List of NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearances by team
The list of current Football Championship Subdivision schools that have participated in the playoffs leading to the NCAA Division I Football Championship stands at 71. Prior to 2006 the FCS was known as Division I-AA before being renamed by the NCAA. The playoffs began with four teams in 1978 and last expanded to include 16 teams in 1987. The field expanded again to 20 teams beginning with the 2010 playoffs. The field expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2013.
Current FCS members
- Teams in bold participated in the 2019 postseason.
- Results updated through November 23, 2019
| Team | Appearances | First | Last | Wins | Losses | Total | Pct. | Championships |
| Albany Great Danes | 2 | 2011 | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Alcorn State Braves | 3 | 1984 | 1994 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Austin Peay Governors | 1 | 2019 | 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Bethune–Cookman Wildcats | 5 | 2002 | 2013 | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Butler Bulldogs | 1 | 2013 | 2013 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Cal Poly Mustangs | 4 | 2005 | 2016 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Central Arkansas Bears | 5 | 2011 | 2019 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| Central Connecticut Blue Devils | 2 | 2017 | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Charleston Southern Buccaneers | 1 | 2015 | 2015 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Chattanooga Mocs | 3 | 1984 | 2015 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||
| The Citadel Bulldogs | 5 | 1988 | 2016 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Colgate Raiders | 11 | 1982 | 2018 | 6 | 10 | 16 | ||
| Dayton Flyers | 1 | 2015 | 2015 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens | 16 | 1981 | 2018 | 22 | 14 | 36 | 2003 | |
| Delaware State Hornets | 1 | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Duquesne Dukes | 2 | 2015 | 2018 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| East Tennessee State Buccaneers | 2 | 1996 | 2018 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Eastern Illinois Panthers | 16 | 1982 | 2015 | 4 | 16 | 20 | ||
| Eastern Kentucky Colonels | 21 | 1979 | 2014 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 1979, 1982 | |
| Eastern Washington Eagles | 13 | 1985 | 2018 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 2010 | |
| Elon Phoenix | 3 | 2009 | 2018 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Florida A&M Rattlers | 7 | 1978 | 2001 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 1978 | |
| Fordham Rams | 5 | 2002 | 2015 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Furman Paladins | 18 | 1982 | 2019 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 1988 | |
| Grambling State Tigers | 3 | 1980 | 1989 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Hampton Pirates | 5 | 1997 | 2006 | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Holy Cross Crusaders | 3 | 1983 | 2019 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Howard Bison | 1 | 1993 | 1993 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Idaho Vandals | 11 | 1982 | 1995 | 6 | 11 | 17 | ||
| Idaho State Bengals | 2 | 1981 | 1983 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1981 | |
| Illinois State Redbirds | 8 | 1998 | 2019 | 8 | 7 | 15 | ||
| Incarnate Word Cardinals | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Indiana State Sycamores | 3 | 1983 | 2014 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Jackson State Tigers | 12 | 1978 | 1997 | 0 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 9 | 2003 | 2018 | 5 | 8 | 13 | ||
| James Madison Dukes | 16 | 1987 | 2019 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 2004, 2016 | |
| Kennesaw State Owls | 3 | 2017 | 2019 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Lafayette Leopards | 4 | 2004 | 2013 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Lamar Cardinals | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 11 | 1979 | 2017 | 6 | 11 | 17 | ||
| Maine Black Bears | 8 | 1987 | 2018 | 3 | 7 | 10 | ||
| McNeese State Cowboys | 16 | 1991 | 2015 | 11 | 16 | 27 | ||
| Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils | 1 | 1984 | 1984 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Missouri State Bears | 2 | 1989 | 1990 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Monmouth Hawks | 2 | 2017 | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Montana Grizzlies | 24 | 1982 | 2019 | 34 | 21 | 55 | 1995, 2001 | |
| Montana State Bobcats | 10 | 1984 | 2019 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 1984 | |
| Morgan State Bears | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Murray State Racers | 5 | 1979 | 2002 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| New Hampshire Wildcats | 16 | 1991 | 2017 | 14 | 16 | 30 | ||
| Nicholls State Colonels | 6 | 1986 | 2019 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Norfolk State Spartans | 1 | 2011 | 2011 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| North Carolina A&T Aggies | 5 | 1986 | 2016 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| North Dakota Fighting Hawks | 2 | 2016 | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| North Dakota State Bison | 10 | 2010 | 2019 | 36 | 2 | 38 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Northern Arizona Lumberjacks | 5 | 1996 | 2017 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Northern Iowa Panthers | 21 | 1985 | 2019 | 23 | 19 | 42 | ||
