According to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame are working on a draft proposal for a new 365-day calendar that would drastically alter the college football schedule.

Changes would include shifting the entire season up a week, with everyone beginning play in what is now referred to as Week 0 and with bowl games starting the second Saturday of December (a week earlier). Also under consideration, per Dellenger: creating new dead periods with the transfer portal in mind, permiting the off-campus recruitment of high school juniors, and shifting back the early signing date.

Dellenger notes the proposed calendar is a draft at this point, being circulated throughout athletic departments for feedback. The draft has not worked its way through the NCAA legislative process. Each league appointed a representative to a working group that met over the spring and summer.

The approval process starts with a recommendation from that working group to the NCAA Football Oversight Committee. Oversight would then recommend the changes to the NCAA DI Council for adoption. Commissioners are expected to discuss the calendar during meetings next week in Chicago, per Dellenger.

Turning Week 0 into Week 1 throughout the country is viewed as a crucial step toward expanding the College Football Playoff. From Dellenger’s report:

While opening the door for teams to have an additional bye week, lifting the Week 0 waiver process could be the first step in a move to eventually shift up a week the entire regular season. The change would expand a tight December window in which to play additional playoff games, alleviating a cramped timeline that includes conference championship games, NFL regular-season games (some played on Saturday), midyear exams and graduation. Earlier this month, SI examined six biggest issues in expanding the Playoff, none more significant and complicated than the calendar.

Moving bowl games up a week is another sign in the eventual forward shift of the entire season. This year, the first bowl game is scheduled to kick off on Dec. 16. If the proposed calendar were implemented, bowls could start as soon as Dec. 10, the date of the annual Army-Navy game. Moving bowls up provides a larger window to play the 42 bowls as well as the additional playoff games.

The calendar would also allow coaches to visit with high school juniors off campus — something they aren’t currently permitted to do.

The working group has also included in the proposal the implementation of a 48-hour dead period preceding the fall transfer portal window to allow coaching staffs to meet with their current players before the portal opens. That two-day dead period could potentially grow as large as a week.

Another proposed change, per Dellenger: moving the start of the Early Signing Period in December back five days to the third Monday of the month.

The draft also proposes prohibiting coaches from visiting prospective transfers on campus of the player’s current school or at a residence where other members of the transfer’s current team reside.