The 16-team FCS spring playoff bracket will be revealed on April 18.
How the playoff committee will choose the six at-large bids compared to the usual 14 is going to be fascinating. And with each conference having different scheduling models, the auto-bid tiebreakers could come into play even more than normal.
Here’s a list of the tiebreakers for all 10 conferences in the playoffs.
Big Sky
Teams need to play at least four games — assuming five or more (i.e., more than half of the teams) Big Sky teams hit that minimum threshold this spring — to be the AQ.
Winning % — but if two one-loss teams played, then the winner of that head-to-head would get the AQ, even if they have a lesser win percentage.
Otherwise first tiebreaker beyond head-to-head is record against common conference opponents, then combined win percentage of teams defeated.
Big South
Conference Champion. For the 2020-21 spring season, a team must complete three Conference games to be eligible for the championship. The Conference champion shall be determined by total number of Conference wins. If two or more teams are tied in total number of Conference wins (i.e. 3-0 and 3-1), then the institution with the best Conference winning percentage shall be declared the champion. If a tie still remains, co-champions shall be declared.
For the 2020-21 season, should no team complete three Conference games, the champion shall be determined using this same procedure for teams completing a minimum of two Conference games. If no team completes two Conference games, the Football Committee shall determine the Conference champion based on a team’s overall body of work while prioritizing results in Conference play.
NCAA Automatic Qualifier. The Conference champion shall be the recipient of the Conference’s automatic bid to participate in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
Tiebreaker: If co-champions have been declared, the following tiebreaker formula shall be utilized to determine the recipient of the automatic qualifier:
Two-Way Tie
- i. Head-to-head competition.
- ii. If a tie still exists, or the teams did not play each other, then the records of the tying teams against the next highest team shall be compared.
- iii. The process outlined in step “ii.” shall continue through the last team, if necessary.
- iv. Coin Toss.
Multiple Ties
- i. Composite records between the tying teams shall be evaluated to determine if one team has won more games against the other tying teams.
- ii. In the event step “i” does not resolve the multiple ties or reduce the multiple ties to one tie, then a comparison of records of the tying teams against the next highest team shall be compared.
- iii. The process outlined in step “ii.” shall continue through the last team, if necessary.
- iv. Coin Toss. If the multiple ties are reduced to a tie between two teams, the two-way tiebreaker formula shall be utilized.
CAA
Update: Due to the number of postponements and cancellations in league play, the CAA’s AQ will be determined via a committee of conference athletic directors.
JMU beat writer Greg Madia reported “If CAA doesn’t get all of its games in, league ADs from schools not in play for the AQ would determine the AQ.”
Below is what the CAA originally had for tiebreaking procedures.
Tiebreakers subject to change at any time by vote of the athletics directors
There are two scenarios in the Spring 2021 Divisional Model that will require tiebreaking procedures.
Scenario 1 ‐ Divisional Championship
1. The team with the best conference record based on win‐loss percentage shall be the Divisional Champion.
2. In the event of a tie, the below noted tiebreaker format will be utilized to determine the Divisional Championship.
Scenario 2 – Conference Championship & NCAA Automatic Qualification Determination
1. The team with the best conference record based on win‐loss percentage shall determine the Conference’s automatic qualifier and be the Conference Champion.
2. If there are teams tied, the below noted tiebreaker format will be utilized to determine the Conference’s automatic qualifier.
Tie‐Breaking Format
1. Head‐to‐head competition. If three‐or‐more teams are involved in a tie and all have played each other, the win‐loss percentage is computed using each team’s record against the tied teams as a group rather than individually.
2. Win‐loss percentage versus the highest‐placed common opponents and proceeding down. When arriving at another set of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s record against the tied teams as a group rather than individually.
3A. Scenario 1 ‐ Best combined ranking among Divisional teams in points scored and points allowed.
3B. Scenario 2 ‐ Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
4A. Scenario 1 ‐ The point differential of the tied teams in all Divisional games. The point differential in individual games are capped at 21 points.
4B. Scenario 2 ‐ The point differential of the tied teams in all Conference games. The point differential in individual games are capped at 21 points.
