College Sports Information Directors of America

For many years the only available option when an on-the-field-of-play result was changed was to assign a forfeit win and forfeit loss.  These situations usually were precipitated through some type of action by one or both teams that required the game official to award the win and loss based on the action rather than the contest score.  Later, forfeits also were awarded after the fact, usually based on eligibility issues involving one or more student-athletes as determined by the Committee on Infractions, Management Council, or the individual  institutions or conferences.

In the early 1980s, severe weather issues during basketball season resulted in the addition of the “No Contest” declaration.  This provision was created to deal with those circumstances when an athletic event never actually takes place.  The original intent was to eliminate forfeits assigned to institutions solely because weather conditions made it logistically impossible for a team to participate in a contest.  Reasons to declare “No Contest” later were expanded to include any circumstance for which a team was not physically present at the site of the event (i.e. illness, accidents, or non-fulfillment of a contract, among others).

The national office staff concluded that including wins and losses for events that never took place needlessly confused the records and did not accurately reflect the historical results on the field of play.  Sports committees also determined that these “non-events” would not be considered during the selection process, nor would they be included in any type of rating system (i.e. the Rating Percentage Index in Division I or the power ratings in Divisions II and III).

The concept of vacating rather than forfeiting contests after the fact first was implemented for NCAA championship play in the mid-1990s.  Since, by definition, a forfeit loss also requires a forfeit win, institutions that originally had lost an elimination contest during NCAA championship play now were awarded victories even though the team did not advance.  Since the vacating penalty only applies to the offending team, no opponents were impacted by the penalty.  The institution required to vacate had all applicable contests…both wins and losses…stricken from their overall record.  The vacating provision now has been adopted for almost all Committee on Infractions and Management Council penalties.  Those bodies also encourage individual institutions and conference offices to use the vacating provision rather than forfeits.

A forfeit only may be declared under the following two scenarios:

Scenario 1

If the contest reached the “reasonable point of conclusion (RPC)” (see below) for that sport prior to the forfeit declaration by the game official, all player and team statistics DO COUNT but the win and loss is applied based on the game official’s ruling.  The forfeit score (see below) is recorded as the official result of the contest if the trailing institution is the forfeit winner, but the on-the-field-of-play result also should be recorded for historical purposes.  If the team leading at the time of the forfeit also is declared the forfeit winner…and the game has reached the appropriate point of conclusion…then the official result is the actual on-the-field-of-play result.  The team’s overall won-lost record, as well as the head coach’s season and career won-lost record, must reflect the forfeit result.

If the contest has NOT reached the RPC, then all player and team statistics to that point DO NOT COUNT and the score of the contest is recorded as the forfeit result listed below.  The team’s overall won-lost record, as well as the head coach’s season and career won-lost record, must reflect the forfeit result.

The chart following lists the reasonable point of conclusion and forfeit score for all applicable sports:

*          If, under the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rules Committee’s interpretation regarding interrupted games, the officials do not declare a winner or loser in such a contest, the status shall be “no contest.”  Statistics shall not be counted, nor shall either team’s won-lost record or coach’s record be changed.

#          In volleyball, all completed games in a match shall count, as well as a partial game if the team ahead has scored at least 10 points.

NOTE:  For any situations not specifically covered, the playing rules for that sport shall be applied or the statistics staff may be consulted for an interpretation.

Any scheduled competition that does not take place FOR ANY REASON before all teams have arrived at the site of the competition and before the referee or other appropriate contest official has assumed jurisdiction in accordance with the applicable playing rules is considered “No Contest.”  A forfeit MAY NOT be declared under these circumstances.  Among the scenarios under which one or more teams do not appear and the “No Contest” declaration is applied include, but are not limited to, the following:  weather conditions, accidents, vehicle breakdowns, illness, catastrophic causes or non-fulfillment of a contract. 

No participating teams may be awarded wins or losses.  Since no competition actually takes place under the “No Contest” declaration, there are no player or team statistics to record.  The team’s overall won-lost record, as well as the head coach’s season and career won-lost record, is NOT affected by a “No Contest” declaration.

EXCEPTION:  In circumstances involving institutions from the same conference, the league office has the option to declare a forfeit win and loss for CONFERENCE-STANDING PURPOSES ONLY, but this does not change the overall won-lost record for either institution.  Thus, it is possible for a team to have more conference losses than overall losses.

Vacated contests must be deleted from the institution’s overall and conference record and may include wins, losses and ties.  No opponent won-lost records are changed. Vacated contests only may be declared by the Committee on Infractions or Management Council.  An institution or conference may recommend the vacating of contests, but the recommendation must be approved by either of the above-named committees before it becomes official.  Vacated games can be declared ONLY after the contest has been played to conclusion.

Although all vacated contests are deleted from an institution’s overall record, all player and team statistics remain EXCEPT for those players who were declared ineligible.  The team’s overall won-lost record, as well as the head coach’s season and career won-lost record, must reflect the vacated contests.