Ivy League Football Champion To Play in 2025 NCAA Playoffs

The Ivy League football champion will play in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs starting next season, according to a Wednesday announcement from the Ivy League Council of Presidents.

The decision allows the Ivy League’s eight football teams to compete for one automatic bid to college football’s second-highest level postseason, reversing a 1945 ban that ended every Ivy League season after only ten games. The Ivy League champion will enter a postseason tournament against FCS teams including North Dakota State and Montana State.

Wednesday’s announcement is the result of a year-long process initiated by the Ivy League’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Harvard Athletic Director Erin McDermott confirmed in an interview last month that the Ivy League was considering the proposal.

“We now look ahead to a new chapter of success and to further enhancing the student-athlete experience with our participation in the NCAA FCS playoffs,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris wrote in the release.

Harvard Football has shared the Ivy League title for the last two seasons, most recently sharing the trophy with Columbia and Dartmouth.

But under the new regulation, only one Ivy League team will advance into the postseason. According to the press release, officials will develop a contingency system for selecting one postseason qualifier from a group of co-champions ahead of the 2025 season.

Harvard Head Football Coach Andrew Aurich, who has been an advocate for Ivy League competition in the postseason, wrote in the release that he is hopeful for Harvard’s postseason future.

“Ivy League football is the most competitive it’s ever been and I’m excited for us to make some noise in the playoffs for years to come,” Aurich wrote.

Sam K. Bjarnason ’25, a member of the Ivy League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that made the proposal, explained in a November interview with The Crimson that proposals for league-wide changes go through three phases — they begin with athletic directors, move on to a policy committee, and finally go through university presidents for ultimate approval.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.