NCAA Division I Football Championship explained

NCAA Division I Football Championship
Stadium:	Toyota Stadium (2010–present)
Location:	Frisco, Texas (2010–present)
Previous Stadiums:	Finley Stadium (1997–2009) Marshall University Stadium (1992–1996) various (1978–1991)
Previous Locations:	Chattanooga, Tennessee (1997–2009) Huntington, West Virginia (1992–1996) various (1978–1991)
Years:	2006–present
Preceded By:	NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship (1978–2005)

Header1:	2022 season matchup
Data2:	South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State
Data3:	(South Dakota State 45–21)
Header4:	2023 season matchup
Data5:	South Dakota State vs. Montana
Data6:	(South Dakota State 23–3)

The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was known as the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.

The game serves as the final match of an annual postseason bracket tournament between top teams in FCS. Since 2013, 24 teams normally participate in the tournament, with some teams receiving automatic bids upon winning their conference championship, and other teams determined by a selection committee. The reigning national champions are the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who have won back-to-back championship games for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion, as the College Football Playoff currently used by the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is not NCAA-sanctioned.

History

Playoff format

In the inaugural season of Division I-AA, the 1978 postseason included just four teams; three regional champions (East, West, and South) plus an at-large selection.^[1] The field doubled to eight teams in 1981, with champions of five conferences—Big Sky, Mid-Eastern, Ohio Valley, Southwestern, and Yankee—receiving automatic bids.^[2] The top four teams were seeded, and then matched against the four remaining teams based on geographical proximity.^[3] The tournament was expanded to 12 teams in 1982, with each of the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye and a home game in the quarterfinals.^[4] Champions of the Southern and Southland conferences also received automatic bids.^[5]

The number of automatic bids has varied over time, due to changes in the number and size of conferences, with an automatic bid typically granted only to champions of conferences with at least six teams.^[6] Initially, the tournament was played in December; since the expansion to twelve teams in 1982, earlier rounds have been held in late November.

The playoffs expanded to a 16-team format in 1986, requiring four postseason victories to win the title. Initially, only the top four teams were seeded,^[7] with other teams geographically placed in the bracket. From 1995 through 2000, all 16 teams were seeded, independent of geography. In 2001, the number of seeded teams was reduced to four, with the seeded teams assured of home games in early tournament rounds, and other teams once again placed in the bracket to minimize travel.^[8] Home team designation in games between unseeded teams is determined based on several factors, including attendance history and revenue potential.^[9]

In April 2008, the NCAA announced that the playoff field would expand to 20 teams in 2010, with the Big South and Northeast Conference earning automatic bids for the first time.^[10] That bracket structure included seeding of the top five teams. Twelve teams received first-round byes; the remaining eight teams played first-round games, with the four winners advancing to face the top four seeds. The playoffs expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2013, with the champion of the Pioneer Football League receiving an automatic bid for the first time.^[11] The number of seeded teams was increased to eight, with the 16 unseeded teams playing in first-round games. The unseeded teams continue to be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity to the top eight seeds. Teams cannot travel more than 400 miles via ground, and teams from the same conference that played each other during the regular season are not paired for first-round games.^[12] For the 2020 season, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the bracket was reduced to 16 teams.^[13] The bracket returned to 24 teams for the 2021 season.

The field is traditionally set the Sunday before Thanksgiving and play begins that weekend.

Season(s)	Bracket size	Seeded teams	1st round byes
+ Playoff format
1978–1980	4	—	—
1981	8	4	—
1982–1985	12	4	4
1986–1994	16	4	—
1995–2000		16	—
2001–2009		4	—
2010–2012	20	5	12
2013–2019	24	8	8
2020	16	4	—
2021–2023	24	8	8
2024–present	24	16	8

Team selection

At-large selections and seeding within the bracket are determined by the FCS Playoff Selection Committee, which consists of one athletic director from each conference with an automatic bid.^[14] As of the 2018 season, there were 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee made 14 at-large selections.^[14] An 11th automatic bid was added as of the 2021 season, reducing the number of at-large selections to 13.^[15]

Championship final

The tournament culminates with the national final, played between the two remaining teams from the playoff bracket. Unlike earlier round games in each year's playoff, which are played at campus sites, the title game is played at a site predetermined by the NCAA, akin to how the NFL predetermines the site for each Super Bowl. Originally played in December, with the 2010 expansion to a 20-team field, the final moved to January, with two or three weeks between the semifinals and final.

