Q: What is the difference between FBS and FCS in college football?
—Karen Ermutlu, Alpharetta
A: The Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, and Football Championship Subdivision, known as FCS, are both part of the NCAA's Division I classification for football.
FBS, formerly Division I-A, consists of 128 programs. The top teams play in bowl games and for the College Football Playoff national championship.
FCS, formerly Division I-AA, teams can advance to a yearly national 24-team tournament.
FCS programs “have to meet minimum attendance requirements (average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game), which must be met once in a rolling two-year period,” NCAA.org states. FBS programs don’t have a required attendance policy.
FBS programs can give 85 scholarships. FCS programs have 63 scholarships.
Q: Do you know if the Christmas music program from Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn., will be broadcast on Channel 8? If so, when?
—Pat Brown, Athens
A: Georgia Public Broadcasting will televise "Christmas at Belmont" at 10 p.m. on both Dec. 21 and Christmas Eve.
Country music recording artist Kathy Mattea is the host of the 125th anniversary edition of “Christmas at Belmont,” which also features the Nashville Children’s Choir.
The University Symphony Orchestra, Belmont Chorale, Percussion Ensemble, Musical Theatre, Jazz Ensemble, Bluegrass Ensemble and a mass choir will form a 700-person group of student musicians.
This is the 13th consecutive year that PBS has televised “Christmas at Belmont.”
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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