VMI and Liberty University recently picked up a significant offseason football win.

The NCAA awarded the Big South Conference, to which the Keydets and Flames belong, an automatic bid to the playoffs of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) starting in 2010. That year, the postseason field will increase from 16 to 20. Along with the Big South, the Northeast Conference gains an automatic bid.

"We've been working and lobbying and politicking . . . fortunately, the NCAA made the right decision, and we're real excited about that," said VMI Athletic Director Donny White. "There's some pretty good football in the [Big South], and I think the league is just going to keep getting better and better."

Liberty coach Danny Rocco labeled the change "monumental" for the Big South. "It's been the biggest topic of discussion in every [Big South] coaches' meeting, every athletic directors' meeting, for the last 2½ years," Rocco said. "We certainly feel our league merits such a position in FCS football, [and] it's a big step."

Teams from the Big South and the Northeast Conference can gain automatic access to the 16-team playoffs in 2008 and 2009 by winning at least eight games vs. Division I opponents, winning at least two nonleague games vs. teams from automatic-bid leagues, and ranking at the end of the regular season No. 16 or higher (average of three predetermined FCS polls).

With those two new automatic bids for 2010 go a pair of new at-large bids.

"Obviously, this is something we've been pushing for for a long time," said Kyle Kallander, commissioner of the Big South. "Certainly, receiving an automatic bid does help the perception of your league."

The Big South advanced Coastal Carolina to the FCS postseason via at-large entry in 2006. That's the only Big South team that has qualified for the playoffs. The league has sponsored football since 2002.

Starting in 2010, FCS teams aiming to qualify for the playoffs will play 11 consecutive weeks without a bye so the expanded playoffs can begin a week earlier (weekend before Thanksgiving).

The annual championship-game date in mid-December was not moveable because of arrangements with ESPN and the FCS desire to complete its season before the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) programs commence with bowl games.

There periodically will be seasons, such as the coming one, when the calendar allows for 12 regular-season dates. An off weekend would then be possible.