In a sudden, but long-anticipated announcement, the Ivy League notified its teams and the rest of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) on Dec. 18 that the league would be allowed to participate in postseason football for the first time ever. The news was first reported by Pete Thamel for ESPN and was confirmed in a statement issued by the Ivy League.
“I am thrilled that the Ivy League will be participating in the FCS playoffs,” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 said in a statement. “I am most excited for the players that get the opportunity to enhance what is already an incredible experience in a historic league.”
“I know our players and coaches will continue to put all of our effort into doing everything possible to represent one of the most competitive leagues in college football,” he continued.
When the conference was founded in 1954, Ivy League football teams were allotted a total of nine games. Since an Ivy League rules change that increased that number to 10 in 1980, Ivy League members have never been able to play in games beyond that 10-game allotment. Now, the Tigers, along with other members of the “Ancient Eight,” will now have the chance to participate in the FCS playoffs and compete for a national championship.
While the Tigers won’t be competing against powerhouse programs like Alabama or Georgia — who are members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) — in postseason football, they will have a chance to extend their season to December.
But how did this actually come about?
The chance to play postseason football has long been desired by players and coaches across the Ivy League. Historically, the Ivy League football teams rejected their allotted FCS playoff, citing a focus on academics first and tradition.
Through a student-initiated process, the Ivy League has reversed their previous position and has decided to allow postseason football. The Ivy League’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) set the ball rolling on changing the League’s position and got as far as initiating a vote of the Ivy League Council of Presidents on the subject. The Council approved the change on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Princeton’s own Nick Hilliard, a senior offensive lineman on the football team, is a member of the SAAC and himself played a role in this change. The SAAC’s action was the first time that a formal proposal on the change had been made to the Ivy League Council of Presidents.
Should the Tigers make it to the playoffs in the 2025 season — or any season after — they would have to win up to five postseason games to be crowned champions.
It remains to be seen how the FCS will adapt the playoff format now that the Ivy League will be accepting their designated spots every year, but the current process is a 24-team playoff with the 10 winners of their conference given automatic bids and 14 other teams given at-large bids. Out of these 24 teams, the top eight are seeded and given byes to the second round, while the rest enter into the first round.
Under coach Surace, Princeton has had two ranked teams — in 2018 and 2021 — and it’s easy to imagine that teams like this would have had success if this playoff format were in place.
The 2018 team, in particular, was special. They ended the season undefeated (10–0) and ranked No. 9 in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and FCS Stats Media Poll, which was the highest ranking for an Ivy League team since 1986. At times in the season, they were also ranked No. 8, which would have guaranteed them a first-round bye if they had had access to the playoffs at the time.
Nevertheless, even in their best years, do not expect Princeton Football to go all the way and win the FCS Championship. In recent history, the competition has been dominated by North and South Dakota State, with these two teams winning it eight out of the last 10 years and appearing in every championship game in the same timeframe bar one.
Expect the focus to remain at the conference level for Princeton, with a game-by-game approach already being a familiar theme of coach Surace’s time at the helm. The opportunity for playoffs will merely be an additional bonus each year, should it come.
The Ivy League is still in the process of figuring out how to allot the automatic qualifier bid for the playoffs, given the likelihood of co-champions arising each year.
Going forward, the Tigers will be looking for every opportunity to make the most of this change, both on and off the field. Coach Surace is excited, to say the least, and he should be, given the ramifications it will have for players’ motivation, recruiting, and general interest in the League.
Time To Get To Work.
— Princeton Football (@PrincetonFTBL) December 19, 2024
Can you tell @CoachBobSurace is excited about the @NCAA_FCS playoff news? 😂#JUICE 🍊🥤 pic.twitter.com/YjjZUOGEYw
Princeton alone has had players go on to successful pro careers, including current Bengals’ wide receiver Andrei Iosivas ’23 and Vikings’ practice squad offensive lineman Henry Byrd ’23. The potential opportunity to showcase their talent on a larger stage will be invaluable for the many Tiger stars to come.
Regardless of when Princeton will see their first playoff appearance, the impact on the League will be immediate. There is a buzz around Ivy League Football which hasn’t been present for a while. Ivy League Football is back on the national stage, and it’s back in a big way — though it remains to be seen if the Orange and Black will have the chance to harness this opportunity in the near future.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Ivy League football teams have been allotted 10 games since the League‘s foundation. They actually started with nine allotted games, only increasing to 10 in 1980. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
Alex Beverton-Smith is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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