| Northwestern State Demons | 6 | 1988 | 2004 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Portland State Vikings | 2 | 2000 | 2015 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Rhode Island Rams | 3 | 1981 | 1985 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Richmond Spiders | 11 | 1984 | 2016 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 2008 | |
| Robert Morris Colonials | 1 | 2010 | 2010 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Sacramento State Hornets | 1 | 2019 | 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sacred Heart Pioneers | 2 | 2013 | 2014 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Saint Francis Red Flash | 1 | 2016 | 2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Sam Houston State Bearkats | 11 | 1986 | 2017 | 17 | 11 | 28 | ||
| Samford Bulldogs | 5 | 1991 | 2017 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| San Diego Toreros | 5 | 2014 | 2019 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| South Carolina State Bulldogs | 6 | 1981 | 2013 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| South Dakota Coyotes | 1 | 2017 | 2017 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 9 | 2009 | 2019 | 6 | 7 | 13 | ||
| Southeast Missouri State Redhawks | 3 | 2010 | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Southeastern Louisiana Lions | 3 | 2013 | 2019 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Southern Illinois Salukis | 8 | 1983 | 2009 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 1983 | |
| Southern Utah Thunderbirds | 3 | 2013 | 2017 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 6 | 1988 | 2014 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Stony Brook Seawolves | 4 | 2011 | 2018 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Tennessee State Tigers | 4 | 1986 | 2013 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles | 1 | 2011 | 2011 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Towson Tigers | 3 | 2011 | 2018 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| UC Davis Aggies | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| UT Martin Skyhawks | 1 | 2006 | 2006 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Villanova Wildcats | 13 | 1989 | 2019 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 2009 | |
| Wagner Seahawks | 1 | 2012 | 2012 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Weber State Wildcats | 7 | 1987 | 2019 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Western Carolina Catamounts | 1 | 1983 | 1983 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Western Illinois Leathernecks | 11 | 1988 | 2017 | 7 | 11 | 18 | ||
| William & Mary Tribe | 10 | 1986 | 2015 | 7 | 10 | 17 | ||
| Wofford Terriers | 10 | 2003 | 2019 | 8 | 8 | 16 | ||
| Youngstown State Penguins | 12 | 1987 | 2016 | 29 | 8 | 37 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 |
No appearances
- Big Sky Conference – Northern Colorado
- Big South Conference – Campbell, Gardner-Webb, North Alabama, Presbyterian
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina Central
- Northeast Conference – Bryant, LIU, Merrimack
- Patriot League – Bucknell, Georgetown
- Pioneer Football League – Davidson, Drake, Jacksonville, Marist, Morehead State, Stetson, Valparaiso
- Southern Conference – Mercer, VMI
- Southland Conference – Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist
- Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Arkansas–Pine Bluff, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern
Former FCS members
| Team | Appearances | First | Last | Wins | Losses | Total | Pct. | Championships |
| Akron Zips | 1 | 1985 | 1985 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Arkansas State Red Wolves | 4 | 1984 | 1987 | 6 | 4 | 10 | ||
| Appalachian State Mountaineers | 20 | 1986 | 2012 | 24 | 17 | 41 | 2005, 2006, 2007 | |
| Boise State Broncos | 5 | 1980 | 1994 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 1980 | |
| Boston University Terriers | 5 | 1982 | 1994 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 6 | 2006 | 2015 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Connecticut Huskies | 1 | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Florida Atlantic Owls | 1 | 2003 | 2003 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Georgia Southern Eagles | 19 | 1985 | 2012 | 45 | 13 | 58 | 1985, 1986, 1989 1990, 1999, 2000 | |
| Hofstra Pride | 5 | 1995 | 2001 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| Liberty Flames | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks | 4 | 1987 | 1993 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1987 | |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 2 | 1982 | 1984 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| Marshall Thundering Herd | 8 | 1987 | 1996 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 1992, 1996 | |
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 7 | 1984 | 1994 | 6 | 7 | 13 | ||
| Nevada Wolf Pack | 7 | 1978 | 1991 | 9 | 7 | 16 | ||
| North Texas Mean Green | 4 | 1983 | 1994 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Northeastern Huskies | 1 | 2002 | 2002 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Old Dominion Monarchs | 2 | 2011 | 2012 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Texas State Bobcats | 2 | 2005 | 2008 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Troy Trojans | 7 | 1993 | 2000 | 5 | 7 | 12 | ||
| UCF Knights | 2 | 1990 | 1993 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| UMass Minutemen | 8 | 1978 | 2007 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 1998 | |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 8 | 1987 | 2004 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 2002 |