An eventful day in NCAA Division One football received thumbs-up across the board at Kansas University.

Two significant proposals with huge impacts on the KU football program were approved Thursday in Indianapolis by the NCAA Board of Directors — one allowing a 12th regular-season game to be played every year beginning in 2006, and another allowing games against I-AA opponents to count toward bowl eligibility every year beginning this fall.

The first will have a long-term influence, as KU likely will play seven home games most years after the rule goes into effect, bringing in increased revenue.

The second, an emergency proposal, means that KU’s game with I-AA Appalachian State on Sept. 10 will count toward the six-victory requirement for bowl eligibility in 2005.

KU, out of I-A options, scheduled Appalachian State last month hoping the legislation would pass. The previous rule stated programs could use one I-AA victory toward bowl consideration every four years. Since KU used a 2003 victory over Jacksonville State to be eligible for the Tangerine Bowl, the Jayhawks would have had to win six of the other 10 games in 2005 to be bowl-eligible.

Now, KU needs to go 6-5 to be eligible. In the future, the Jayhawks likely will play a I-AA opponent and three I-A opponents every year.

“It is clearly less expensive,” KU senior associate athletic director Larry Keating said. “When you’re playing the upper-level I-AA teams, there’s not a lot of difference strength-wise (compared to lower-level I-A). The (payouts) are significantly less, though.”

The 12-game measure, meanwhile, is considered optional, meaning schools still can play an 11-game schedule if they want. But Kansas, and most other programs, will take advantage of the new rule.

In normal years, Kansas has bye weeks on the fourth week (before Big 12 Conference play begins) and the 13th week (Thanksgiving weekend) of the schedule. With another game to add, Keating said the strategy is to fill the fourth week, meaning KU probably will play 12 straight weeks of football beginning in ’06.

NCAA still staying clear of playoff fray

“We polled the athletes, as a lot of schools did,” Keating said. “Most of the athletes feel that playing a game is preferable to practicing and stretching it out.”

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More work: With an extra game to schedule, Keating must hit the phones in search of future non-conference opponents.

Keating said the 2006 schedule likely will start with a I-AA opponent at home, then follow with a home game against Florida International. A road game at Toledo and an undetermined I-A opponent — ideally at home — will round out the non-conference slate.

Future non-conference opponents include Central Michigan (2007), Toledo (2007) and Fresno State (2007 and 2009).

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Mangino on the 12th game: KU coach Mark Mangino was asked about the potential 12th-game approval last week during the Big 12 coaches’ spring teleconference.

“My personal opinion is that an 11-game season is fine with me,” he said, “but if you play 12, at Kansas, we can always use games to get better.”

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Not uncommon: Despite the new legislation, a 12-game regular-season schedule isn’t uncommon in I-A football.

The Jayhawks played 12 games in 2002 and 2003, Mangino’s first two years at Kansas. That was because of a rule allowing 12 games when 14 Saturdays elapsed between the first permissible playing date and the last weekend in November.

The next such calendar quirk isn’t until 2008. With the new legislation, now that just means teams will have two bye weeks instead of one.

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One more issue: One of the few remaining topics to be addressed concerns bowl eligibility under the 12-game schedule. Kansas was eligible for the Tangerine Bowl with a 6-6 mark in 2003, but the NCAA is considering requiring a winning record to be eligible in the future.

The NCAA Board of Directors discussed the options Thursday, but didn’t reach a decision.