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FBS vs FCS Games

updated January 21, 2024

FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) college football teams generally schedule 12 regular season opponents, and sometimes play additional post-season games in conference championships, bowl matchups, and in the College Football Playoff to conclude the season. The vast majority of games played are against fellow FBS opponents, but many teams also schedule one (or more) games against FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) opponents.

Since 2007, 98.5 percent of FBS teams have played at least one game against an FCS opponent. Five teams (Army, Clemson, North Carolina, South Florida, and Texas Tech) played an FCS opponent in each of the last 17 seasons. Two teams, Texas and USC, did not play an FCS opponent at any point in the span. In 2023, 117 of 133 FBS teams (88.0 percent) played at least one FCS opponent.

The majority of games played between FBS and FCS teams are non-competitive blowouts. FBS teams have significantly more program resources than FCS opponents, and games scheduled between the subdivisions are often penciled in as easy victories for the FBS teams long before kickoff. A total of 1,708 games were played between FBS and FCS teams since 2007 and 1,000 of them (58.6 percent) were decided by a final margin of victory of 25 or more points.

 

FBS Teams vs FCS Opponents

  

FBS Scoring

  

FBS Scoring Margin Distribution
Span Teams % FBS Games Record Win %   PF PA PM   DW SW MW NW NL ML SL DL
2007-23 132 .985 1708 1580-128 .925   42.9 14.2 28.7   .586 .143 .081 .115 .049 .009 .009 .008
 
Span Teams % FBS Games Record Win %   PF PA PM   DW SW MW NW NL ML SL DL
2007 78 .655 80 70-10 .875   39.4 14.5 24.9   .438 .250 .063 .125 .075 .025 .013 .013
2008 82 .683 87 85-2 .977   41.5 12.6 28.9   .563 .195 .115 .103 .011 .000 .011 .000
2009 87 .725 94 89-5 .947   40.9 11.8 29.1   .596 .138 .064 .149 .032 .011 .011 .000
2010 85 .708 90 83-7 .922   41.1 12.8 28.3   .589 .167 .056 .111 .078 .000 .000 .000
2011 93 .775 97 91-6 .938   43.0 14.8 28.2   .577 .206 .031 .124 .031 .010 .000 .021
2012 101 .815 108 98-10 .907   42.0 12.9 29.1   .620 .102 .093 .093 .046 .019 .028 .000
2013 106 .848 111 95-16 .856   42.9 15.6 27.3   .541 .090 .117 .108 .072 .027 .027 .018
2014 103 .805 108 100-8 .926   43.1 14.6 28.5   .583 .102 .093 .148 .065 .000 .009 .000
2015 102 .797 105 96-9 .914   45.3 14.6 30.7   .610 .143 .067 .095 .067 .010 .000 .010
2016 109 .852 113 103-10 .912   43.5 14.9 28.6   .593 .168 .071 .080 .080 .000 .009 .000
2017 98 .754 98 89-9 .908   42.2 14.7 27.6   .551 .143 .133 .082 .061 .010 .010 .010
2018 109 .838 112 105-7 .938   47.3 16.2 31.1   .643 .116 .080 .098 .045 .009 .009 .000
2019 109 .838 114 111-3 .974   43.0 13.9 29.1   .596 .114 .088 .175 .018 .000 .000 .009
2020 31 .244 36 34-2 .944   41.9 16.7 25.2   .500 .139 .111 .194 .000 .028 .000 .028
2021 116 .892 117 105-12 .897   42.0 14.5 27.5   .598 .111 .060 .128 .060 .017 .017 .009
2022 117 .893 120 112-8 .933   43.9 13.7 30.3   .650 .142 .050 .092 .033 .008 .008 .017
2023 117 .880 118 114-4 .966   42.9 13.3 29.6   .602 .153 .102 .110 .025 .000 .000 .008
 

Scoring data in the table above include the average points scored (PF) and allowed (PA) by FBS teams in the games, the average FBS scoring margin (PM), and the percentage of games resulting in a dominant win by the FBS team by 25 or more points (DW), a strong win by 17-24 points (SW), a moderate win by 9-16 points (MW), a narrow win by 1-8 points (NW), a narrow loss (NL), a moderate loss (ML), a strong loss (SL), or a dominant loss (DL).

Above average FBS teams, defined here as teams with a positive final FEI rating, have won 97.9 percent of games since 2007 against FCS opponents, with an average scoring margin of 36.1 points per game. Below average FBS teams have won 87.9 percent of games since 2007 against FCS opponents, with an average scoring margin of 22.2 points per game.

Note that this analysis does not consider variation in team strength among FCS opponents, and FEI ratings are produced from data that omit FCS game results entirely. Regardless, FBS teams that schedule FCS opponents expect to, and do, win these games consistently and comfortably.