Cheers & Jeers loves the Football Championship Subdivision, if nothing else because it uses (get this) a playoff system to determine a national champion.
What a novel concept.
But aside from being the only Division I subdivision with its head screwed on straight, the FCS is home to one of the most dominant conferences in college football, the Colonial Athletic Association.
In the past three years, the CAA (formerly the Atlantic 10) has captured 14 of 48 playoff spots — an absurd number when you consider that almost all of the 125 FCS schools (in 14 conferences) are playoff eligible. The Colonial sends four teams into the playoff field this year, including defending national champion Richmond, making its third straight postseason appearance.
Four CAA schools have reached the FCS championship game in the last six years (Delaware twice, James Madison, UMass and Richmond). Three different schools from the Colonial’s south division have won national titles since 2003, as the conference has taken on an SEC-like quality at Division I’s lower level.
Each of this year’s CAA playoff teams (Richmond, Villanova, William & Mary and New Hampshire) beat an Football Bowl Subdivision team during the regular season. In total, the Colonial was 4-7 against the big boys and one of those losses — Maryland’s 38-35 win over JMU — went into overtime.
So when the playoffs open on Saturday, keep an eye on the Colonial quartet. They were 12-0 in out-of-conference games this season, and perhaps the only thing standing between them and a national title is each other.
