Thirty-one conferences have been awarded automatic qualification for the championship. One team has been selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final fourteen berths are reserved for Pool C, which includes the remaining institutions in conferences with automatic qualification that are not the conference champion plus remaining independents and members of non-qualifying conferences.

Thirteen first-round games will be conducted Saturday, May 11 and one on Friday, May 10 with the winners advancing to the second round. Fifteen second-round games will be conducted on Sunday, May 12 and one on Saturday, May 11 with the winners advancing to one of four regional sites Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19. Winners of the four regionals will advance to the semifinals and final, which take place Saturday and Sunday, May 24-26 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem will serve as hosts for the championship.