NCAA Division I Football Championship
Stadium	FirstBank Stadium (2026–present)
Location	Nashville, Tennessee (2026–present)
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)

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

The game serves as the final match of an annual postseasonbracket 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 theMontana State Bobcats, winners of the January 2026 championship game.

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

In the inaugural season of Division I-AA, the1978 postseason included just four teams; three regional champions (East, West, and South) plus anat-large selection.^[1] The field doubled to eight teams in1981, with champions of five conferences—Big Sky,Mid-Eastern,Ohio Valley,Southwestern, andYankee—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 in1982, with each of the top fourseeds receiving a first-roundbye and a home game in the quarterfinals.^[4] Champions of theSouthern andSouthland 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 in1986, 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 in2010, with theBig South andNortheast 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 in2013, with the champion of thePioneer 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 the2020 season, affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the bracket was reduced to 16 teams.^[13] The bracket returned to 24 teams for the2021 season.^[14]

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

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] The number of automatic bids was reduced back to 10 in 2022 (due to theBig South Conference andOhio Valley Conference, which both previously sent their champions, merging their football operations into theOVC–Big South Football Association), but restored to 11 in 2025 following theIvy League's decision to enter the FCS Playoff for the first time.

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 theNFL predetermines the site for eachSuper 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 inWichita Falls, Texas. The 1979 and 1980 games were held inOrlando, Florida, andSacramento, California, respectively, and the game returned to Wichita Falls for 1981 and 1982. The games played in Wichita Falls were known as thePioneer Bowl, while the game played in Sacramento was known as theCamellia 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 inCharleston, 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 inPocatello, Idaho; and from 1989 through 1991, inStatesboro, Georgia. The 1992 through 1996 games were held inHuntington, West Virginia; and from 1997 through 2009, the title game was played inChattanooga, Tennessee.

From 2010 through the 2024 season, the title game was played inFrisco, Texas, a suburb north ofDallas, atToyota Stadium, amulti-purpose stadium primarily used byFC Dallas ofMajor 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 atFirstBank Stadium inNashville, Tennessee, home of theVanderbilt Commodores, due to renovations beginning at Toyota Stadium following the 2025 title game.^[21]

Notes

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 atPaulson Stadium, whileMarshall had a 2–2 record in four title games it played at Marshall University Stadium (now known asJoan C. Edwards Stadium).

As of the 2025 season, two FCS conferences usually do not participate in the tournament: theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) andSouthwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Since 2015, the champions of these two conferences, which consist ofHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), play each other in theCelebration Bowl, the only active bowl game featuring FCS teams.^[22] MEAC gave up its automatic spot in the tournament prior to the 2015 season,^[23] while the SWAC's regular season extends through theTurkey Day Classic andBayou Classic at the end of November and theSWAC Championship Game is played in December. Teams from the MEAC and SWAC may accept at-large bids, so long as they are not committed to other postseason games that would conflict with the tournament. The most recent MEAC and SWAC teams to accept bids were the2023 North Carolina Central Eagles and2021 Florida A&M Rattlers, respectively.

TheIvy League has been at the FCS level since 1982 and prohibits its members from awarding athletic scholarships in any sport; it plays a strict ten-game regular season. Through the 2024 season, it did not participate in any postseason football, citing academic concerns.^[24][25] 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.^[26]

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, thePioneer Football League, now receives a tournament bid, which was initiated with the 2013 postseason.

Membership numbers reflect the 2025 FCS season.

Notes

Current FCS members Team # Seasons Youngstown State 4 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 Eastern Kentucky 2 1979, 1982 Montana 1995, 2001 South Dakota State 2022, 2023 Montana State 1984, 2025 Eastern Washington 1 2010 Florida A&M 1978 Furman 1988 Idaho State 1981 Richmond 2008 Southern Illinois 1983 Villanova 2009

Former FCS members Team # Seasons North Dakota State 10 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 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 Delaware 2003 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. Montana St. Delaware Furman Massachusetts Boise State Eastern Washington Florida A&M Idaho St. La.–Monroe Richmond Sam Houston Southern IL Villanova Western KY SD State class=notpageimage| Schools that have won the FCS Championship 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1

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.

Notes:

• 1987 champion Northeast Louisiana has been known as theUniversity 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.

Updated through the January 2026 championship game, following the 2025 football season. Conference affiliations reflect those for the upcoming 2026 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)

Beginning in 1981, the NCAA seeded the top 4 teams. This expanded to the top 5 in 2010, the top 8 in 2013, and the top 16 in 2024. In all of these years, the team's seed is shown in superscript next to the result.