History
Since the NCAA was originally organized to regulate big-time college football, it's ironic that it has no national championship for major college football teams. However, the NCAA does conduct post-season championship football tournaments for its smaller member schools.
Football playoffs began in 1964 when the NCAA established four regional championship games for what were then known as its "College Division" members. In 1969, the College Division was split into two groups, Division II and Division III, each with its own regional championship games.
The first national football championships took place in 1973, with the winners of the regional title games moving into the semi-finals in each division. Lousiana won the first Division II championship and Wittenberg was the first Division III champion.
Another major realignment came in 1979, when the NCAA established a Division I-AA for schools that have strong over-all athletic programs but aren't among the major football powers. The Division I-AA football tournament was inauguarated that year. Like the other two, it begins with four regional championship games leading up to semi-finals and then to the national championship game.