FCS Playoffs: Low Budget, Lotsa Teams

For all the NCAA's hypocrisy and foibles, this crowd knows how to throw a party.

The finest 24 in the FCS get their knockout tournament under way this weekend.

The Divsion II and Division III brackets are already in progress.

Like the Big Dance in hoops, these events confirm champions. Surviving a few rounds leaves little doubt as to who should hoist the hardware.

Simply click on the image below to get a clearer picture of who's playing whom. And yes, the FCS tourney is the official NCAA Division I event:

There are no bloated bowl schedules and no old dudes running around in loud blazers or, in some cases, prison onesies. Losing to strong non-cons -- and sometimes coming close or winning those games, sometimes more than once -- actually builds a case for higher seeding.

It's all rather refreshing, really.