The FCS has settled the debate over a national champion on the field since the Division I split in 1978 by holding a playoff tournament. There have been many iterations of the FCS playoffs ranging from 4 teams at the start to the current 24-team playoff (as of 2024). The table below shows the different playoff formats used by the NCAA since 1978. Additional information for conference records can be found here, team records are here, and overtime games are here.
| Season(s) | Bracket Size | Seeded Teams | Byes | Playoff Games Played Per Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 – 1980 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1981 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 1982 – 1985 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 1986 – 1994 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| 1995 – 2000 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 15 |
| 2001 – 2009 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| 2010 – 2012 | 20 | 5 | 12 | 19 |
| 2013 – 2019 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
| 2020 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| 2021 – 2023 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
| 2024 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 23 |
National Championship Games and Locations
Since 1978, 46 national games have been played across various locations. The early part of the FCS (then called I-AA) saw the location move around frequently but that changed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The NCAA awarded Statesboro, Georgia (home to Georgia Southern) the championship game from 1989 through 1991. The NCAA then set the title game location to Huntington, West Virginia (home to Marshall) from 1992 through 1996.
Since 1997, the NCAA has had only two national championship locations: Chattanooga, Tennessee (1997 through 2009) and Frisco, Texas (2010 through at least the 2026 season). The table below shows the national champion, winning conference, final score, runner-up, losing conference, and location of each I-AA/FCS national championship game. On the left is a hyperlink to another part of this website showing that season’s bracket.
| Year | Champion | Winning Conference | Score | Runner-Up | Losing Conference | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Florida A&M | SIAC (DII) | 35-28 | Massachusetts | Yankee Conference | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 1979 | Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley | 30-7 | Lehigh | I-AA Independent | Orlando, FL |
| 1980 | Boise State | Big Sky | 31-29 | Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley | Sacramento, CA |
| 1981 | Idaho State | Big Sky | 34-23 | Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 1982 | Eastern Kentucky (2) | Ohio Valley | 17-14 | Delaware | I-AA Independent | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 1983 | Southern Illinois | Missouri Valley Conference | 43-7 | Western Carolina | Southern | Charleston, SC |
| 1984 | Montana State | Big Sky | 19-6 | Louisiana Tech | Southland | Charleston, SC |
| 1985 | Georgia Southern | I-AA Independent | 44-42 | Furman | Southern | Tacoma, WA |
| 1986 | Georgia Southern (2) | I-AA Independent | 48-21 | Arkansas State | Southland | Tacoma, WA |
| 1987 | Louisiana-Monroe (Northeast Louisiana) | Southland | 43-42 | Marshall | Southern | Pocatello, ID |
| 1988 | Furman | Southern | 17-12 | Georgia Southern | I-AA Independent | Pocatello, ID |
| 1989 | Georgia Southern (3) | I-AA Independent | 37-34 | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | Statesboro, GA |
| 1990 | Georgia Southern (4) | I-AA Independent | 36-13 | Nevada | Big Sky | Statesboro, GA |
| 1991 | Youngstown State | I-AA Independent | 25-17 | Marshall | Southern | Statesboro, GA |
| 1992 | Marshall | Southern | 31-28 | Youngstown State | I-AA Independent | Huntington, WV |
| 1993 | Youngstown State (2) | I-AA Independent | 17-5 | Marshall | Southern | Huntington, WV |
| 1994 | Youngstown State (3) | I-AA Independent | 28-14 | Boise State | Big Sky | Huntington, WV |
| 1995 | Montana | Big Sky | 22-20 | Marshall | Southern | Huntington, WV |
| 1996 | Marshall (2) | Southern | 49-29 | Montana | Big Sky | Huntington, WV |
| 1997 | Youngstown State (4) | Gateway | 10-9 | McNeese | Southland | Chattanooga, TN |
| 1998 | Massachusetts | Atlantic 10 | 55-43 | Georgia Southern | Southern | Chattanooga, TN |
| 1999 | Georgia Southern (5) | Southern | 59-24 | Youngstown State | Gateway | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2000 | Georgia Southern (6) | Southern | 27-25 | Montana | Big Sky | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2001 | Montana (2) | Big Sky | 13-6 | Furman | Southern | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2002 | Western Kentucky | Gateway | 34-14 | McNeese | Southland | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2003 | Delaware | Atlantic 10 | 40-0 | Colgate | Patriot League | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2004 | James Madison | Atlantic 10 | 31-21 | Montana | Big Sky | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2005 | Appalachian State | Southern | 21-16 | Northern Iowa | Gateway | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2006 | Appalachian State (2) | Southern | 28-17 | Massachusetts | Atlantic 10 | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2007 | Appalachian State (3) | Southern | 49-21 | Delaware | CAA | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2008 | Richmond | CAA | 24-7 | Montana | Big Sky | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2009 | Villanova | CAA | 23-21 | Montana | Big Sky | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2010 | Eastern Washington | Big Sky | 20-19 | Delaware | CAA | Frisco, TX |
| 2011 | North Dakota State | Missouri Valley Football | 17-6 | Sam Houston State | Southland | Frisco, TX |
| 2012 | North Dakota State (2) | Missouri Valley Football | 39-13 | Sam Houston State | Southland | Frisco, TX |
| 2013 | North Dakota State (3) | Missouri Valley Football | 35-7 | Towson | CAA | Frisco, TX |
| 2014 | North Dakota State (4) | Missouri Valley Football | 29-27 | Illinois State | Missouri Valley Football | Frisco, TX |
| 2015 | North Dakota State (5) | Missouri Valley Football | 37-10 | Jacksonville State | Ohio Valley | Frisco, TX |
| 2016 | James Madison (2) | CAA | 28-14 | Youngstown State | Missouri Valley Football | Frisco, TX |
| 2017 | North Dakota State (6) | Missouri Valley Football | 17-13 | James Madison | CAA | Frisco, TX |
| 2018 | North Dakota State (7) | Missouri Valley Football | 38-24 | Eastern Washington | Big Sky | Frisco, TX |
| 2019 | North Dakota State (8) | Missouri Valley Football | 28-20 | James Madison | CAA | Frisco, TX |
| 2020 | Sam Houston State | Southland | 23-21 | South Dakota State | Missouri Valley Football | Frisco, TX |
| 2021 | North Dakota State (9) | Missouri Valley Football | 38-10 | Montana State | Big Sky | Frisco, TX |
| 2022 | South Dakota State | Missouri Valley Football | 45-21 | North Dakota State | Missouri Valley Football | Frisco, TX |
| 2023 | South Dakota State (2) | Missouri Valley Football | 23-3 | Montana | Big Sky | Frisco, TX |
| 2024 | Frisco, TX | |||||
| 2025 | Frisco, TX | |||||
| 2026 | Frisco, TX |