NCAA Division I Football Championship

This article is about the NCAA Division I FCS national championship. For the current iteration of the NCAA Division I FBS national championship, see College Football Playoff National Championship.

The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was called the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, during the period when the FCS was known as NCAA Division I-AA.

NCAA Division I Football Championship
Stadium	FirstBank Stadium (2026–future)
Location	Nashville, Tennessee (2026–future)
Previous stadiums	Toyota Stadium (2010–2025) Finley Stadium (1997–2009) Marshall University Stadium (1992–1996) various (1978–1991)
Previous locations	Frisco, Texas (2010–2025) Chattanooga, Tennessee (1997–2009) Huntington, West Virginia (1992–1996) various (1978–1991)
Operated	2006–present
Preceded by	NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship (1978–2005)

2023 season matchup
South Dakota State vs. Montana
(South Dakota State 23–3)
2024 season matchup
North Dakota State vs. Montana State (North Dakota State 35–32)

The game serves as the final match of an annual postseason bracket tournament between top teams in FCS. Since 2013, 24 teams normally participate in the tournament, with some teams receiving automatic bids upon winning their conference championship, and other teams determined by a selection committee. The reigning national champions are the North Dakota State Bison, who have won 10 championships since the 2011 season.

The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion, as the College Football Playoff currently used by the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is not NCAA-sanctioned.

History

Playoff format

In the inaugural season of Division I-AA, the 1978 postseason included just four teams; three regional champions (East, West, and South) plus an at-large selection.^[1] The field doubled to eight teams in 1981, with champions of five conferences—Big Sky, Mid-Eastern, Ohio Valley, Southwestern, and Yankee—receiving automatic bids.^[2] The top four teams were seeded, and then matched against the four remaining teams based on geographical proximity.^[3] The tournament was expanded to 12 teams in 1982, with each of the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye and a home game in the quarterfinals.^[4] Champions of the Southern and Southland conferences also received automatic bids.^[5]

The number of automatic bids has varied over time, due to changes in the number and size of conferences, with an automatic bid typically granted only to champions of conferences with at least six teams.^[6] Initially, the tournament was played in December; since the expansion to twelve teams in 1982, earlier rounds have been held in late November.

The playoffs expanded to a 16-team format in 1986, requiring four postseason victories to win the title. Initially, only the top four teams were seeded,^[7] with other teams geographically placed in the bracket. From 1995 through 2000, all 16 teams were seeded, independent of geography. In 2001, the number of seeded teams was reduced to four, with the seeded teams assured of home games in early tournament rounds, and other teams once again placed in the bracket to minimize travel.^[8] Home team designation in games between unseeded teams is determined based on several factors, including attendance history and revenue potential.^[9]

In April 2008, the NCAA announced that the playoff field would expand to 20 teams in 2010, with the Big South and Northeast Conference earning automatic bids for the first time.^[10] That bracket structure included seeding of the top five teams. Twelve teams received first-round byes; the remaining eight teams played first-round games, with the four winners advancing to face the top four seeds. The playoffs expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2013, with the champion of the Pioneer Football League receiving an automatic bid for the first time.^[11] The number of seeded teams was increased to eight, with the 16 unseeded teams playing in first-round games. The unseeded teams continue to be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity to the top eight seeds. Teams cannot travel more than 400 miles via ground, and teams from the same conference that played each other during the regular season are not paired for first-round games.^[12] For the 2020 season, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the bracket was reduced to 16 teams.^[13] The bracket returned to 24 teams for the 2021 season.^[14]

The field is traditionally set the Sunday before Thanksgiving and play begins that weekend.

Appalachian State's National Championship trophies for 2005 (I-AA), 2006 (FCS), and 2007 (FCS)

Playoff format

Season(s)	Bracket size	Seeded teams	1st round byes
1978–1980	4	—	—
1981	8	4	—
1982–1985	12	4	4
1986–1994	16	4	—
1995–2000		16	—
2001–2009		4	—
2010–2012	20	5	12
2013–2019	24	8	8
2020	16	4	—
2021–2023	24	8	8
2024–present		16

Team selection

At-large selections and seeding within the bracket are determined by the FCS Playoff Selection Committee, which consists of one athletic director from each conference with an automatic bid.^[15] As of the 2018 season, there were 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee made 14 at-large selections.^[15] An 11th automatic bid was added as of the 2021 season, reducing the number of at-large selections to 13.^[14]

Championship final

The January 2015 final between North Dakota State and Illinois State at Toyota Stadium

The tournament culminates with the national final, played between the two remaining teams from the playoff bracket. Unlike earlier round games in each year's playoff, which are played at campus sites, the title game is played at a site predetermined by the NCAA, akin to how the NFL predetermines the site for each Super Bowl. Originally played in December, with the 2010 expansion to a 20-team field, the final moved to January, with two or three weeks between the semifinals and final.

