Montana defeated Illinois 35-34 in an overtime thriller to win the 2025 FCS Championship. The win in Nashville, Tenn., saw the Bobcats capture their second national title for the first time since 1984.
The 2025-26 FCS playoffs will begin on Saturday, November 29 and end on Monday, January 5, with 24 teams playing. The top 16 teams and the top eight finishers automatically qualified for the second round, while the remaining 24 teams (1 team left) played in the top 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Division I football championship postseason.
FCS Championship
Click or click here to view the bracket
FCS Championship Game Schedule
East at all times
FCS Championship Game and Dates
- Selection Show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
- First round: Saturday, November 29
- Second round: December 6, Saturday
- In the quarter-finals: Friday, December 12 to Saturday, December 13
- December 12, Friday
- December 13, Saturday
- Semi-finals: December 20, Saturday
- National Championship: January 5, Monday
FCS options
The 2025-26 FCS Championship Qualifiers were held on Sunday, November 23, 2025. The bracket was revealed on ESPNU’s selection show at 12:00 p.m. ET. make choices.
Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/associations) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.
AUTO BIDS: Click here or click here to see all 11 auto bids.
FCS Championship History
North Dakota Dakota State defeated Montana State 35-32 to win its 10th national title in 2024. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the last 10 years.
| Year | Champion | Coach | Score | Won second place | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The year 2025 | Montana | Brent Vigen | 35-34 | State of Illinois | Nashville, Tenn. |
| The year 2024 | North Dakota State | Tim Polasek | 35-32 | Montana | Frisco, Texas |
| The year 2023 | South Dakota State | Jimmy Rogers | 23-3 | Montana | Frisco, Texas |
| The year 2022 | South Dakota State | John Stiegelmeier | 45-21 | North Dakota State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2021 | North Dakota State | Matt Entz | 38-10 | Montana | Frisco, Texas |
| 2020 | Sam Houston | KC Keeler | 23-21 | South Dakota State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | Matt Entz | 28-20 | James Madison | Frisco, Texas |
| 2018 | North Dakota State | Chris Kleeman | 38-24 | Eastern Washington | Frisco, Texas |
| 2017 | North Dakota State | Chris Kleeman | 17-13 | James Madison | Frisco, Texas |
| 2016 | James Madison | Mike Houston | 28-14 | Youngstown County | Frisco, Texas |
| 2015 | North Dakota State | Chris Kleeman | 37-10 | Jacksonville County | Frisco, Texas |
For a complete list of champions since 1978, click here.
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