Football Championship Subdivision playoffs to begin in April

The 2021 spring season – a postponement of the 2020 fall season due to the coronavirus pandemic – is beginning to shape up for the Football Championship Subdivision.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved plans Tuesday for an FCS playoff schedule and format set to begin April 24.

Eastern Washington, FCS national champion in 2010 and runner-up in 2018, has qualified for seven of the previous 11 postseasons.

With several teams in southern states pursuing a fall season, the FCS postseason bracket will be reduced from its regular 24 teams to 16.

The FCS selection committee will release its bracket April 18. First-round games will be April 24, quarterfinals on May 1, the semifinals the weekend of May 8 and the national title game tentatively scheduled between May 14-16 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The bracket will include 11 automatic qualifiers and five at-large berths.

The Big Sky Conference, which had all four of its 2019 playoff teams (Weber State, Montana, Montana State and Sacramento State) earn first-round byes, has yet to release its eight-game spring conference schedule.

With schools adhering to different state and local social distancing mandates, the start of spring games is at the discretion of each school.

Eight regular-season games can be played in a 13-week window that begins Jan. 23.

The Southland Conference released its schedule on Tuesday with games beginning Feb. 20.