The inaugural title game was played in 1978 in Wichita Falls, Texas. The 1979 and 1980 games were held in Orlando, Florida, and Sacramento, California, respectively, and the game returned to Wichita Falls for 1981 and 1982. The games played in Wichita Falls were known as the Pioneer Bowl, while the game played in Sacramento was known as the Camellia Bowl—both names were used for various NCAA playoff games played in those locations, and were not specific to the I-AA championship. In 1983 and 1984, the game was played in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1985 and 1986, Tacoma, Washington, hosted the game, which the NCAA branded as the "Diamond Bowl".^[16]

The 1987 and 1988 games were played in Pocatello, Idaho; and from 1989 through 1991, in Statesboro, Georgia. The 1992 through 1996 games were held in Huntington, West Virginia; and from 1997 through 2009, the title game was played in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

From 2010 through the 2024 season, the title game was played in Frisco, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, at Toyota Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium primarily used by FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. The stadium was known as Pizza Hut Park until the day after the final of the 2011 season, and then as FC Dallas Stadium until September 2013. The original contract with Frisco began in the 2010 season and ran through the 2012 season.^[17] The contract was extended three times; first through the 2015 season,^[18] then through the 2019 season,^[19] and finally through the 2024 season with an option for the 2025 season.^[20]

For at least 2026 and 2027, the title game will be played at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Vanderbilt Commodores, due to renovations beginning at Toyota Stadium following the 2025 title game.^[21]

Details

Season(s)	Venue	Location	Tenant NCAA team[n 1]	Title games by tenant
1978	Memorial Stadium	Wichita Falls, Texas	none	N/A
1979	Orlando Stadium	Orlando, Florida	UCF Knights (D-III)	N/A
1980	Hughes Stadium	Sacramento, California	none	N/A
1981–1982	Memorial Stadium	Wichita Falls, Texas	none	N/A
1983–1984	Johnson Hagood Stadium	Charleston, South Carolina	The Citadel Bulldogs	none
1985–1986	Tacoma Dome	Tacoma, Washington	none	N/A
1987	Minidome[n 2]	Pocatello, Idaho	Idaho State Bengals	none
1988	Holt Arena
1989–1991	Paulson Stadium	Statesboro, Georgia	Georgia Southern Eagles	2: 1989, 1990
1992–1996	Marshall University Stadium	Huntington, West Virginia	Marshall Thundering Herd	4: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
1997–2009	Finley Stadium	Chattanooga, Tennessee	Chattanooga Mocs	none
2010–2011	Pizza Hut Park[n 2]	Frisco, Texas	none	N/A
2012	FC Dallas Stadium[n 2]
2013–2025	Toyota Stadium
2026–future	FirstBank Stadium	Nashville, Tennessee	Vanderbilt Commodores (FBS/SEC)	N/A

Notes

1. at the time games were played
2. Earlier name of the same venue.

There have been six instances where a team whose venue was predetermined to host the final game advanced to play for the championship on its own field. Georgia Southern won both title games it played at Paulson Stadium, while Marshall had a 2–2 record in four title games it played at Marshall University Stadium (now known as Joan C. Edwards Stadium).

Non-participants

As of the 2025 season, two FCS conferences usually do not participate in the tournament: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

The Ivy League has been at the FCS level since 1982 and prohibits its members from awarding athletic scholarships in any sport and plays a strict ten-game regular season. Through the 2024 season, it did not participate in any postseason football, citing academic concerns.^[22][23] The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (consisting of student-athletes at all sports, including those who participated in the NCAA tournament in their respective sport) recommended the change be reversed, and on December 18, 2024, the Ivy League announced starting with the 2025 season, the league champion will participate in the tournament.^[24]

The MEAC and SWAC, two conferences consisting of historically black colleges and universities, opt to play the Celebration Bowl (which was established in 2015) instead of the FCS tournament.^[25] MEAC gave up its automatic spot in the tournament prior to the 2015 season,^[26] while the SWAC's regular season extends through the Turkey Day Classic and Bayou Classic at the end of November and the SWAC Championship Game is played in December. Teams from the MEAC and SWAC may accept at-large bids, so long as they aren't committed to other postseason games that would conflict with the tournament. The most recent MEAC and SWAC teams to accept bids were the 2023 North Carolina Central Eagles and 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers, respectively.

Historically, conferences in FCS that did not offer athletic scholarships were not granted automatic bids into the tournament and, although in theory were eligible for at-large bids, never received any. The last non-scholarship conference in the subdivision, the Pioneer Football League, now receives a tournament bid, which was initiated with the 2013 postseason.

FCS conferences

Membership numbers reflect those in the next FCS season in 2025.

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Football members	Sports	Headquarters
Big Sky Conference	Big Sky	1963	12	15	Farmington, Utah
Big South Conference[a]	Big South	1983	2	19	Charlotte, North Carolina
CAA Football[b]	CAA	1946[c]	14	1	Richmond, Virginia
Ivy League[d]		1954	8	33	Princeton, New Jersey
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference[e]	MEAC	1970	6	16	Norfolk, Virginia
Missouri Valley Football Conference	MVFC	1982	10	1	St. Louis, Missouri
Northeast Conference	NEC	1981	8	22	Somerset, New Jersey
Ohio Valley Conference[a]	OVC	1948	7	18	Brentwood, Tennessee
Patriot League		1986	8	24	Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Pioneer Football League	PFL	1991	11	1	St. Louis, Missouri
Southern Conference	SoCon	1921	9	20	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Southland Conference		1963	10	17	Frisco, Texas
Southwestern Athletic Conference[f]	SWAC	1920	12	18	Birmingham, Alabama
United Athletic Conference	UAC	2022[g]	9	1	Englewood, Colorado