5. Coin flip by the Commissioner.
Tie‐Breaking Operating Principles
1. All ties are broken in descending order.
2. Once a team has been eliminated at any point, the process reverts back to the beginning with the remaining tied teams
MVFC
In the event a full schedule is played by all members, standings shall follow normal tiebreaking procedures. If any game is canceled due to COVID-related matters, the game will be registered as a “no contest.”
Title and AQ Eligibility Standards
To be eligible for the regular-season title and automatic bid to the NCAA Championship:
- If 75 percent or more league games are played (30 of 40), a team must play no less than two fewer conference games than the average number of conference games played by all teams to be eligible.
- If fewer than 75 percent of the league games are played, a team must play no less than one fewer conference game than the average number of conference games played by all teams to be eligible.
# of Games Played Scenarios
40-All Games — full schedule, normal tiebreaker
35-39 games (7.0 avg. GP – 7.9 avg. GP) — 5 games required to be eligible
25-34 games (5.0 avg. GP – 6.9 avg. GP) — 4 games required to be eligible
20-24 games (4.0 avg. GP – 4.9 avg. GP) — 3 games required to be eligible
Fewer than 20 total games (less than 50 percent games played) .. no minimum threshold
*A team may add a loss (or losses) to its record to meet minimum games-played thresholds for regular-season title and AQ consideration.
Standings shall be determined according to respective won-lost records and winning percentages in Conference games. The team with the best won-lost percentage shall be champion.
In the event of an unbalanced schedule due to cancellation of games: If two (or more) teams have the same number of conference losses but a different number of conference wins, head-to-head results will take precedence over winning percentage, as long as the two (or more) teams meet minimum number of games language noted above.
If the game was canceled between two teams with the same winning percentage in all conference games or the same number of conference losses but a different number of conference wins, move to tiebreaker for two teams below. If a game or games was canceled between three or more teams with the same winning percentage in all conference games or the same number of conference losses but a different number of conference wins, move to tiebreaker for three or more teams below.
Two Teams Tied
1. In the event of a two-team tie in the conference results and the two teams played each other, the winner of the game shall be declared the NCAA automatic qualifier.
2. If the tied teams did not play each other, then each team’s record against all common conference opponents shall be used to determine the NCAA automatic qualifier.
3. If the teams are still tied, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the conference standings shall be used to determine the NCAA automatic qualifier.
4. If the teams are still tied, the latest available Sagarin Rating shall be used as the final tiebreaker. Rating will only be used as a ranking system or tiebreaker in the event all teams under consideration have played a minimum of 8 total (non-conference plus conference) games. In the event only a partial schedule is played and Sagarin cannot be utilized, the Conference will utilize the Media (STATS) Top 25 poll to break the tie.
Three or More Teams Tied
1. If at any point a tie is broken using the multiple-tie tiebreaker procedures and only two teams remain tied, the remaining teams shall revert to the two-way tiebreaker (See above).
2. If the tied teams all played one another, the team with the best cumulative record involving games among the tied teams shall be declared the NCAA automatic qualifier.
3. If the tied teams all played one another and have identical records against the other tied teams, then each team’s record against all common conference opponents shall be used to determine the NCAA automatic bid. If teams are still tied, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the conference standings shall determine the automatic bid.
4. If the tied teams did not play each other, then each team’s record against common conference opponents shall be used to determine the automatic bid. If the tied teams did not play each other, but one team played and defeated the other two teams, that team is the champion.
5. If the teams are still tied and they did not play each other, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the conference standings shall determine the automatic bid.
6. If the teams are still tied, the latest available Sagarin Rating shall be used as the final tiebreaker. Sagarin Rating will only be used as a ranking system or tiebreaker in the event all teams under consideration have played a minimum of 8 total (non-conference plus conference) games. In the event only a partial schedule is played and Sagarin cannot be utilized, the Conference will utilize the Media (STATS) Top 25 poll to break the tie.
NEC
The NEC will play a conference championship game to determine its auto-bid.
OVC
Conference Champion. The Conference football champion shall be determined on a percentage basis of Conference contests won and lost. Co-champions shall be declared in the event two or more teams have the same number of losses and are within one game played of each other at the conclusion of the regular season schedule. To be eligible for the championship, a member must play a Conference-approved schedule.
