Several Bowl Subdivision and Championship Subdivision conferences have member institutions that do not compete in football (such schools are sometimes unofficially referred to as I-AAA).

Unofficially, the Bowl Subdivision is divided into two further subdivisions, "major conferences" (also known as "BCS Conferences") and "mid-majors."

The best-known are the two whose football teams compete in the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision, both of which are in the city of Los Angeles proper:

This is due in part to the large following football usually has at most Division I universities, especially those in the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Football teams in Division I are further divided into the Bowl Subdivision(consisting of the largest programs) and the Championship Subdivision.

The Bowl Subdivision does not have an organized tournament to determine its champion, and instead teams compete in post-season bowl games.

In total, 64 schools out of the 119 schools in the Bowl Subdivision had played in the post-season.

However, on December 1, the Golden Panthers finally broke a Football Bowl Subdivision leading 23-game losing skid with a 38-19 victory over North Texas.

The Boston College offense, which gained 319 yards per game on average, was ranked 94th (of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams) in total offense.

Several Bowl Subdivision and Championship Subdivision conferences have member institutions that do not compete in football.