Notes

1. The Big South and Ohio Valley Conference effectively merged their football leagues in 2023. Both leagues share a single automatic playoff berth.
2. CAA Football is administered by the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association but is a separate legal entity.
3. Although CAA Football did not exist in its current form until 2007, it claims the football histories of the Yankee Conference (formed in 1946, played football from 1947–1995) and Atlantic 10 Conference (football from 1996–2006). It does not claim the history of the New England Conference (1938–1946), even though four of the six charter Yankee Conference members were NEC members in its final season.
4. The Ivy League abstained from the championship tournament and all postseason play until the end of the 2024 season. Starting in 2025, the Ivy League Champion will participate in the NCAA Tournament.
5. The MEAC champion, since 2015, forgoes its automatic bid to allow its champion to participate in the Celebration Bowl. Non-champions are eligible for at-large bids (an example being the 2016 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team, which now plays in CAA Football.).
6. The SWAC abstains from the championship tournament to allow for a longer regular season, a conference final, and participation in the Celebration Bowl against the MEAC champion since 2015.
7. Formed in 2022 as a joint venture of the Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference football playing members; first season in 2023.

Champions

Current FCS members Team # Seasons North Dakota State 10 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 Youngstown State 4 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 Eastern Kentucky 2 1979, 1982 Montana 1995, 2001 South Dakota State 2022, 2023 Delaware 1 2003 Eastern Washington 2010 Florida A&M 1978 Furman 1988 Idaho State 1981 Montana State 1984 Richmond 2008 Southern Illinois 1983 Villanova 2009

Former FCS members Team # Seasons Georgia Southern 6 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000 Appalachian State 3 2005, 2006, 2007 Marshall 2 1992, 1996 James Madison 2004, 2016 Boise State 1 1980 Louisiana–Monroe 1987 Sam Houston 2020 UMass 1998 Western Kentucky 2002

ND State GA Southern Youngstown St. Appalachian State Montana Marshall Eastern KY J. Mad. Delaware Furman Massachusetts Boise State Eastern Washington Florida A&M Idaho St. La.–Monroe Montana St. Richmond Sam Houston Southern IL Villanova Western KY SD State Schools that have won the FCS Championship 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1

Championship game history

See also: List of NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearances by team

For each season since the inaugural year of Division I-AA play, 1978, the following table lists the date of each title game and the champion.^[27] The score and runner-up are also noted, along with the host city, game attendance, and head coach of the championship team.