NCAA Automatic Qualifier. The Conference automatic qualifier to the FCS Football Championship shall be the regular season champion. Since OVC teams are playing an unbalanced Conference schedule, two or more teams will be considered tied for the championship only if they have the same number of losses. Should two or more teams have the same number of Conference losses at the end of the regular-season, a tiebreaker formula, which shall be approved by the league’s athletics directors and distributed annually from the Conference office, shall be utilized.
A team must complete a minimum of 4 Conference games (57 percent of the original schedule of 7 games) to be eligible for the regular season championship and Conference’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. If any game is cancelled due to COVID-19 related matters, the game will be registered as a “no contest.” Teams who fail to meet the four-game minimum will be ordered below teams who have met the minimum in the standings based on winning percentage. If a team chooses to opt out at any point of the season, the remainder of their games would be considered forfeits for the purposes of league standings.
TIEBREAK PROCEDURES
Two-Way Ties
A. A two-way tie shall exist only if the tied teams have the same number of losses and are within one game played of each other (i.e. 6-1 and 5-1; 5-2 and 4-2; 4-3 and 3-3).
B. Should two teams have the same number of losses, and the two teams played each other during the regular season, the winner of the head-to-head contest shall be the league’s postseason representative.
C. If the two tied teams have the same number of losses, but did not play each other during the regular season, the following procedure shall be utilized to break the tie:
- 1) A comparison of each team’s head-to-head record against the team occupying the highest position in the regular-season standings that each team has played. If one team won its game against that team, the winning team shall be declared the representative.
- 2) Should the procedure outlined in Item 1 fail to break the tie, the process will continue to the next-place team and beyond until the tie is broken.
- 3) When arriving at another group of tied teams that each team has played, composite records between the tying teams shall be utilized to determine if one of the tied teams has won more games against the group of tied teams.
- 4) Combined conference winning percentage of all opponents defeated. Example: Team A’s four victories came over teams with a combined winning percentage of .388. Team B’s four victories came over teams with a combined winning percentage of .433. Team B is awarded the automatic bid.
- 5) If the procedures described previously fail to break the tie, the representative shall be determined by a coin flip.
Multiple-Ties
A. A multiple tie (three or more teams) shall exist only if the tied teams have the same number of losses and are within one game played of each other (i.e. 6-1 and 5-1; 5-2 and 4-2; 4-3 and 3-3).
B. If all of the teams involved in the multiple tie played each other during the regular season, then the composite records among the tied teams shall be compared to break the tie.
C. If the process outlined in Step B reduces the tie to a tie among two teams, the two-team tiebreaker formula shall then be utilized.
D. If not all of the tied teams played each other during the regular season, or if step C does not break or reduce the tie, the following procedure shall be utilized:
- 1) A comparison of each of the tied teams’ head-to-head record against the team occupying the highest position in the regular-season standings that each team has played. If one team won its game against that team, the winning team shall be declared the representative.
- 2) Should the procedure outlined in Item 1 fail to break the tie, the process will continue to the next-place team and beyond until the tie is broken.
- 3) When arriving at another group of tied teams that each team has played, composite records between the tying teams shall be utilized to determine if one of the tied teams has won more games against the group of tied teams.
- 4) Combined conference winning percentage of all opponents defeated. Example: Team A’s four victories came over teams with a combined winning percentage of .388. Team B’s four victories came over teams with a combined winning percentage of .433. Team B is awarded the automatic bid.
- 5) If the procedures described previously fail to break the tie, the representative shall be determined by a blind drawing
Patriot
The Patriot League will play a conference championship game to determine its auto-bid.
Pioneer
When two teams are tied:
1. If there is a two-team tie in conference play and the two tied teams played each other, the winner of the head-to-head competition shall be declared the automatic qualifier (AQ).
2. If the tied teams did not play each other, then each team’s record against all common opponents in the league shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ.
3. If the teams are still tied, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the league standings shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ. [Clarifications: The record comparison against common opponents shall continue in descending order until the tie is broken.
4. If common teams played are tied in the standings, they will be regarded as a unit when determining records against. Example: If A/B/C are tied for first and next highest common opponents, D & E are tied, combined records against D & E will be used.]
5. If the teams are still tied, then the PFL “Strength of Victory” (combined record of PFL teams defeated) shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ;
6. If the teams are still tied, then the PFL “Strength of Schedule” (combined record of PFL teams played) shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ;
7. If the teams are still tied, a coin toss shall be used as the final tiebreaker.
When three or more teams are tied:
1. If at any point a tie is broken using the multiple-team tiebreaker procedures and only two teams remain tied, the remaining teams shall revert to the two-team tiebreaker procedures.
