Understanding FBS in College Football: A Comprehensive Guide

College football is a major spectator sport in the United States, generating millions in revenue for top schools. The landscape of college football can be confusing, especially with terms like FBS and FCS being thrown around. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of what FBS means in college football, its structure, its significance, and how it differs from other divisions.

Introduction to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, represents the highest level of college football in the United States. It comprises the largest schools within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Understanding the FBS requires delving into its history, structure, and the unique aspects that set it apart from other divisions.

Historical Development and Evolution of Divisions

College football has evolved significantly since the first game in 1869. The NCAA's early efforts focused on implementing safety regulations and standardizing the rules of college football, laying the groundwork for the organization to expand its influence over the sport. As college football grew in popularity and complexity, the NCAA’s role evolved to include not only rule enforcement but also the governance of the sport’s organizational structure. This expansion led to the classification of schools into divisions based on their competitive levels and resources. In 1978, the NCAA introduced a key distinction within Division I football, creating two subdivisions: Division I-A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and Division I-AA, now known as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). At the urging of several larger schools seeking increased autonomy and commonality, Division I-A was formed prior to the 1978 season; the remaining teams in Division I formed the Football Championship Subdivision or FCS (then known as Division I-AA).

In 1968, the NCAA required all teams to identify as members of either the University Division (for larger schools) or the College Division (for smaller schools), and in 1973, the NCAA divided into three divisions. The terms FBS and FCS still feel relatively new or seem vague in meaning for a significant portion of the college football fanbase. The new names for these two divisions were designed to represent the way in which champions of each respective division are crowned. The Football Bowl Series (FBS) division originally used bowl games to ultimately rank the top teams at the end of the season.

Structure of FBS

Conferences

Divisions are themselves further divided up into conferences, which are groupings of schools that play each other in contention for a conference championship. College football conferences are groups of schools that agree to compete against each other regularly, typically sharing geographic proximity, similar academic profiles, or historical rivalries. These conferences exist to provide structure to the competitive landscape, facilitate scheduling, and create a sense of shared identity and tradition among member institutions. Conferences also negotiate media rights and bowl tie-ins collectively, which can lead to significant financial benefits for member schools.

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Most of the 138 FBS schools are members of an FBS conference, but there are also a small number of independent schools. Since the Western Athletic Conference discontinued football sponsorship prior to the 2013 season, there have been ten conferences in the FBS. Through the 2023 season, all of the FBS conferences had between 10 and 14 members, although independent Notre Dame has a scheduling agreement with the then-14-member ACC.

The ten conferences are split into two groups for the purposes of the College Football Playoff. The "Power Four conferences" consist of most of the largest and best-known college athletic programs in the country. A school from one of the power conferences (including the Pac-12, which was a power conference prior to 2024) won every BCS National Championship Game (which operated from 1999 to 2014), and has won every College Football Playoff National Championship. The remaining six conferences are known as the "Group of Six". Any conference may split its teams into two divisions; however, since the 2024 season, the only FBS conference that uses divisions is the SBC. The American, the Big 12, and CUSA all previously utilized division systems before abandoning them after losing some of their member schools to realignment.

At that time, there were several independent I-A schools and twelve Division I-A conferences: the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Pacific-10 (Pac-10), Big 8, Southwest Conference (SWC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), PCAA (which later changed its name to the Big West), Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the Ivy League. The Ivy League and the Southern Conference left for Division I-AA prior to the 1982 season, while the Missouri Valley Conference stopped sponsoring football prior to the 1985 season.

Membership Requirements

In October 2023, the NCAA announced major changes to FBS membership requirements. The average home attendance requirement, which had largely gone unenforced in the 21st century and was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts, was permanently eliminated, effective immediately. Effective in 2027-28, minimums on both the total number of, and spending on, athletic scholarships in all FBS programs will be enforced. The number of required athletic scholarships will increase to 210, and the annual spending requirement rises to $6 million.

Scholarship Limits

The NCAA sets different scholarship limits for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools. FBS teams, which are typically larger schools with more resources, are allowed to offer up to 85 full scholarships. These must be full scholarships covering tuition, fees, room, board, and required course-related books. In contrast, FCS teams, generally smaller schools, can offer the equivalent of 63 full scholarships. However, FCS programs have more flexibility in how they distribute these scholarships, often dividing them among more players as partial scholarships. There are three US military academies who are FBS football teams for which the 85 full scholarship limit doesn’t apply. Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Schools in Division I FBS are distinguished from those in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) by being allowed to provide scholarship aid to a total of 85 players, and may grant a full scholarship to all 85. FCS schools are limited to financial assistance amounting to a maximum of 63 full scholarships, although some conferences voluntarily place further restrictions on athletic aid. The NCAA classifies FBS football as a "head-count" sport, meaning that each player receiving any athletically-related aid from the school counts fully against the 85-player limit. By contrast, FCS football is classified as an "equivalency" sport, which means that scholarship aid is limited to the equivalent of a specified number of full scholarships. In turn, this means that FCS schools can freely grant partial scholarships, but are also limited to a total of 85 players receiving assistance. Another NCAA rule mandates that any multi-sport athlete who plays football and receives any athletic aid is counted against the football limit, with an exception for players in non-scholarship FCS programs who receive aid in another sport.

Season Structure

The FBS season begins in late August or early September and ends in mid-January with the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Following the conference championship games, 12 teams are selected to compete in the College Football Playoff,[15] while other eligible teams are invited to bowl games. For non-conference regular season games, FBS teams are free to schedule matchups against any other FBS team, regardless of conference. A small number of FBS teams are independent and have total control over their own schedule. Non-conference games are scheduled by mutual agreement and often involve "home and homes" (where teams alternate as hosts) and long-established rivalries. In order to balance out the difficulty of their in-conference schedules, teams from the stronger conferences frequently play non-conference games against teams from the weaker conferences or, occasionally, against FCS teams. FBS teams are free to schedule up to 40% of their games against FCS teams, but FBS teams can only use one win per season against an FCS team for the purposes of bowl eligibility.

