FCS/I-AA Playoff History:

What is the Play-Off?

The NCAA division I FCS is the highest level of college football to determine its' national champion through a play-off system. In fact, the FBS is the only division that does not sponsor a championship tournament to settle their champion. The year 2007, will be the 30th for the NCAA I-AA football play-off system. There are 16 teams selected for the play-off. These teams are extended an invitation, based on the selections made by the NCAA I-AA Football Committee ... assisted by the four regional Advisory committees. The advisory committees are designed to promote equal representation throughout the nation. Although teams are selected on an individual basis, the NCAA has historically offered bids to teams based on conference and location. There are four NCAA I-AA regions (West, South, Central and East) with 15 conferences (although 2 of these conferences do not participate in the play-off: SWAC & Ivy). Of the remaining 13 conferences, 8 have automatic bids to the play-off ... by virtue of being the respective conference champion. The remaining 8-teams are selected "at-large". There have been over 60 different teams in the play-off and Georgia Southern (6-time), Youngstown State (4-time), three-time champs Appalachian State, and two-time champs Eastern Kentucky, Marshall and Montana have won the title more than once. The following conferences receive automatic bids to the NCAA division I-AA play-off:

• The Colonial Athletic Association (fka Atlantic-10)
• The Big Sky Conference
• The Gateway Football Conference
• The Mid-East Athletic Conference
• The Ohio Valley Conference
• The Patriot League
• The Southern Conference
• The Southland Conference
  
  

• The committee shall select the best available teams.
• There is no limit to the number of teams they may select from a single conference.
• The won-lost record of a team will be scrutinized to determine a team’s strength of schedule; however, less than seven Division-I wins will place a team in jeopardy of not being selected.
• The committee may give more consideration to those teams that have played all Division I opponents.
• If the team of a committee member is under consideration, the member may not vote for the team being considered and will not be in the room when a vote is taken.
  

1. Wichita Falls, TX (1978, 1981-82)
2. Orlando, FL (1979)
3. Sacramento, CA (1980)
4. Charleston, SC (1983-84)
5. Tacoma, WA (1985-86)
6. Pocatello, ID (1987-88)
7. Statesboro, GA (1989-91)
8. Huntington, WV (1992-96)
9. Chattanooga, TN (1997-present)
   
   

Originally, only four teams qualified for the NCAA I-AA Football Championship in the event’s first three years. The field was expanded to 8 teams in 1981, 12 teams in 1982 and 16 teams in 1986 ... where it has remained. The following factors are used, by the NCAA, in determining which institutions will host play-off contests:

• Quality and availability of facility and other necessary accommodations.
• Revenue potential, which shall include minimum financial guarantees of $30,000, $40,000 and $50,000 for the first-round, quarterfinal and semifinal contests, respectively, with consideration given to revenue potential in excess of the minimum guarantees.
• Attendance history and potential.
• Team performance, with strong consideration of conference place finish, head-to-head results with other teams under consideration, non-Division I schedule.
  
  

It should be noted, that a school must submit a budget to host a play-off game, which does include financial guarantees to the NCAA. It is also important to realize that not all universities will do so. Therefore, an institution can participate the NCAA Division I Championship, without having the ability to host a game ... regardless of seed.

Independents and Mid-Major Conferences:

There are 4 conferences, in I-AA, that are considered mid-major conferences. These are members of Metro Atlantic Athletic, The Northeast and The Pioneer conferences. It is possible for teams from these conferences to receive an invitation to the NCAA I-AA play-off. However it has never happened. This is because many of these schools are non-scholarship and do not have any experience playing scholarship-based programs on a regular basis. Independents can also qualify for the play-off, if they meet the selection committee's criteria. There have been several Independents selected, for the play-off field, in the past ... including national champions in Southern Illinois, Georgia Southern, and Youngstown St..

The following is a list of I-AA Championship game participants:

The following is a list of all the annual participants in the I-AA play-offs, since the inception in 1978.