2. If the tied teams all played one another, the team with the best cumulative record involving games with the tied teams shall be declared the AQ. For example, if a team is 2-0 against two other tied teams, that team shall be declared champion.
3. If the tied teams all played one another and have identical records against the other tied teams, then each team’s record against all common opponents in the league shall be used to determine the AQ. If teams are still tied, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the league standings shall be used to determine the AQ.
4. If the tied teams did not play each other, but one team played and defeated all the other teams involved in the tie, that team is the AQ.
5. If the tied teams did not play each other, then each team’s record against all common league opponents shall be used to determine the champion. If teams are still tied and did not play each other, then each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the league standings shall be used to determine the AQ.
6. If the teams are still tied, then the PFL “Strength of Victory” (combined record of PFL teams defeated) shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ;
7. If the teams are still tied, then the PFL “Strength of Schedule” (combined record of PFL teams played) shall be used to break the tie and declare the AQ;
8. If the teams are still tied, the AQ shall be drawn by lot as the final tiebreaker.
SoCon
Championship Determination Tie-breaking Procedures: The Southern Conference champion shall be the team that finishes with the best won-loss percentage in Conference games during the regular season. In the case that two or more schools finish with identical won-loss records, they shall be declared co-champions.
NCAA Automatic Bid Tie-breaking Procedures: The Conference champion shall be awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, provided it is eligible to compete in the post-season under NCAA guidelines. In the event that co-champions are declared, the automatic bid will be awarded as follows:
1. In the case of a two-way tie, the automatic bid will be awarded to the winner of the game between the tied teams during the regular season;
2. In the event of a three-way tie, the won-loss records of the tied teams against each other is first considered (i.e., head to head concept). If the teams are still tied, then each team’s record against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie is considered. If the tie is still not broken, the teams’ won-loss record against the next highest seeded team not involved in the tie is considered and so on down the line until the tie is broken. If the tie is still not broken, the team with the fewest points allowed among the tied teams shall be considered. If this does not resolve the tie, then the automatic bid will be determined by a random draw conducted by the Commissioner;
3. In the event of multiple ties after a three-way tie, the same procedure as used to break a threeway tie will be applied until the tie is broken.
Southland
Postseason Procedures. The following procedures shall apply to how the Conference determines its automatic qualifying participant for the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Automatic NCAA Qualifier. The recipient of the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship shall be the team with the best record in the round-robin competition. In the event the Conference or NCAA prohibits a team from participation in postseason competition, it shall be eliminated from championship consideration. All other qualified teams are eligible for at-large selection. [11/08]
Tie-Breaking Procedures. The following procedures shall be utilized to determine the automatic bid recipient when NCAA Championship-eligible teams are tied for the top position.
Tie Between Two Teams. In case of a two-way tie for the championship, the team that defeated the other team shall be the automatic bid recipient. If the two (2) teams did not play one another, then the tied teams’ won-loss results against the next highest-positioned team(s) they both played shall be compared. This shall be continued through the final standings until one (1) team gains the advantage, thus the NCAA automatic bid. When comparing tied teams’ records against other teams in order above or below the tie in question, all other teams not involved in the tie are eligible to be compared with. [5/14]
Tie Between Three or More Teams. If three (3) or more teams tie for the championship, the same selection procedure as outlined in 6.03.02.01 shall be followed with the following exceptions:
(a) If three (3) or more teams are tied and if one (1) should have an advantage in head-to-head competition over the other teams, that team shall be the automatic bid recipient;
(b) If three (3) or more teams are tied and if two (2) or more should have an advantage in head-to-head competition over the other team, those teams with the advantage shall be evaluated using the twoway or multiple tie-breaking procedures and the other team eliminated; and/or
(c) If three (3) or more teams remain tied, and if the tied teams did not play each other, then the tied teams’ won-loss results against the next highest-positioned team(s) they each played shall be compared. This shall be continued through the final standings until one (1) team gains the advantage, thus the NCAA automatic bid. When comparing tied teams’ records against other teams below the tie in question, all other teams not involved in the tie are eligible to be compared with.
