Page 150 - 2019-20 NJCAA Handbook - May, 2020

13. FOOTBALL
Section 1. Important Dates for 2019
August 13 NJCAA Bowl Host Form
August 22 First Game Date
September 3 Weekly Poll release begins
November 10 All regular season games must be completed by the Sunday following the second Saturday in November
November 11 Final Season Poll released
November 12 12:00 pm ET. - Date for selection of teams for postseason
November 25 All American Nominations due for NJCAA
December 9 Following completion of all Bowl Games - Championship Poll will be released
December 10 All-American selections released
Section 2. Official Game Ball
A. Team Issue is the official football of the NJCAA and will be used exclusively at all sanctioned bowl games.
B. It is recommended that all NJCAA colleges playing football adopt the Team Issue Football as their official football.
Section 3. National Championship Game
A. Contact the NJCAA National Office for the policies and procedures involved in conducting such a game.
B. All inquiries should be sent to the attention of the Executive Director of the NJCAA.
C. The NJCAA Football Championship Game will be held at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS for the 2018, 2019 and 2020
seasons. Exact dates and times will be announced by the host.
D. The No. 1 ranked team and the No. 2 ranked team in the final poll of the regular season will advance to the NJCAA Football
Championship Game. Should the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team decline to participate the next highest ranked team(s) will be invited to
participate.
Section 4. Postseason Bowl Games
A. All Bowl Game Hosts must fill out the NJCAA Bowl Host form and send a Certificate of Insurance that would meet the NJCAA
insurance policy requirements prior to August 15 of each year. Requirements for the Certificate of Insurance are as follows:
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1. Name of Bowl Host shall be responsible for procuring and maintaining comprehensive general public liability insurance
covering the NJCAA and the Name of Bowl or Host, against claims for bodily injury and property damage with a minimum of
$1,000,000.00 LSL. The policy shall name the NJCAA as an additional insured. Host further agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the NJCAA from and against all claims of liability to third parties for injury to or death of persons or loss or damage to
property arising out of or in connection with the performance of this contract and Bowl Game.
2. All Bowl Game Hosts must identify and submit direct contact information for its organized bowl committee and head event
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director to the NJCAA prior to August 15 of each year.
B. The earliest date for the selection of teams for postseason games and classics shall be 12:00 PM ET, November 12, 2019. Bowl
games scheduled prior to Thanksgiving shall select teams for participation no earlier than October 31, 2019 at 12:01 PM ET.
Inquiries and contacts may be made to interested colleges by bowl game representatives prior to October 31st or November
12th; however, any attempt to negotiate and or finalize agreements prior to these dates shall not be allowed. Violations of this
rule will result in a sanction of the offending bowl game for the following year.
C. All dates for postseason bowl games must be finalized no later than June 1 of the year in which the game is to be played. Any
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request for date changes after June 1 shall be directed to the NJCAA National Office with appropriate rationale.
D. Selection procedures and criteria for determining bowl game participants, financial arrangements and all special requirements for
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participating colleges must be on file with the NJCAA National Office by May 31 of each year.
E. It is recommended that Bowl Committees make an effort to select At-Large Teams from among the top 20 teams listed in the final
regular season poll.
F. A team may play in only one postseason bowl game.
G. A Sanction Fee of $250 is assessed the host of any postseason football game and for any All-Star Football Game not sponsored by
the NJCAA. Fees are payable to the NJCAA National Office no later than 20 days prior to the date of thecontests.
Section 5. Football Poll
A. In order to be ranked in the weekly ratings, the college must have filed a Certification of Eligibility of its squad members with the
Office of Eligibility and the Regional Director.
B. The football voting panel will consist of 16 total human voters – seven identified panel directors, two at-large representatives from two
different conferences each year, and one identified representative from each of the seven conferences along with a representative
from the independent schools. The four-year at-large voter rotation is: 2019: MACJC & NEFC; 2020: TBD; 2021: TBD; 2022: TBD.
Each conference will identify to the NJCAA National Office, prior to the start of the football season, the individual responsible in their
respective conference that will serve on the voting panel.
C. Rating is accomplished as follows: Each member of the voting panel casts one ballot for the top 20 teams in the country each poll
week. Points are awarded for the 20 picks on the basis of 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. The
tabulation of these ballots constitutes the ‘Top 20’ in the weekly NJCAA Football Poll. This portion of the NJCAA Football Poll will
make up 75% of the rankings. Each week the highest and lowest vote (two total, no vote considered a low vote) for each team will be
omitted.
D. The NJCAA Football Computer Ranking (FCR) will make up 25% of the poll based on each team’s overall record, strength of
opponents’ record and strength of opponents-opponents’ record.
1. Football Computer Ranking (FCR) strength of schedule point system will award a member college 1.0 points for playing the
following opponents:
a. One of the three (3) Military Prep Schools, (USNAPS, USMAPS, USAFAPS)
b. Member of the California Community College Association (CCCAA)
c. A non-scholarship NJCAA member school that plays a least five (5) games during the season against NJCAA scholarship
schools.