Money Talks: Why is the FBS postseason different from other sports?

Originally known as Division 1-A, the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the NCAA has had the top collegiate football teams in the nation for decades with schools like as Alabama, Ohio State and our very own USC.

However, the NCAA doesn’t have a stake in its postseason. Specifically, the NCAA does not actually award a national championship to any team in this division, the only one out of all the sports the NCAA sanctions. The reason why this occurs, as implied in its name, is that they are known as the “Bowl Subdivision.” This means that the teams play in bowl games or the College Football Playoffs which consist of bowl games as well rather than single-elimination tournaments as seen in the Football Championship Subdivision or the beloved March Madness basketball tournament. 

There have been arguments about whether or not the FBS should switch to a standardized tournament format. Regardless, what we have right now is a good compromise, especially with the expansion of the CFP to 12 teams by the 2026 season or earlier.

The history of how the national champion has been chosen in this division is a story in itself. Until 1991, the national champion was decided by both the AP and Coaches Poll at the end of the season, the same organizations that rank teams throughout the season. In order to spice things up with an actual title game, the Bowl Coalition and subsequently the Alliance was created during the ‘90s until they finally evolved into the Bowl Championship Series format — which was the standard until the Playoffs took over in 2014.

Within the bowl format, more teams have the opportunity to add to their trophy cabinet and earn money for their school and conference. However, on the other end, not everyone has an equal chance to compete for the national title, with a bias toward those coming from the Power 5 conferences. 

The rewards for the bowl games vary based on their prestige. For instance, the Markers Wanted Bahamas Bowl has a $225,000 total payout while larger bowls like Citrus Bowl have a payout of almost $8.2 million. Within the CFP system, a conference receives $6 million for each of its member teams that make it to the Playoff Semifinal. 

The FBS generated nearly $310 million in its final year under the BCS in 2013. The introduction of the CFP saw this amount rise to almost $648 million in 2018. Overall, this postseason format of the FBS subdivision has proven to be a strong financial opportunity for the teams and conferences involved. 

Once the CFP expansion sets in for the 2026 season (or possibly even earlier), the payouts and revenues will only increase with the elevated stakes that come with playoff games. Moreover, the inclusion of potential campus games in the first round for higher-seeded teams will bring more money to schools through ticket sales.

However, there are still some improvements for the college football postseason that should be considered. This is especially true for the national championship as it is played on a Monday rather than Saturday. This is because the NFL has games on Saturdays during that time of the year. To maximize viewership, the NCAA opted for a Monday game instead, like the NCAA basketball tournament championship. Attempting to take the Saturday slot back from the NFL would be great for fans since it is easier to watch a game on a weekend than a Monday night.

Despite being one of the most important components of college football and college athletics as a whole, the NCAA doesn’t truly have a say in who wins the national championship in the FBS subdivision. However, with the current bowl system bringing money and national attention to universities, the college football superteams aren’t complaining.

Pratik Thakur is a senior writing about the business in the world of college sports. His column “Money Talks” runs every other Wednesday.