Ed.	Season	Date	Champion	Score	Runner-up	Location	Attendance	Winning head coach
1	1978	December 16, 1978	Florida A&M	35–28	Massachusetts	Wichita Falls, TX	13,604	Rudy Hubbard
2	1979	December 15, 1979	Eastern Kentucky	30–7	Lehigh	Orlando, FL	5,200	Roy Kidd
3	1980	December 20, 1980	Boise State	31–29	Eastern Kentucky	Sacramento, CA	8,157	Jim Criner
4	1981	December 19, 1981	Idaho State	34–23	Eastern Kentucky	Wichita Falls, TX	11,002	Dave Kragthorpe
5	1982	December 18, 1982	Eastern Kentucky (2)	17–14	Delaware	Wichita Falls, TX	11,257	Roy Kidd (2)
6	1983	December 17, 1983	Southern Illinois	43–7	Western Carolina	Charleston, SC	15,950	Rey Dempsey
7	1984	December 15, 1984	Montana State	19–6	Louisiana Tech	Charleston, SC	9,125	Dave Arnold
8	1985	December 21, 1985	Georgia Southern	44–42	Furman	Tacoma, WA	5,306	Erk Russell
9	1986	December 19, 1986	Georgia Southern (2)	48–21	Arkansas State	Tacoma, WA	4,419	Erk Russell (2)
10	1987	December 19, 1987	Northeast Louisiana	43–42	Marshall	Pocatello, ID	11,513	Pat Collins
11	1988	December 17, 1988	Furman	17–12	Georgia Southern	Pocatello, ID	9,714	Jimmy Satterfield
12	1989	December 16, 1989	Georgia Southern (3)	37–34	Stephen F. Austin	Statesboro, GA	25,725	Erk Russell (3)
13	1990	December 15, 1990	Georgia Southern (4)	36–13	Nevada	Statesboro, GA	23,204	Tim Stowers
14	1991	December 21, 1991	Youngstown State	25–17	Marshall	Statesboro, GA	12,667	Jim Tressel
15	1992	December 19, 1992	Marshall	31–28	Youngstown State	Huntington, WV	31,304	Jim Donnan
16	1993	December 18, 1993	Youngstown State (2)	17–5	Marshall	Huntington, WV	29,218	Jim Tressel (2)
17	1994	December 17, 1994	Youngstown State (3)	28–14	Boise State	Huntington, WV	27,674	Jim Tressel (3)
18	1995	December 16, 1995	Montana	22–20	Marshall	Huntington, WV	32,106	Don Read
19	1996	December 21, 1996	Marshall (2)	49–29	Montana	Huntington, WV	30,052	Bob Pruett
20	1997	December 20, 1997	Youngstown State (4)	10–9	McNeese State	Chattanooga, TN	14,771	Jim Tressel (4)
21	1998	December 19, 1998	Massachusetts	55–43	Georgia Southern	Chattanooga, TN	17,501	Mark Whipple
22	1999	December 18, 1999	Georgia Southern (5)	59–24	Youngstown State	Chattanooga, TN	20,052	Paul Johnson
23	2000	December 16, 2000	Georgia Southern (6)	27–25	Montana	Chattanooga, TN	17,156	Paul Johnson (2)
24	2001	December 21, 2001	Montana (2)	13–6	Furman	Chattanooga, TN	12,698	Joe Glenn
25	2002	December 20, 2002	Western Kentucky	34–14	McNeese State	Chattanooga, TN	12,360	Jack Harbaugh
26	2003	December 19, 2003	Delaware	40–0	Colgate	Chattanooga, TN	14,281	K. C. Keeler
27	2004	December 17, 2004	James Madison	31–21	Montana	Chattanooga, TN	16,771	Mickey Matthews
28	2005	December 16, 2005	Appalachian State	21–16	Northern Iowa	Chattanooga, TN	20,236	Jerry Moore
29	2006	December 15, 2006	Appalachian State (2)	28–17	Massachusetts	Chattanooga, TN	22,808	Jerry Moore (2)
30	2007	December 14, 2007	Appalachian State (3)	49–21	Delaware	Chattanooga, TN	23,010	Jerry Moore (3)
31	2008	December 19, 2008	Richmond	24–7	Montana	Chattanooga, TN	17,823	Mike London
32	2009	December 18, 2009	Villanova	23–21	Montana	Chattanooga, TN	14,328	Andy Talley
33	2010	January 7, 2011	Eastern Washington	20–19	Delaware	Frisco, TX	13,027	Beau Baldwin
34	2011	January 7, 2012	North Dakota State	17–6	Sam Houston State	Frisco, TX	20,586	Craig Bohl
35	2012	January 5, 2013	North Dakota State (2)	39–13	Sam Houston State	Frisco, TX	21,411	Craig Bohl (2)
36	2013	January 4, 2014	North Dakota State (3)	35–7	Towson	Frisco, TX	19,802	Craig Bohl (3)
37	2014	January 10, 2015	North Dakota State (4)	29–27	Illinois State	Frisco, TX	20,918	Chris Klieman
38	2015	January 9, 2016	North Dakota State (5)	37–10	Jacksonville State	Frisco, TX	21,836	Chris Klieman (2)
39	2016	January 7, 2017	James Madison (2)	28–14	Youngstown State	Frisco, TX	14,423	Mike Houston
40	2017	January 6, 2018	North Dakota State (6)	17–13	James Madison	Frisco, TX	19,090	Chris Klieman (3)
41	2018	January 5, 2019	North Dakota State (7)	38–24	Eastern Washington	Frisco, TX	17,802	Chris Klieman (4)
42	2019	January 11, 2020	North Dakota State (8)	28–20	James Madison	Frisco, TX	17,866	Matt Entz
43	2020	May 16, 2021	Sam Houston	23–21	South Dakota State	Frisco, TX	7,840	K. C. Keeler (2)
44	2021	January 8, 2022	North Dakota State (9)	38–10	Montana State	Frisco, TX	18,942	Matt Entz (2)
45	2022	January 8, 2023	South Dakota State	45–21	North Dakota State	Frisco, TX	18,023	John Stiegelmeier
46	2023	January 7, 2024	South Dakota State (2)	23–3	Montana	Frisco, TX	19,512	Jimmy Rogers
47	2024	January 6, 2025	North Dakota State (10)	35–32	Montana State	Frisco, TX	18,005	Tim Polasek
48	2025	TBA, January 2026				Nashville, TN
49	2026	TBA, January 2027				Nashville, TN

Notes:

• 1987 champion Northeast Louisiana has been known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe (Louisiana–Monroe) since 1999.
• The 2020–21 school year was the first in which Sam Houston State University called its athletic program "Sam Houston", without the word "State".
• Attendance at the 2020 championship game (played in May 2021) was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Appearances by team

Updated through the January 2024 championship game, following the 2023 football season.

Key

•  CH  National champion
•  RU  National runner-up
•  SF  Semifinals
•  QF  Quarterfinals
•  12   16  Round of 12 (1982 through 1985), Round of 16 (1986 to present)
•  •  First Round (2010 to present, except for 2020)