The inaugural title game was played in 1978 in Wichita Falls, Texas. The 1979 and 1980 games were held in Orlando, Florida, and Sacramento, California, respectively, and the game returned to Wichita Falls for 1981 and 1982. The games played in Wichita Falls were known as the Pioneer Bowl, while the game played in Sacramento was known as the Camellia Bowl—both names were used for various NCAA playoff games played in those locations, and were not specific to the I-AA championship. In 1983 and 1984, the game was played in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1985 and 1986, Tacoma, Washington, hosted the game, which the NCAA branded as the "Diamond Bowl".^[16]

The 1987 and 1988 games were played in Pocatello, Idaho; and from 1989 through 1991, in Statesboro, Georgia. The 1992 through 1996 games were held in Huntington, West Virginia; and from 1997 through 2009, the title game was played in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Since 2010, the title game has been played in Frisco, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, at Toyota Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium primarily used by FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. The stadium was known as Pizza Hut Park until the day after the final of the 2011 season, and then as FC Dallas Stadium until September 2013. The original contract with Frisco began in the 2010 season and ran through the 2012 season.^[17] The contract has since been extended three times; first through the 2015 season,^[18] then through the 2019 season,^[19] and most recently through the 2024 season with an option for the 2025 season.^[20]

Season(s)	Venue	Location	Tenant NCAA team	Title games by tenant
1978			none	N/A
1979			UCF Knights (D-III)	N/A
1980			none	N/A
1981–1982	Memorial Stadium	Wichita Falls, Texas	none	N/A
1983–1984				none
1985–1986			none	N/A
1987				none
1988	Holt Arena			none
1989–1991				2: 1989, 1990
1992–1996				4: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
1997–2009				none
2010–2011			none	N/A
2012	FC Dallas Stadium
2013–present	Toyota Stadium

at the time games were played
earlier name of the same venue

There have been six instances where a team whose venue was predetermined to host the final game advanced to play for the championship on their own field. Georgia Southern won both title games they played at Paulson Stadium, while Marshall had a 2–2 record in four title games they played at Marshall University Stadium (now known as Joan C. Edwards Stadium).

Non-participants

Three FCS conferences usually do not participate in the tournament: the Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

The Ivy League has been at the FCS level since 1982 and prohibits its members from awarding athletic scholarships in any sport, plays a strict ten-game regular season and does not participate in any postseason football, citing academic concerns.^[21] ^[22] The MEAC and SWAC, two conferences consisting of historically black colleges and universities, opt to play the Celebration Bowl (which was established in 2015) instead of the FCS tournament.^[23] MEAC gave up its automatic spot in the tournament prior to the 2015 season,^[24] while the SWAC's regular season extends through the Turkey Day Classic and Bayou Classic at the end of November and the SWAC Championship Game is played in December. Teams from the MEAC and SWAC may accept at-large bids, so long as they aren't committed to other postseason games that would conflict with the tournament. The most recent MEAC and SWAC teams to accept bids were the 2023 North Carolina Central Eagles and 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers, respectively.

Historically, conferences in FCS that did not offer athletic scholarships were not granted automatic bids into the tournament and, although in theory were eligible for at-large bids, never received any. The last non-scholarship conference in the subdivision, the Pioneer Football League, now receives a tournament bid, which was initiated with the 2013 postseason.

FCS conferences

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Football members	Sports	Headquarters
Big Sky Conference	Big Sky	1963	12	15	Farmington, Utah
Big South Conference	Big South	1983	4	19	Charlotte, North Carolina
CAA Football	CAA	1946	15	1	Richmond, Virginia
Independents			1	1
Ivy League		1954	8	33	Princeton, New Jersey
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	MEAC	1970	6	16	Norfolk, Virginia
Missouri Valley Football Conference	MVFC	1982	12	1
Northeast Conference	NEC	1981	8	22	Somerset, New Jersey
Ohio Valley Conference	OVC	1948	6	18	Brentwood, Tennessee
Patriot League		1986	7	24	Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Pioneer Football League	PFL	1991	11	1	St. Louis, Missouri
Southern Conference	SoCon	1921	9	20	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Southland Conference		1963	6	17	Frisco, Texas
Southwestern Athletic Conference	SWAC	1920	12	18	Birmingham, Alabama
United Athletic Conference	UAC	2022	9	1	Englewood, Colorado

