NCAA Division I FCS
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NCAA Division I FCS is the second tier of top-level college football in the United States, featuring schools that offer fewer athletic scholarships than the higher-profile FBS and that compete in an NCAA-run playoff to determine a national champion.
Aliases (17)
- NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ×19
- Football Championship Subdivision ×13
- NCAA Division I-AA ×4
- NCAA Division I FCS football ×2
- NCAA Division I FCS playoffs ×2
- NCAA Division I-AA football ×2
- Division I Football Championship Subdivision ×1
- Division I-AA ×1
- FBS allows up to 85 full scholarships ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS (football) ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS (for football via member affiliations) ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS football season ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS members ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS national champion ×1
- NCAA Division I FCS schools ×1
- NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision football ×1
- NCAA football (FCS) ×1
Statements (53)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
NCAA football subdivision
→
college football competition level → |
| abbreviation |
FCS
→
|
| allowsNonScholarshipPrograms |
true
→
|
| atLargePlayoffBids |
true
→
|
| automaticBidBasis |
conference champions
→
|
| championshipFormat |
single-elimination playoff
→
|
| championshipOrganizer |
NCAA
→
|
| classificationStart |
1978 season as Division I-AA
→
|
| comparedTo |
NCAA Division I FBS
→
|
| contrastFbsScholarshipLimit |
FBS allows up to 85 full scholarships
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| determines |
NCAA-recognized national champion in Division I FCS football
→
|
| exampleNonScholarshipConference |
Pioneer Football League
→
|
| formerlyKnownAs |
NCAA Division I-AA
→
|
| fullName |
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
→
|
| governingBody |
National Collegiate Athletic Association
→
|
| governingRulebook |
NCAA football playing rules
→
|
| hasAutomaticPlayoffBids |
true
→
|
| includesHistoricallyBlackCollegesAndUniversities |
true
→
|
| includesNonScholarshipConferences |
true
→
|
| includesPrivateUniversities |
true
→
|
| includesPublicUniversities |
true
→
|
| membershipBasis |
schools that are Division I in most sports and sponsor football at FCS level
→
|
| minimumFootballGamesPerSeason |
at least 11 regular-season games (typical)
→
|
| nameChangeEffectiveSeason |
2006 season
→
|
| nameChangeReason |
to distinguish subdivisions by postseason format rather than I-A and I-AA labels
→
|
| nationalChampionshipGameSite |
predetermined neutral site (varies by contract)
→
|
| nationalChampionshipMonth |
December or January (varies by year)
→
|
| notableHBCUConferences |
MEAC
→
SWAC → |
| partOf |
NCAA Division I
→
|
| permitsGamesAgainst |
Division II teams (with scheduling limits)
→
FBS teams → |
| playoffFieldSizeHistory |
16 teams (historical)
→
20 teams (historical) → 24 teams (recent era) → |
| postseasonContrastWithFBS |
FBS uses bowl system and College Football Playoff, not NCAA-run championship
→
|
| postseasonType |
NCAA-run playoff tournament
→
|
| primarySeasonMonths |
September to December
→
|
| reasonFor1978Creation |
to separate major and mid-major football programs within Division I
→
|
| revenueLevel |
generally lower than FBS
→
|
| rosterLimit |
up to 85 total players receiving aid (equivalency-based)
→
|
| scholarshipEquivalency |
uses equivalency scholarships rather than all full scholarships
→
|
| scholarshipLimit |
up to 63 full scholarship equivalents in football
→
|
| scholarshipLimitRelativeToFBS |
fewer football scholarships than FBS
→
|
| scholarshipType |
can offer athletic scholarships
→
|
| seasonStructure |
regular season followed by NCAA playoffs
→
|
| sharesRulesWith |
NCAA Division I FBS
→
|
| someHBCUsPostseasonChoice |
may play in Celebration Bowl instead of FCS playoffs
→
|
| sport |
American football
→
|
| televisionExposureLevel |
generally lower than FBS
→
|
| tierLevel |
second tier of Division I football
→
|