School	Conference (as of 2025)	#	16	QF	SF	CG	CH	78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
North Dakota State	MVFC	15	15	15	13	11	10																																	QF	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	SF	CH	CH	CH	QF	CH	RU	SF	CH
Georgia Southern	FBS	19	19	17	13	8	6								CH	CH	QF	RU	CH	CH			QF		QF		QF	RU	CH	CH	SF	SF		16	16					SF	SF	SF
Youngstown State	MVFC	13	13	9	8	7	4										16		QF	16	CH	RU	CH	CH			CH		RU	16						SF										RU							16
Appalachian State	FBS	20	20	12	6	3	3									16	SF		16		16	16		QF	QF			QF	16	SF	QF	16			CH	CH	CH	QF	SF	QF	16	16
Montana	Big Sky	29	29	15	12	8	2					12						16	SF				16	SF	CH	RU	16	16	16	RU	CH	QF	16	RU	16	SF	16	RU	RU		SF		16	16	16				QF		QF	16	RU	16
Marshall	FBS	8	8	8	7	6	2										RU	QF			RU	CH	RU	SF	RU	CH
Eastern Kentucky	UAC	23	19	9	7	4	2		CH	RU	RU	CH	12	12		SF	QF	SF	16	16	SF	16	16	QF	16		16										16	16			•			•								•		•
James Madison	FBS	18	17	9	7	4	2										16				QF			QF	16				16					CH		16	16	SF			16			•	16	CH	RU	16	RU	SF	SF
South Dakota State	MVFC	14	13	8	7	3	2																																16			16	16	16	•	QF	SF	SF	16	RU	SF	CH	CH	SF
Delaware	FBS	19	18	13	8	4	1				QF	RU				QF		16			16	SF	QF		QF	16	SF			SF			CH	QF			RU			RU								•		SF		16	16
Sam Houston	FBS	13	13	10	7	3	1									16					16										QF			SF							RU	RU	16	SF	SF	QF	SF			CH	QF
Furman	Southern	20	19	10	6	3	1					12	SF		RU	16		CH	SF	QF						QF			16	16	RU	16		QF	SF	16							16				16		•			16	QF
Montana State	Big Sky	14	13	8	5	3	1							CH																		16	16			QF				16	QF	QF		•				16	SF		RU	SF	16	RU
UMass	FBS	8	8	5	3	3	1	RU										16		16								CH	QF				16			RU	QF
Eastern Washington	Big Sky	15	15	10	6	2	1								QF							16					SF							QF	16		QF		16	CH		SF	SF	QF		SF		RU		16	16
Boise State	FBS	5	5	4	4	2	1			CH	SF							16		SF				RU
Villanova	Coastal	16	14	8	3	1	1												16		16	16				16	QF					SF						QF	CH	SF		•		QF		16			•		QF		QF	16
Richmond	Patriot	14	13	8	3	1	1							QF			16											16		QF					QF		SF	CH	QF					16	SF	QF						16	16	•
Southern Illinois	MVFC	11	11	6	2	1	1						CH																				16	16	QF	QF	SF	16	QF											QF	16		16
Florida A&M	SWAC	8	7	3	2	1	1	CH																		16	16	QF	SF	16	16																				•
Western Kentucky	FBS	8	8	5	1	1	1										16	QF									QF			QF	16	CH	QF	16
Louisiana–Monroe	FBS	4	4	2	1	1	1										CH			16		QF	16
Idaho State	Big Sky	2	2	1	1	1	1				CH		12
McNeese	Southland	16	16	6	3	2	-														16	QF	QF	QF	SF		RU	16		16	16	RU	16			16	16		16				16		16
Northern Iowa	MVFC	22	20	14	7	1	-								SF		SF			16	QF	SF	16	16	QF	SF					SF		QF		RU		QF	SF		•	QF			16	QF		16	16	QF		•
Nevada	FBS	7	7	7	6	1	-	SF	SF				SF		SF	SF				RU	QF
Lehigh	Patriot	12	10	6	2	1	-		RU	SF																		QF	16	QF	QF			16						16	QF					•	•							16
Illinois State	MVFC	9	8	6	2	1	-																					16	SF							QF						QF		RU	QF	•			QF					16
Stephen F. Austin	UAC	8	6	4	2	1	-											QF	RU				16		SF														QF	16				•							•
Louisiana Tech	FBS	2	2	2	2	1	-					SF		RU
Colgate	Patriot	11	10	4	1	1	-					QF	12														16	16	16				RU		16			16				•			QF			QF
Arkansas State	FBS	4	4	4	1	1	-							QF	QF	RU	QF
Jacksonville State	FBS	10	10	3	1	1	-																										16	16						16			QF	16	RU	16	16	16		QF
Towson	Coastal	3	2	1	1	1	-																																		16		RU					•
Western Carolina	Southern	1	1	1	1	1	-						RU
New Hampshire	Coastal	18	16	9	2	-	-														16			16										QF	QF	QF	16	QF	QF	QF	16	16	SF	SF	•	16	QF					16		•
Idaho	Big Sky	14	13	6	2	-	-					QF			12	16	16	SF	16	QF		16	SF	16	16																											•	QF	QF
William & Mary	Coastal	11	11	5	2	-	-									16			16	QF			16			QF					16			SF					SF	16					16							QF
Troy	FBS	7	7	3	2	-	-																SF	16	16	SF		16	QF	16
Wofford	Southern	10	9	6	1	-	-																										SF				QF	16		QF	16	QF				QF	QF	16	•
Middle Tennessee	FBS	7	7	6	1	-	-							SF	QF				QF	QF	QF	QF		16
Weber State	Big Sky	10	9	5	1	-	-										QF				16																	QF	16							•	QF	QF	SF	16		16
Western Illinois	OVC–Big South	11	10	4	1	-	-											16			16					16	QF	SF		16		QF	QF							16					16		•
Maine	Coastal	8	8	4	1	-	-										16		16												QF	QF						16			QF		16					SF
Tennessee State	OVC–Big South	7	6	3	1	-	-				QF	SF				QF												16	16														16											•
Rhode Island	Coastal	4	4	3	1	-	-				QF			SF	QF																																							16
Jackson State	SWAC	12	12	2	1	-	-	SF			QF	12			12	16	16	16	16	16					16	16	16
Northwestern State	Southland	6	6	2	1	-	-											QF									16	SF			16	16		16
Murray State	MVFC	5	5	2	1	-	-		SF							16									16	QF						16
South Carolina State	MEAC	6	4	2	1	-	-				SF	QF																										16	16	•			•
Samford	Southern	6	3	2	1	-	-														SF	16																					•			•	•					QF
South Dakota	MVFC	4	3	2	1	-	-																																								16				•		QF	SF
Incarnate Word	Southland	4	3	2	1	-	-																																									•			16	SF		QF
Grambling State	SWAC	3	3	1	1	-	-			SF					12				16
Albany	Coastal	3	2	1	1	-	-																																		•								16				SF
