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. 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. The top four teams were seeded, and then matched against the four remaining teams based on geographical proximity. 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. Champions of the
Southern and
Southland conferences also received automatic bids. 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. 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, 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. Home team designation in games between unseeded teams is determined based on several factors, including attendance history and revenue potential. 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. 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. 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. For the
2020 season, affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the bracket was reduced to 16 teams. The bracket returned to 24 teams for the
2021 season. As of the 2018 season, there were 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee made 14 at-large selections. The number of automatic bids was reduced back to 10 in 2022 (due to the
Big South Conference and
Ohio Valley Conference, which both previously sent their champions, merging their football operations into the
OVC–Big South Football Association), but restored to 11 in 2025 following the
Ivy League's decision to enter the FCS Playoff for the first time.
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". 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. From 2010 through the 2024 season, the title game was 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. The contract was extended three times; first through the 2015 season, then through the 2019 season, and finally through the 2024 season with an option for the 2025 season. For at least 2026 and 2027, the title game will be played at
FirstBank Stadium in
Nashville, Tennessee, home of the
Vanderbilt Commodores, due to renovations beginning at Toyota Stadium following the 2025 title game.
Details ;Notes There have been six instances where a team whose venue was predetermined to host the final game advanced to play for the championship on its own field.
Georgia Southern won both title games it played at
Paulson Stadium, while
Marshall had a 2–2 record in four title games it played at Marshall University Stadium (now known as
Joan C. Edwards Stadium).
Non-participants As of the 2025 season, two FCS conferences usually do not participate in the tournament: the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Since 2015, the champions of these two conferences, which consist of
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), play each other in the
Celebration Bowl, the only active bowl game featuring FCS teams. MEAC gave up its automatic spot in the tournament prior to the 2015 season, 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 are not 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. The
Ivy League has been at the FCS level since 1982 and prohibits its members from awarding athletic scholarships in any sport; it plays a strict ten-game regular season. Through the 2024 season, it did not participate in any postseason football, citing academic concerns. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (consisting of student-athletes at all sports, including those who participated in the NCAA tournament in their respective sport) recommended the change be reversed, and on December 18, 2024, the Ivy League announced starting with the 2025 season, the league champion will participate in the tournament. 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 Membership numbers reflect the 2025 FCS season. ;Notes ==Champions==