Most casual college football fans in the world know about the big teams that have routinely dominated the sport. This could be schools like Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State. But for those who are truly in the loop on college football, there exists an entirely different tier of Division I football entitled the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), as opposed to the aforementioned FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision). Apart from the FCS being a lower tier of D1 football, there are quite a few differences. These are, namely, fewer scholarships allocated for each athlete, much smaller schools and stadiums, different conferences and a completely different playoff.
These playoffs for the FCS recently kicked off, with the selections being announced on Sunday, November 23, and the first round of games being played on Saturday, November 29. While the FBS playoff has 12 spots for teams, five reserved for those who win their conference and the seven best teams besides those, and four first-round byes for the best teams, the FCS model operates differently. Instead of being 12 teams, the FCS has spots for 24 teams, starting their playoffs three weeks earlier than the FBS.
Additionally, the FCS playoffs reserve 11 spots for those who win their conference and the rest to the best teams, awarding byes in the first round to the top eight teams. Among the unique changes in the FCS playoffs this year was the ability to let teams in the Ivy League compete in the playoffs. This meant that a team like Yale, which won the Ivy League this year, was able to participate in the playoffs for the first time … ever.
Last year's national championship winner and perennial powerhouse, who has won ten out of the last 14 national championships(!), is looking like it may win the national championship this year, again. This team is always dominant, North Dakota State, a program that plays in a rectangular dome and regularly churns out pro players. While the usual teams, like Montana and NDSU, all made the playoffs, Tarleton State is the surprise here in this year's playoffs, having beaten FBS team Army this year and earning a first-round bye.
With North Dakota State looming as the likeliest national champion, beware of underdogs like Yale, who at Youngstown State came back down 28 points to win 43-42. Regardless, whoever makes it to the national championship on Monday, January 5, in Nashville will be able to prove themselves as the best team in the FCS this year. Will that be a surging program like North Dakota or South Dakota? Or an underdog like Lehigh or Yale? Time—and the playoffs—will tell.