The FCS playoff bracket will see some changes starting this fall.
While the 24-team bracket remains the same size, the number of seeded teams will increase from eight to 16.
More seeds result in less regionalization, more balanced early-round matchups, and more transparency on who hosts in the first round.
The NCAA Board of Directors Finance Committee approved the increase in seeds earlier this week. The Board of Governors then gave the final stamp of approval today. Last year’s push to seed more teams fell short at the Finance Committee.
In the previous format from 2013-23, eight seeds received first-round byes while 16 unseeded teams were paired up in the first round based on regionalization. The first-round host team was determined by a combination of bid amount, revenue potential, facilities, athlete experience, and team performance. First-round matchups were paired with the seeds for second-round games based on regionalization.
That format could create the scenario where the 9th and 10th best teams played each other in the first round while the 23rd and 24th best teams played each other. And the No. 1 seed could play the 9th-best team in the second round while the No. 8 seed could play the 23rd-best team.
Seeding 16 teams eliminates that possibility and sets up a more national feel to the bracket. Details on the specific format will come, but it will look similar to:
- Seeds 1-8 get a first-round bye
- Seeds 9-16 host first-round games
- Seeds 9-16 host a team from a pool of the 8 remaining unseeded teams based on regionalization but avoiding regular-season rematches
- No. 1 seed plays the winner of the No. 16 vs. unseeded matchup
- No. 2 seed plays the winner of the No. 15 vs. unseeded matchup
- No. 8 seed plays the winner of the No. 9 vs. unseeded matchup
- And so on
There may still be minimum bids to host games, which is normal for NCAA tournament games held on home sites. And there will still likely be some form of regionalization where seeds 9-16 are paired with unseeded teams for first-round games based on proximity. Most NCAA tournaments have some level of cost-saving regionalization as the NCAA covers travel expenses.
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A new TV deal certainly helps the NCAA invest in tournament enhancements.
The NCAA reached a new eight-year agreement with ESPN worth $115 million annually to televise 40 college sports championships each year starting in the 2024 fall, including the FCS playoffs. The previous deal signed in 2011 was $34 million per year. That’s an $81 million annual increase in revenue to help support improved championship tournaments.
