FCS Playoffs Remind Me That the FBS Has It All Wrong

It still boggles my mind every year that FCS, Division II, and Division III all have a playoff bracket that features a plethora of teams and is not limited to just four schools or even two in the BCS era. Division II and III have already kicked off, but this Saturday marks the beginning of the FCS Playoffs.
North Dakota State is once again the favorite after going undefeated. The Bison (pronounced Bizon) have won six of the last seven championship games, with James Madison claiming the other title in 2016.
Here's a preview of the playoffs:

First Round:
(8-3)(7-4)
The Dukes are looking for their first title since 2003 while the Tigers best finish was a 2013 loss in the semifinals. Duquesne earned an automatic bid when they won the NEC after scoring with under two minutes left to knock off Central Connecticut State. Two of their three losses were to FBS schools UMass and Hawai'i. Towson is led by Tom Flacco, the younger brother of Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco. The Tigers are 2-3 this year against teams in the playoffs. The winner advances to take on South Dakota State (8-2).

(6-4)(8-3)
The Elon Phoenix are hoping to win a title since they did so in the NAIA in 1980 and 1981, but back then they were known as the Fighting Christians. The Wofford Terriers have never won, but are hoping to end that streak. Elon has lost its last two heading into the postseason while Wofford has won four of its last five. The winner heads to Kennesaw State (10-1) next.

(7-4)(8-3)
The Stony Brook Seawolves hope this year is finally their year to make it out of the second round in the playoffs. Southeast Missouri State hopes to hand them their first loss in the first round of the playoffs. The Redhawks have one only previous appearance in the playoffs in 2010 that resulted in a first round loss. The winner heads West to Weber State (9-2).

(6-4)(7-4)
Incarnate Word will make their first FCS Playoff appearance. Their 6-4 finish is the best record to end a regular season since moving up in 2009. As for Montana State, they've got three National Titles under their belt, but none since 1984. A win for the Cardinals could spell trouble for Iowa State as they scheduled Incarnate Word in place of South Dakota State on Dec. 1, after the Jackrabbits and Cyclones had their game postponed in week 1. It's tough to tell whether IWU wants to see a Big 12 school or the reigning FCS National Champs, as North Dakota State (11-0) lies ahead for the winner.

(7-4)(8-3)
A match-up between to Colonial Athletic teams who did not face each other in the regular season, it's also a showdown between two schools with deep history. Delaware has six National Championships with the most recent coming in 2003 while James Madison has two. They dethroned Delaware in 2004 and are the only team not named the Bison to win since 2011 when they did so in 2016. The winner of this game gets one of the top defenses in college football. The Colgate Raiders (9-1) allowed just 29 total points in their first nine games and had a 14-game winning streak snapped only by a visit to Army, who held off Colgate 28-14.

(9-2)(8-3)
Perhaps no one besides Hawai'i travels farther than San Diego does for conference play. The Toreros went 8-0 in the Pioneer despite their road games being played in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, New York, and one in California. They've made the playoffs the last two years and both times watched their season end at the hands of unstoppable force known as the Bison. Nicholls can boast and FBS win when they stunned Kansas to start the season. The Colonels were bounced in the first round last year by South Dakota. The winner will move on to face Eastern Washington (9-2).

(7-4)(6-5)
The thorn in the side of Iowa State and Iowa, Northern Iowa can be a forced to be reckoned with, but have not found the ability to pull off big wins against the likes of conference foe North Dakota State. Last year it was South Dakota State that ended the Panthers run in the playoffs. As for Lamar, they looked like they couldn't shake off a 77-0 loss to Texas Tech and dropped three more after that. However, they have currently won six straight including a win over Incarnate Word thanks to a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. The winner heads to California to face UC Davis (9-2).

(8-3)(8-3)
East Tennessee State is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1996 when they were booted out in the second round. Jacksonville State hopes to bring the state of Alabama another championship when they did so at the Division II level in 1992. The winner of this one gets Maine (8-3), who nearly picked up two wins against FBS schools en route to winning the CAA.