Notes

Champions

Current FCS members! Team! #! Years
style=	9	2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
style=	4	1991, 1993, 1994, 1997
style=	2	1979, 1982
style=		1995, 2001
style=		2022, 2023
style=	1	2003
style=		2010
style=		1978
style=		1988
style=		1981
style=		1984
style=		2008
style=		1983
style=		2009

Former FCS members! Team! #! Years
style=	6	1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000
style=	3	2005, 2006, 2007
style=	2	1992, 1996
style=	2	2004, 2016
style=	1	1980
style=		1987
style=		2020
style=		1998
style=		2002

Championship game history

For each season since the inaugural year of Division I-AA play, 1978, the following table lists the date of each title game and the champion.^[25] The score and runner-up are also noted, along with the host city, game attendance, and head coach of the championship team.


	35–28		13,604
	30–7		5,200
Boise State	31–29		8,157
	34–23	Wichita Falls, TX	11,002
Eastern Kentucky (2)	17–14	Wichita Falls, TX	11,257	(2)
	43–7		15,950
Montana State	19–6	Charleston, SC	9,125
	44–42		5,306
Georgia Southern (2)	48–21	Tacoma, WA	4,419	(2)
Northeast Louisiana	43–42		11,513
	17–12	Pocatello, ID	9,714
Georgia Southern (3)	37–34		25,725	(3)
Georgia Southern (4)	36–13	Statesboro, GA	23,204
	25–17	Statesboro, GA	12,667
Marshall	31–28		31,304
Youngstown State (2)	17–5	Huntington, WV	29,218	(2)
Youngstown State (3)	28–14	Huntington, WV	27,674	(3)
Montana	22–20	Huntington, WV	32,106
Marshall (2)	49–29	Huntington, WV	30,052
Youngstown State (4)	10–9		14,771	(4)
Massachusetts	55–43	Chattanooga, TN	17,501
Georgia Southern (5)	59–24	Chattanooga, TN	20,052
Georgia Southern (6)	27–25	Chattanooga, TN	17,156	(2)
Montana (2)	13–6	Chattanooga, TN	12,698
	34–14	Chattanooga, TN	12,360
Delaware	40–0	Chattanooga, TN	14,281
	31–21	Chattanooga, TN	16,771	Mickey Matthews
Appalachian State	21–16	Chattanooga, TN	20,236
Appalachian State (2)	28–17	Chattanooga, TN	22,808	(2)
Appalachian State (3)	49–21	Chattanooga, TN	23,010	(3)
Richmond	24–7	Chattanooga, TN	17,823
Villanova	23–21	Chattanooga, TN	14,328
Eastern Washington	20–19		13,027
North Dakota State	17–6	Frisco, TX	20,586
North Dakota State (2)	39–13	Frisco, TX	21,411	(2)
North Dakota State (3)	35–7	Frisco, TX	19,802	(3)
North Dakota State (4)	29–27	Frisco, TX	20,918
North Dakota State (5)	37–10	Frisco, TX	21,836	(2)
James Madison (2)	28–14	Frisco, TX	14,423
North Dakota State (6)	17–13	Frisco, TX	19,090	(3)
North Dakota State (7)	38–24	Frisco, TX	17,802	(4)
North Dakota State (8)	28–20	Frisco, TX	17,866
Sam Houston	23–21	Frisco, TX	7,840	(2)
North Dakota State (9)	38–10	Frisco, TX	18,942	(2)
South Dakota State	45–21	Frisco, TX	18,023	John Stiegelmeier
South Dakota State (2)	23–3	Frisco, TX	19,512	Jimmy Rogers

Notes:

1987 champion Northeast Louisiana has been known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe (Louisiana–Monroe) since 1999.
The 2020–21 school year was the first in which Sam Houston State University called its athletic program "Sam Houston", without the word "State".
Attendance at the 2020 championship game (played in May 2021) was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Appearances by team

Key

National Champion
National Runner-up
Semifinals
Quarterfinals
Round of 12 (1982 through 1985), Round of 16 (1986 to present)
First Round (2010 to present, except for 2020)

