softball from 32 to 48 teams and women’s volleyball from 56 to 64 teams.
In addition, the cabinet agreed to sponsor legislation to eliminate all preseason football games after the 2002 season.
And in a related matter, the group voted to develop legislation to permit Division I schools to schedule a 12th regular-season football game in years in which there are 14 Saturdays from early September to the end of November.
