The game serves as the final match of an annual postseason bracket tournament between top teams in FCS.

In the inaugural season of Division I-AA, the 1978 postseason included just four teams; three regional champions (East, West, and South) plus an at-large selection.

[6] Initially, the tournament was played in December; since the expansion to twelve teams in 1982, earlier rounds have been held in late November.

[9] In April 2008, the NCAA announced that the playoff field would expand to 20 teams in 2010, with the Big South and Northeast Conference earning automatic bids for the first time.

The playoffs expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2013, with the champion of the Pioneer Football League receiving an automatic bid for the first time.

[21] There have been six instances where a team whose venue was predetermined to host the final game advanced to play for the championship on its own field.

The Ivy League has been at the FCS level since 1982 and prohibits its members from awarding athletic scholarships in any sport and plays a strict ten-game regular season.

[24] The MEAC and SWAC, two conferences consisting of historically black colleges and universities, opt to play the Celebration Bowl (which was established in 2015) instead of the FCS tournament.

Teams from the MEAC and SWAC may accept at-large bids, so long as they aren't committed to other postseason games that would conflict with the tournament.

The most recent MEAC and SWAC teams to accept bids were the 2023 North Carolina Central Eagles and 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers, respectively.

For each season since the inaugural year of Division I-AA play, 1978, the following table lists the date of each title game and the champion.

[27] The score and runner-up are also noted, along with the host city, game attendance, and head coach of the championship team.

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by team, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).

The following table summarizes appearances in the final, by conference, since the 1978 season, the first year of Division I-AA (the predecessor of FCS).