April 16th, 2025 2:00pm
From NCAA media center:
The Division II Management Council this week supported a recommendation to expand the Division II Football Championship bracket from 28 to 32 teams, starting with the 2025 championship. The recommendation needs final approval from the Division II Executive Board, which meets Tuesday.
This recommendation stemmed from two key actions at the 2025 NCAA Convention. First, the Division II Executive Board approved new exceptions to the triennial budget process that allow bracket changes when championship policies change. Second, Division II members voted to make football an automatic qualification sport, replacing the earned-access model.
According to Division II championship policy, bracket expansion must be considered when automatic qualifiers make up more than 50% of the field. With 16 conferences eligible for automatic qualification in 2025, 57% of the current 28-team bracket would be composed of automatic qualifiers. To accommodate this shift, the bracket would need to expand to 32 teams. There will be no change to the championship date formula. However, the four No. 1 seeds will no longer receive byes under this new format.
"This move toward expansion reflects our commitment to fairness and opportunity across Division II football," said Roberta Page, director of athletics at Slippery Rock and chair of the Management Council. "As the division adds automatic qualification in football for the first time this fall, it's essential that our championship structure evolves to match that growth. Most importantly, this change gives more student-athletes the chance to compete for a national title and be part of the championship experience they've worked so hard to reach."