How college football’s 105-man roster rule works: Exceptions, replacements and loopholes

Never has there been more focus on college football teams submitting their player-rosters before the start of a season.

With courtroom drama Thursday, Sept. 3, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the roster intrigue is one more element to place at the feet of the sport’s self-proclaimed “Portal King,” Lane Kiffin.

However, it is a nuanced process that in theory sets the baseline for which 105 players can be available to an Football Bowls Subdivision (FBS) throughout the upcoming 2026 campaign.

First of all, rosters do not go directly to the NCAA nor to these teams’ respective conferences.

All teams are required to submit their rosters to CAPS (College Athlete Payment System) no later than 24 hours prior to their first game of the college football season. CAPS and its oversight technically falls under the umbrella of the College Sports Commission (CSC).

If a team submits a full 105-player roster prior to its first competition of the season, that’s it. Those are the players with whom that team rides throughout the season.

Except … you guessed. There are very limited exceptions to the rule.

If a program does not submit the maximum 105 players prior to the first competition, it may still…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/