Bowl Games

The Football Bowl Subdivision gets its name from the bowl games that many FBS teams play at the end of the year, although other college divisions also have their own bowl games. FBS bowl games are played at the end of the season in December or January. During the 2024-25 bowl season, there were 46 FBS bowl games, including four first-round College Football Playoff games and the College Football Playoff National Championship. An FBS team typically must have a record of 6-6 or better in order to be bowl eligible. Many bowls have one or more conference tie-ins; for example, the Pop-Tarts Bowl provides a matchup between teams from ACC and the Big 12. A small number of long-established bowls played a major role in the Bowl Championship Series, which was used to select the national champion until the 2013 season, and these bowls continue to play a major role in the College Football Playoff.

College Football Playoff (CFP)

Starting in 2014, the FBS began playing a tournament known as the College Football Playoff (CFP) culminating in a National Championship Game to determine its national champion, a system that has been in place from the 2014-2025 seasons by contract with ESPN, broadcaster of the games. The CFP featured four teams from its first season in 2014 through the 2023 season, and expanded to 12 teams in 2024. But since the CFP is not sanctioned by the NCAA, this makes FBS football the only sport without an NCAA-sanctioned champion. The postseason formats for FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) and FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) differ significantly in structure and philosophy. In the FBS, the postseason primarily revolves around bowl games, with the pinnacle being the College Football Playoff (CFP). The CFP currently features four teams selected by a committee, who compete in two semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the national championship game. The College Football Playoff changes to a 12-team playoff system beginning this year (2024).

National Championship

The NCAA does not officially award an FBS football championship, but several teams have claimed national championships. Other organizations have also sought to rank the teams and crown a national champion. The Dickinson System and other methods were formed in the early 20th century to select the best team in the country, and the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll began rankings teams in the middle of the 20th century. In many seasons, selectors such as the AP and the Coaches Poll designated different teams as national champions. Often, more than one team would finish undefeated, as the top teams were not guaranteed to play each other during the regular season or in bowl games.

In 1992, five major conferences established the Bowl Coalition in order to determine the FBS champion. In 1998, the two remaining major conferences joined with the other five conferences to form the Bowl Championship Series. The BCS used a rankings system to match up the top two teams in the BCS National Championship Game. However, even the BCS era saw split national championships, as in 2003 the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll selected different national champions.

FBS vs. FCS: Key Differences

In contrast, the FCS employs a more traditional playoff system to determine its national champion. The FCS playoff involves 24 teams, with 11 conference champions receiving automatic bids and 13 at-large teams selected by a committee. This format allows for a broader representation of teams and a clear path to the championship through on-field results. The FCS playoffs typically span several weeks, culminating in the national championship game.

The attendance at FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) games is generally much higher than at FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) games. To be classified as an FBS school, programs must meet a minimum attendance requirement, averaging at least 15,000 in actual or paid attendance per home game over a rolling two-year period. FBS games often draw large crowds, with programs like the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Penn State University regularly attracting over 100,000 fans per game. In contrast, FCS games typically have much lower attendance figures. High-attendance FCS programs, such as North Dakota State University, can draw crowds of over 18,000 fans per game, reflecting their strong performance and loyal fan base. However, many FCS programs see much lower attendance, often averaging between 3,000 to 8,000 fans per game.

Financial Aspects

The top schools generate tens of millions of dollars in yearly revenue. Since July 1, 2021, college athletes have been able to receive payments for the use of their name, image, and likeness. Although FCS programs can draw thousands of fans per game, many FCS schools attempt to join the FBS in hopes of increased revenue, corporate sponsorship, alumni donations, prestige, and national exposure. However, FBS programs also face increased expenses in regards to staff salaries, facility improvements, and scholarships. The athletic departments of many FBS schools lose money every year, and these athletic departments must rely on subsidies from the rest of the university. In many states, the highest-paid public employee is the head coach of an FBS team. Before the settlement of the House v. NCAA legal case took full effect in 2025-26, FBS schools were limited to a total of 85 football players receiving financial assistance. Since then, FBS programs have had a hard roster limit of 105, but all rostered players may receive full scholarships. Nearly all FBS schools that are not on NCAA probation give the full allowed scholarship allotment.

Since 2021, when the Supreme Court unanimously held in NCAA v. Alston that restrictions on name, image, and likeness compensation violated antitrust law, FBS football players have been able to make money from sources other than college scholarships.

Media Coverage

College football was first broadcast on radio in 1921, and first broadcast on television in 1939. Television became profitable for both schools and the NCAA, which tightly controlled the airing of games in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The NCAA limited each football team to six television appearances over a two-year period. National networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, several ESPN networks, and several Fox networks have all covered the FBS, as have several regional and local networks. As conferences negotiate their own television deals, each conference is affiliated with a network that airs its home games. In the mid-2000s, college and conferences began to create their own television networks; such networks include the Big Ten Network, BYUtv, the Longhorn Network (which was folded into the SEC Network in 2024), and the Pac-12 Network.

Noteworthy Moments and Upsets

Comparing the FBS to the FCS wouldn’t be complete without including a list of games in which an FCS team upset an FBS team.

Appalachian State vs. Summary: In one of the biggest upsets in college football history, Appalachian State stunned No.
James Madison vs. Summary: James Madison shocked No.
North Dakota State vs. Summary: North Dakota State, known for their FCS dominance, defeated No.
Howard vs.
Montana vs. Summary: Montana’s defense stifled No.

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