UCF	FBS	2	2	1	1	-	-													SF			16
Texas State	FBS	2	2	1	1	-	-																												SF			16
Florida Atlantic	FBS	1	1	1	1	-	-																										SF
Eastern Illinois	OVC–Big South	16	14	4	-	-	-					QF	12			QF			QF						16	16				16	16	16			16	16	16		16			•	QF		•
Holy Cross	Patriot	6	5	2	-	-	-						QF																										16										•	16	16	QF
Boston University	no team	5	5	2	-	-	-					12	QF	12									QF	16
Hofstra	no team	5	5	2	-	-	-																		16		16		QF	QF	16
Coastal Carolina	FBS	6	4	2	-	-	-																													16				•		16	QF	QF	•
Kennesaw State	FBS	4	4	2	-	-	-																																								QF	QF	16		16
Indiana State	MVFC	3	3	2	-	-	-						QF	QF																														16
East Tennessee State	Southern	3	2	2	-	-	-																			QF																						•			QF
UC Davis	Big Sky	3	2	2	-	-	-																																									QF			•			QF
Nicholls	Southland	7	5	1	-	-	-									QF										16									16												•	16	16				•
The Citadel	Southern	5	5	1	-	-	-											16		16		QF																							16	16
Chattanooga	Southern	5	5	1	-	-	-							12																														QF	16	16							16
Northern Arizona	Big Sky	7	4	1	-	-	-																			16			16		16		QF										•				•							•
Fordham	Patriot	6	4	1	-	-	-																									QF					16						16	16	•							•
North Carolina A&T	Coastal	5	4	1	-	-	-									16						16							QF				16													•
Southeastern Louisiana	Southland	5	4	1	-	-	-																																				QF	•					16		16	16
North Texas	FBS	4	4	1	-	-	-						QF				16	16						16
Sacramento State	Big Sky	4	4	1	-	-	-																																										16		16	QF	16
Missouri State	FBS	4	3	1	-	-	-												QF	16																														16	•
Cal Poly	Big Sky	4	3	1	-	-	-																												QF			16				16				•
Alcorn State	SWAC	3	3	1	-	-	-							QF								16		16
North Dakota	MVFC	5	2	1	-	-	-																																							16			•	QF		•	•
Old Dominion	FBS	2	2	1	-	-	-																																		16	QF
Mercer	Southern	2	2	1	-	-	-																																														16	QF
Charleston Southern	OVC–Big South	2	1	1	-	-	-																																						QF	•
Austin Peay	UAC	2	1	1	-	-	-																																										QF				•
UConn	FBS	1	1	1	-	-	-																					QF
Hampton	Coastal	5	5	-	-	-	-																				16	16						16	16	16
Central Arkansas	UAC	5	5	-	-	-	-																																		16	16				16	16		16
Bethune–Cookman	SWAC	5	3	-	-	-	-																									16	16							16		•	•
Lafayette	Patriot	5	3	-	-	-	-																											16	16	16							•										•
Stony Brook	Coastal	4	3	-	-	-	-																																		16	16					16	•
UT Martin	OVC–Big South	3	3	-	-	-	-																													16															16			16
Southeast Missouri State	OVC–Big South	5	2	-	-	-	-																																	16								16	•			•		•
San Diego	Pioneer	5	2	-	-	-	-																																					•		16	16	•	•
Monmouth	Coastal	3	2	-	-	-	-																																								•		16	16
Portland State	Big Sky	2	2	-	-	-	-																							16															16
Elon	Coastal	4	1	-	-	-	-																																16								•	•				•
Sacred Heart	Northeast	4	1	-	-	-	-																																				•	•						16	•
Southern Utah	UAC	3	1	-	-	-	-																																				•		•		16
Davidson	Pioneer	3	1	-	-	-	-																																											16	•	•
Duquesne	Northeast	3	1	-	-	-	-																																						•			16					•
Gardner–Webb	OVC–Big South	2	1	-	-	-	-																																													16	•
Mississippi Valley State	SWAC	1	1	-	-	-	-							12
Akron	FBS	1	1	-	-	-	-								12
Howard	MEAC	1	1	-	-	-	-																16
Northeastern	no team	1	1	-	-	-	-																									16
Delaware State	MEAC	1	1	-	-	-	-																														16
Wagner	Northeast	1	1	-	-	-	-																																			16
Liberty	FBS	1	1	-	-	-	-																																					16
VMI	Southern	1	1	-	-	-	-																																											16
Abilene Christian	UAC	1	1	-	-	-	-																																															16
Tarleton State	UAC	1	1	-	-	-	-																																															16
Central Connecticut	Northeast	3	-	-	-	-	-																																								•		•					•
Saint Francis (PA)	Northeast	2	-	-	-	-	-																																							•						•
Drake	Pioneer	2	-	-	-	-	-																																														•	•
Robert Morris	Northeast	1	-	-	-	-	-																																	•
Norfolk State	MEAC	1	-	-	-	-	-																																		•
Tennessee Tech	OVC–Big South	1	-	-	-	-	-																																		•
Butler	Pioneer	1	-	-	-	-	-																																				•
Morgan State	MEAC	1	-	-	-	-	-																																					•
Dayton	Pioneer	1	-	-	-	-	-																																						•
Lamar	Southland	1	-	-	-	-	-																																									•
North Carolina Central	MEAC	1	-	-	-	-	-																																														•