School	Conference (as of 2024)		16	QF	SF	CG	CH
School	Conference (as of 2024)
		14	14	14	12	10	9
	FBS	19	19	17	13	8	6
		13	13	9	8	7	4
	FBS	20	20	12	6	3	3
		28	28	15	12	8	2
	FBS	8	8	8	7	6	2
		22	19	9	7	4	2
	FBS	18	17	9	7	4	2
		13	12	7	6	3	2
		19	18	13	8	4	1
	FBS	13	13	10	7	3	1
		20	19	10	6	3	1
	FBS	8	8	5	3	3	1
		15	15	10	6	2	1
		13	12	7	4	2	1
	FBS	5	5	4	4	2	1
		15	13	8	3	1	1
		13	13	8	3	1	1
		11	11	6	2	1	1
		8	7	3	2	1	1
	FBS	8	8	5	1	1	1
	FBS	4	4	2	1	1	1
		2	2	1	1	1	1
		16	16	6	3	2	-
		22	20	14	7	1	-
	FBS	7	7	7	6	1	-
		11	9	6	2	1	-
		8	7	6	2	1	-
		8	6	4	2	1	-
	FBS	2	2	2	2	1	-
		11	10	4	1	1	-
	FBS	4	4	4	1	1	-
	FBS	10	10	3	1	1	-
		3	2	1	1	1	-
		1	1	1	1	1	-
		17	16	9	2	-	-
		13	12	5	2	-	-
		11	11	5	2	-	-
	FBS	7	7	3	2	-	-
		10	9	6	1	-	-
	FBS	7	7	6	1	-	-
		10	9	5	1	-	-
		11	10	4	1	-	-
		8	8	4	1	-	-
		6	6	3	1	-	-
		3	3	3	1	-	-
		12	12	2	1	-	-
		6	6	2	1	-	-
		5	5	2	1	-	-
		6	4	2	1	-	-
		6	3	2	1	-	-
		3	3	1	1	-	-
		3	2	1	1	-	-
		3	2	1	1	-	-
	FBS	2	2	1	1	-	-
	FBS	2	2	1	1	-	-
	FBS	1	1	1	1	-	-
		16	14	4	-	-	-
		6	5	2	-	-	-
	no team	5	5	2	-	-	-
	no team	5	5	2	-	-	-
	FBS	6	4	2	-	-	-
	FBS	4	4	2	-	-	-
		3	3	2	-	-	-
		3	2	2	-	-	-
		7	5	1	-	-	-
		5	5	1	-	-	-
		5	5	1	-	-	-
		6	4	1	-	-	-
		6	4	1	-	-	-
		5	4	1	-	-	-
		5	4	1	-	-	-
	FBS	4	4	1	-	-	-
		4	4	1	-	-	-
		4	3	1	-	-	-
		4	3	1	-	-	-
		3	3	1	-	-	-
		5	2	1	-	-	-
		3	2	1	-	-	-
	FBS	2	2	1	-	-	-
		2	1	1	-	-	-
		2	1	1	-	-	-
		2	1	1	-	-	-
	FBS	1	1	1	-	-	-
		5	5	-	-	-	-
		5	5	-	-	-	-
		5	3	-	-	-	-
		5	3	-	-	-	-
		4	3	-	-	-	-
		5	2	-	-	-	-
		4	2	-	-	-	-
		3	2	-	-	-	-
		2	2	-	-	-	-
		2	2	-	-	-	-
		4	1	-	-	-	-
		4	1	-	-	-	-
		3	1	-	-	-	-
		3	1	-	-	-	-
		3	1	-	-	-	-
		2	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
	FBS	1	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
	no team	1	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
	FBS	1	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
		1	1	-	-	-	-
		2	-	-	-	-	-
		2	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
		1	-	-	-	-	-
School	Conference		16	QF	SF	CG	CH

MVPs

Since 2009, a Most Outstanding Player has been named for each final.^[26]

Season	Player	Team	Position
2009		Villanova	WR
2010		Eastern Washington	QB
2011	Travis Beck	North Dakota State	LB
2012		North Dakota State	QB
2013	Brock Jensen	North Dakota State	QB
2014		North Dakota State	QB
2015	Carson Wentz	North Dakota State	QB
2016	Khalid Abdullah^[27]	James Madison	RB
2017		North Dakota State	QB
2018		North Dakota State	WR
2019		North Dakota State	QB
2020	Jequez Ezzard	Sam Houston	WR
2021		North Dakota State	FB
2022	Mark Gronowski^[28]	South Dakota State	QB
2023	Mark Gronowski^[29]	South Dakota State	QB

Note: starting with the 2010 season, the final game is played in the next calendar year.

