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.

All labels observed (32)

How this entity was disambiguated

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 National Collegiate Athletic Association
surface form: NCAA
classificationStart 1978 season as Division I-AA
comparedTo FBS
surface form: NCAA Division I FBS
contrastFbsScholarshipLimit NCAA Division I FCS self-linksurface differs
surface form: FBS allows up to 85 full scholarships
country United States of America
surface form: United States
determines NCAA-recognized national champion in Division I FCS football
exampleNonScholarshipConference Pioneer Football League
formerlyKnownAs NCAA Division I FCS self-linksurface differs
surface form: NCAA Division I-AA
fullName NCAA Division I FCS self-linksurface differs
surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
governingBody National Collegiate Athletic Association
governingRulebook National Collegiate Athletic Association
surface form: 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 FBS
surface form: 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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (233)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Horizon League subdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I FCS (football, by member alignment)
Princeton Tigers athletics footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
Johnson Hagood Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina isVenueFor NCAA Division I FCS
subject surface form: Johnson Hagood Stadium
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I FCS football
Holy Cross Crusaders competesIn NCAA Division I FCS
MVFC subdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
NCAA conferences includesLevel NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision conferences
Portland State Vikings football NCAAdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Portland State Vikings football competition NCAA Division I FCS
Big South Conference footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
NCAA football hasDivision NCAA Division I FCS
NCAA football hasSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
Princeton–Yale football rivalry NCAAdivision NCAA Division I FCS
Ivy League football subdivisionOf NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Ivy League football competitionLevel NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
SLC NCAADivisionForFootball NCAA Division I FCS
subject surface form: Southland Conference
this entity surface form: Division I FCS
Columbia Lions football NCAAdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Columbia Lions football playsIn NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Brown Bears football competitionLevel NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
Big Red athleticAssociation NCAA Division I FCS
OVC footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
subject surface form: Ohio Valley Conference
Penn–Princeton football rivalry levelOfPlay NCAA Division I FCS
Cornell Big Red athletics NCAADivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Division I FCS
Brown Bears footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs partOf NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs subdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs eligibility NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I FCS member institutions
NEC subdivisionInFootball NCAA Division I FCS
subject surface form: Northeast Conference
UAC footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
subject surface form: United Athletic Conference
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
Portland State Vikings footballSubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
Bob Surace leagueCoachedIn NCAA Division I FCS
Rattlers affiliation NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I FCS (football)
Villanova Wildcats football NCAAdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Villanova Wildcats football nationalTitleLevel NCAA Division I FCS
Saint Louis Billikens subdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I FCS (football, historical)
Bucknell Bison football competitionLevel NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Bucknell Bison football league NCAA Division I FCS
Bucknell Bison football playsIn NCAA Division I FCS
Bucknell Bison football subdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
Lafayette–Lehigh football rivalry division NCAA Division I FCS
Western Carolina University NCAASubdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Football Championship Subdivision
Brian Westbrook collegeLevel NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: NCAA Division I-AA
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football NCAAdivision NCAA Division I FCS
this entity surface form: Division I FCS
Fordham Rams subdivision NCAA Division I FCS