MVPs

Bo Levi Mitchell was MVP of the final for the 2010 season.

Since 2009, a Most Outstanding Player has been named for each final.^[28]

Season	Player	Team	Position
2009	Matt Szczur	Villanova	WR
2010	Bo Levi Mitchell	Eastern Washington	QB
2011	Travis Beck	North Dakota State	LB
2012	Brock Jensen	North Dakota State	QB
2013	Brock Jensen	North Dakota State	QB
2014	Carson Wentz	North Dakota State	QB
2015	Carson Wentz	North Dakota State	QB
2016	Khalid Abdullah[29]	James Madison	RB
2017	Easton Stick	North Dakota State	QB
2018	Darrius Shepherd	North Dakota State	WR
2019	Trey Lance	North Dakota State	QB
2020	Jequez Ezzard	Sam Houston	WR
2021	Hunter Luepke	North Dakota State	FB
2022	Mark Gronowski[30]	South Dakota State	QB
2023	Mark Gronowski[31]	South Dakota State	QB
2024	Cam Miller[32]	North Dakota State	QB

Note: starting with the 2010 season, the final game is played in the next calendar year.

Most appearances

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by team, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).

Updated through the January 2025 championship game (47 finals, 94 total appearances). Schools are listed by their current athletic brand names, which do not always match those used in a given season.

Team	Record				App.
	Games	W	L	Win %	Won	Lost
North Dakota State	11	10	1	.909	2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019*, 2021*, 2024*	2022*
Georgia Southern^	8	6	2	.750	1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000	1988, 1998
Montana	8	2	6	.250	1995, 2001	1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2023*
Youngstown State	7	4	3	.571	1991, 1993, 1994, 1997	1992, 1999, 2016*
Marshall^	6	2	4	.333	1992, 1996	1987, 1991, 1993, 1995
James Madison^	4	2	2	.500	2004, 2016*	2017*, 2019*
Eastern Kentucky	4	2	2	.500	1979, 1982	1980, 1981
Delaware	4	1	3	.250	2003	1982, 2007, 2010*
Appalachian State^	3	3	0	1.000	2005, 2006, 2007
South Dakota State	3	2	1	.667	2022*, 2023*	2020*
Montana State	3	1	2	.333	1984	2021*, 2024*
Furman	3	1	2	.333	1988	1985, 2001
Sam Houston^	3	1	2	.333	2020*	2011*, 2012*
Massachusetts^	3	1	2	.333	1998	1978, 2006
Boise State^	2	1	1	.500	1980	1994
Eastern Washington	2	1	1	.500	2010*	2018*
McNeese	2	0	2	.000		1997, 2002
Florida A&M	1	1	0	1.000	1978
Idaho State	1	1	0	1.000	1981
Louisiana–Monroe^	1	1	0	1.000	1987
Richmond	1	1	0	1.000	2008
Southern Illinois	1	1	0	1.000	1983
Villanova	1	1	0	1.000	2009
Western Kentucky^	1	1	0	1.000	2002
Arkansas State^	1	0	1	.000		1986
Colgate	1	0	1	.000		2003
Illinois State	1	0	1	.000		2014*
Jacksonville State^	1	0	1	.000		2015*
Lehigh	1	0	1	.000		1979
Louisiana Tech^	1	0	1	.000		1984
Nevada^	1	0	1	.000		1990
Northern Iowa	1	0	1	.000		2005
Stephen F. Austin	1	0	1	.000		1989
Towson	1	0	1	.000		2013*
Western Carolina	1	0	1	.000		1983

* Denotes finals played in the following calendar year.

^ Team is now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Appearances by conference

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by conference, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).

Updated through the January 2025 championship game (47 finals, 94 total appearances).