Most appearances

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by team, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).

Updated through the January 2024 championship game (46 finals, 92 total appearances). Schools are listed by their current athletic brand names, which do not always match those used in a given season.

Team	Record	Appearances by season
Games	W	L	Win pct.	Won	Lost
North Dakota State			2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021*	2022*
Georgia Southern^			1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000	1988, 1998
Montana			1995, 2001	1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2023*
Youngstown State			1991, 1993, 1994, 1997	1992, 1999, 2016*
Marshall^			1992, 1996	1987, 1991, 1993, 1995
James Madison^			2004, 2016*	2017, 2019
Eastern Kentucky			1979, 1982	1980, 1981
Delaware			2003	1982, 2007, 2010*
Appalachian State^			2005, 2006, 2007
South Dakota State			2022, 2023	2020*
Furman			1988	1985, 2001
Sam Houston^			2020*	2011, 2012
Massachusetts^			1998	1978, 2006
Boise State^			1980	1994
Eastern Washington			2010*	2018*
Montana State			1984	2021*
McNeese				1997, 2002
Florida A&M			1978
Idaho State			1981
Louisiana–Monroe^			1987
Richmond			2008
Southern Illinois			1983
Villanova			2009
Western Kentucky^			2002
Arkansas State^				1986
Colgate				2003
Illinois State				2014*
Jacksonville State^				2015*
Lehigh				1979
Louisiana Tech^				1984
Nevada^				1990
Northern Iowa				2005
Stephen F. Austin				1989
Towson				2013*
Western Carolina				1983

Denotes finals played in the following calendar year.

^ Team is now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Appearances by conference

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by conference, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).

Updated through the January 2024 championship game (46 finals, 92 total appearances).

Conference	Record	Appearances by season
Games	W	L	Win pct.	class=unsortable	Won !	class=unsortable	Lost
	19		1997, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023*	1999, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022
	16		1988, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007	1983, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001
	16		1980, 1981, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2010*	1990, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2021, 2023*
	11		1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994	1979, 1982, 1988, 1992
	9		1987, 2020*	1984, 1986, 1989, 1997, 2002, 2011, 2012
	8		2008, 2009, 2016*	2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019
	5		1979, 1982	1980, 1981, 2015*
bgcolor=lightgrey	A-10	4		1998, 2003, 2004	2006
bgcolor=lightgrey	MVC	1		1983
bgcolor=lightgrey	SIAC	1		1978
	1			2003
bgcolor=lightgrey	Yankee	1			1978

Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in the following calendar year.
Records reflect conference affiliations at the time each game was played.
Conferences in italics are defunct or not currently active in FCS.
The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) are historically related but independently operating entities. MVFC was known as the Gateway Football Conference until June 2008.
The Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), and CAA Football, although separately chartered, are effectively the same entity in football. The Yankee Conference, formerly an all-sports conference but a football-only league since 1976, was effectively merged into the A-10 after the 1996 season. In turn, the A-10 shut down its football league after the 2006 season, with the multi-sports Colonial Athletic Association (since renamed the Coastal Athletic Association) taking over administration of that league as the separate entity of CAA Football.
Teams from the same conference have met in the championship game following the 2014 and 2022 seasons. Both matchups involved MVFC teams.

Game records

This table lists records for the Championship Game.

<	-- Team -->	Record	Team	Opponent
Most points scored (one team)	59	Georgia Southern	Youngstown State	1999
Most points scored (losing team)	43	Georgia Southern	UMass	1998
Most points scored (both teams)	98	UMass (55)	Georgia Southern (43)	1998
Fewest points allowed	0	Delaware	Colgate	2003
Largest margin of victory	40	Delaware (40)	Colgate (0)	2003
Attendance	32,106	Montana vs. Marshall		1995

Media coverage

The game has been televised on an ESPN affiliated network since 1995.

Season(s)	Television
1978–1981	ABC
1982	CBS Sports
1983	ABC
1984	Satellite Program Network
1985–1989	ESPN
1990–1994	CBS
1995–2001	ESPN
2002–2018	ESPN2
2019–2020	ABC^[30]
2021	ESPN2
2022–present	ABC