In college football, FCS stands for Football Championship Subdivision.
Basic meaning
FCS is one of the two subdivisions of NCAA Division I football, alongside the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). It is considered the second-highest level of college football below FBS but still within Division I.
How FCS is structured
The FCS level includes roughly 129 teams that are grouped into multiple conferences across the country. These schools play a full regular season schedule against conference and non-conference opponents.
Championship format
Unlike FBS, FCS determines its national champion with an NCAA-run playoff tournament. This playoff currently features 24 teams in a bracket-style format to decide the Division I FCS national champion.