Conference	Record				App
	Games	W	L	Win %	Won	Lost
MVFC	20	14	6	.700	1997, 2002, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019*, 2021*, 2022*, 2023*, 2024*	1999, 2005, 2014*, 2016*, 2020*, 2022*
Big Sky	17	6	11	.353	1980, 1981, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2010*	1990, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2018*, 2021*, 2023*, 2024*
SoCon	16	8	8	.500	1988, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007	1983, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001
Independent	11	7	4	.636	1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994	1979, 1982, 1988, 1992
Southland	9	2	7	.222	1987, 2020*	1984, 1986, 1989, 1997, 2002, 2011*, 2012*
CAA Football	8	3	5	.375	2008, 2009, 2016*	2007, 2010*, 2013*, 2017*, 2019*
OVC	5	2	3	.400	1979, 1982	1980, 1981, 2015*
A-10	4	3	1	.750	1998, 2003, 2004	2006
MVC	1	1	0	1.000	1983
SIAC	1	1	0	1.000	1978
Patriot League	1	0	1	.000		2003
Yankee	1	0	1	.000		1978

• Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in the following calendar year.
• Records reflect conference affiliations at the time each game was played.
• Conferences in italics are defunct or not currently active in FCS.
• The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) are historically related but independently operating entities. MVFC was known as the Gateway Football Conference until June 2008.
• The Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), and CAA Football, although separately chartered, are effectively the same entity in football. The Yankee Conference, formerly an all-sports conference but a football-only league since 1976, was effectively merged into the A-10 after the 1996 season. In turn, the A-10 shut down its football league after the 2006 season, with the multi-sports Colonial Athletic Association (since renamed the Coastal Athletic Association) taking over administration of that league as the separate entity of CAA Football.
• Teams from the same conference have met in the championship game following the 2014 and 2022 seasons. Both matchups involved MVFC teams.

Game records

This table lists records for the Championship Game.

Record	Qty.	Team	Opponent	Edition
Most points scored (one team)	59	Georgia Southern	Youngstown State	1999
Most points scored (losing team)	43	Georgia Southern	UMass	1998
Most points scored (both teams)	98	UMass (55)	Georgia Southern (43)
Fewest points allowed	0	Delaware	Colgate	2003
Largest margin of victory	40	Delaware (40)	Colgate (0)
Attendance	32,106	Montana vs. Marshall		1995

Media coverage

The game has been televised on an ESPN affiliated network since 1995.

Season	Network
1978–1981	ABC
1982	CBS Sports
1983	ABC
1984	Satellite Program Network
1985–1989	ESPN
1990–1994	CBS
1995–2001	ESPN
2002–2018	ESPN2
2019–2020	ABC[33]
2021	ESPN2
2022–2023	ABC
2024–present	ESPN

Note: starting with the 2010 season, the final game is played in the next calendar year.

Date	Network	Play-by-play announcers	Color commentators	Sideline reporter
January 6, 2025	ESPN	Dave Flemming	Brock Osweiler	Stormy Buonatony
January 7, 2024	ABC	Roy Philpott	Roddy Jones	Taylor McGregor
January 8, 2023			Jay Walker	Paul Carcaterra
January 8, 2022	ESPN2	Dave Flemming		Stormy Buonatony
May 16, 2021	ABC	Dave Pasch	Andre Ware	Kris Budden
January 11, 2020		Mark Jones	Dusty Dvoracek	Olivia Dekker
January 5, 2019	ESPN2	Taylor Zarzour	Matt Stinchcomb	Kris Budden
January 6, 2018		Dave Neal		Quint Kessenich
January 7, 2017		Anish Shroff	Ahmad D. Brooks
January 9, 2016
January 10, 2015			Kelly Stouffer	Cara Capuano
January 4, 2014
January 5, 2013		Dave Neal	Jay Walker
January 7, 2012			David Diaz-Infante	Allison Williams
January 7, 2011			Andre Ware	Jon Berger
December 18, 2009		Eric Collins	Brock Huard	Cara Campuano
December 19, 2008		Bob Wischusen
December 14, 2007		Sean McDonough	Chris Spielman	Rob Stone
December 15, 2006		Dave Pasch	Rod Gilmore and Trevor Matich	Dave Ryan
December 16, 2005				Stacey Dales-Schuman
December 17, 2004				Rob Stone
December 19, 2003		Sean McDonough	Mike Golic and Rod Gilmore	Rob Stone
December 20, 2002		Ron Franklin	Mike Gottfried	Adrian Karsten
December 21, 2001	ESPN
December 16, 2000		Rich Waltz	Rod Gilmore	Dave Ryan
December 18, 1999				Don McPherson
December 19, 1998		Dave Barnett	Bill Curry	Dave Ryan
December 20, 1997
December 21, 1996		Brad Nessler	Gary Danielson
December 16, 1995		Joel Meyers	Todd Christensen	Adrian Karsten
December 17, 1994	CBS	Sean McDonough	Steve Davis	Dave Logan
December 18, 1993			Dan Jiggetts	Jim Gray
December 19, 1992		Jim Nantz	John Robinson
December 21, 1991		Brad Nessler	Dan Jiggetts
December 15, 1990		Jim Nantz	Tim Brant	John Dockery
December 16, 1989	ESPN	Barry Tompkins	Stan White
December 17, 1988		Tim Brando
December 19, 1987		Denny Schreiner
December 19, 1986		Tim Brando	Kevin Kiley
December 21, 1985		Mike Patrick	Sam Adkins
December 15, 1984	Satellite Program Network	Bill Flemming	Steve Davis
December 17, 1983	ABC	Keith Jackson	Frank Broyles
December 18, 1982	CBS	Lindsey Nelson	Steve Davis
December 19, 1981	ABC	Bill Flemming	Frank Broyles
December 20, 1980
December 15, 1979
December 16, 1978

See also

• List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs
• List of NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearances by team
• College Football Playoff (FBS)
• NCAA Division II Football Championship
• NCAA Division III Football Championship
• NAIA Football Championship