Post by roknows50 on Nov 29, 2022 16:40:56 GMT -5
The FCS sits in an interesting spot in the landscape of college football. It is a niche level of the sport, no doubt. Even the biggest supporters should be self-aware of this.
There aren’t huge revenue dollars in the FCS, no big TV deals, budgets are tight, not much attention from national outlets, most stadiums and crowds are smaller than the FBS, and the athletic departments that sponsor FCS programs are mid-major schools. Yet the FCS is still Division 1 football, it has loyal followers, solid fan bases, fantastic coaches, great talent as more than 150 players got an NFL shot in 2022 (24 draft picks, 72 UDFA contracts, 72 rookie minicamp invites), the top 30ish FCS teams are stronger than the bottom 30ish FBS teams, and finally, the FCS has something that even a lot of FBS fans are jealous of: a 24-team playoff bracket to crown a national champ.
More specifically, to crown the official NCAA Division 1 football national champion.
The FCS is a great brand of football. It being a more niche level (we’re in our own CFB community here) and less money-driven is actually what makes it the most fun. And its playoff is something the subdivision hangs its hat on.
The bracket structure is far from perfect, something that has frustrated followers for years, but we’ve learned to deal with it. Most of the frustrations are the cost-saving measures the NCAA implements. Because the FCS playoffs don’t generate a lot of revenue due to a terrible TV deal and some poor attendance in the early rounds, the bracket only has eight seeds and is regionalized to save the NCAA travel costs. Programs submit bids to host when games feature two unseeded teams. And the NCAA takes 85% of the ticket revenue for all of these games. Due to these measures, the FCS playoff is one of a few NCAA-run postseason tournaments that does generate the NCAA a little revenue or at least allows them to break even.
herosports.com/fcs-football-push-playoff-structure-changes-bzbz/
