Autumn is now in full swing, winter comes soon, and this means that the real college football playoffs will come soon. This also means that you can stop to investigate these real money casino games and play video games, and start preparing for viewing the competition of four commands, the final FBS season.
The four-team FBS playoffs seem like a boon in the context of the BCS, but they are still the smallest playoffs in American football. High school playoffs can have dozens of teams, and the Division II, Division III, and FCS playoffs are the real tournaments.
In the FCS, 24 teams come to the field with ten conference champions receiving automatic invitations and fourteen extended bids from the NCAA playoff committee. The eight strongest receive byes to the second round where they will meet the winners of the eight games of the first round. The playoff is a single-elimination format and the last remaining team wins.
These games do not take place in NFL stadiums or neutral sites. Instead, each playoff contest in the FCS is held on a home field of the participating teams, ensuring heightened atmosphere and requiring less travel. Winter elements can also play a part as games are not located just to make sure they're not played in freezing weather. A team could conceivably play its first-round game in 70-degree southern weather and then travel to the north for a contest in the snow.
It is important to understand that the FCS differs from the FBS to understand the essence of the question.
Most people have an incorrect idea that the FCS football is inherently levels below the FBS in a competitive plan. The best comparison would be Major League Baseball to the AAA leagues. The FCS, is in essence, one level below the highest baseball league. Over the past 25 years, several FCS schools have successfully moved up to the FBS with Liberty and Coastal Carolina serving as more recent examples.
FCS schools largely fulfill the same requirements as say, Alabama, with some exceptions. Instead of offering 85 players with full scholarships, they offer up to 63 full scholarships. However, the Pioneer League is a collection of FCS schools that offer no scholarships.
Now, with the transfer portal offering a student-athlete an easier path to explore moving from one school to another - usually for more playing time - a lot easier to facilitate. And many of them show no bias against playing for a FCS program. And why not? The 2021 season has already seen 10 FCS schools defeat a FBS opponent. Most recently, Jacksonville State took down Florida State.
NFL draft opportunities also seem to be on the rise for FCS players. Just yesterday, Trey Lance got his first start for the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie out of North Dakota State, the same school that Carson Wentz attended..
So when the calendar goes to December, and the football options for the weekend become a choice of low-level FBS bowl games or FCS playoffs, why not check out the playoff and the spirited competition for a meaningful national championship.
You will be glad you did.