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2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 14 min
For the 2024 FBS season, see 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2024 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams129
DurationAugust 24 – December 7
Playoff
DurationNovember 30 – December 21
Championship dateJanuary 6, 2025
Championship siteToyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
 

The 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular season began on August 24 and ends in November. The postseason begins in November and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, will end on January 6, 2025, with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.[1]

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2024, FCS teams will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the normal 11.[2]

Notable headlines

[edit]
  • April 25 – The NCAA approved an increase in the number of seeded teams in the FCS playoff bracket from 8 to 16, effective for the 2024 season. The number of qualifying teams and the bracket format will remain otherwise unchanged.[3]
  • May 29 – Stephen F. Austin announced it would leave the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1 to rejoin the Southland Conference (SLC) after a three-year absence.[4]
  • October 9:[5]
    • The NCAA Division I Council approved the recommended reduction of the FBS and FCS transfer portal to 30 days, though with a different schedule than recommended. The fall window, which opens on the Monday after the FBS conference championship games, will be open only for 20 days. A 10-day spring portal will open in mid-April.
    • The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.
    • The Council introduced a proposal that would shorten the transition periods for schools wishing to reclassify from Division II or Division III to Division I. If approved at the Council's January 2025 meeting, the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools would drop by a year, respectively to three and four years.
  • November 7 – Texas A&M University-Commerce announced a name change to East Texas A&M University, effective immediately.[6]

Conference changes and new programs

[edit]
School 2023 conference 2024 conference Ref
Bryant Bulldogs Big South–OVC CAA [7]
Kennesaw State Owls FCS Independent CUSA (FBS) [8]
Mercyhurst Lakers PSAC (D-II) NEC [9]
Merrimack Warriors NEC FCS Independent [10]
Robert Morris Colonials Big South–OVC NEC [11]
Sacred Heart Pioneers NEC FCS Independent [12]
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks UAC Southland [13]
West Georgia Wolves Gulf South (D-II) UAC [14][15][16][17]
Western Illinois Leathernecks MVFC Big South–OVC [18]

Conference standings

[edit]
2024 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Montana State $^   8 – 0     12 – 0  
No. 5 UC Davis ^   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 7 Idaho ^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 17 Northern Arizona ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 13 Montana ^   5 – 3     8 – 4  
Idaho State   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Eastern Washington   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Weber State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Portland State   3 – 5     3 – 8  
Cal Poly   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Sacramento State   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Northern Colorado   1 – 7     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Big South–OVC football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Southeast Missouri State +^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 21 Tennessee State +^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 23 UT Martin +^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Tennessee Tech +   6 – 2     7 – 5  
Lindenwood*   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Gardner–Webb   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Western Illinois   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Eastern Illinois   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Charleston Southern   0 – 8     1 – 11  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 Richmond +^   8 – 0     10 – 2  
No. 10 Rhode Island* +^   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 12 Villanova ^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
Delaware*   6 – 2     9 – 2  
No. 19 New Hampshire ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 24 Stony Brook   5 – 3     8 – 4  
Towson   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Elon   5 – 3     6 – 6  
William & Mary   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Monmouth   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Maine   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Hampton   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Albany   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Campbell   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Bryant   0 – 8     2 – 10  
North Carolina A&T   0 – 8     1 – 11  
* Delaware ineligible for rankings and 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS. Richmond and Rhode Island named co-champions as Rhode Island's only CAA loss was to Delaware.
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Dartmouth +   5 – 2     8 – 2  
No. 25 Harvard +   5 – 2     8 – 2  
Columbia +   5 – 2     7 – 3  
Cornell   3 – 4     4 – 6  
Yale   3 – 4     6 – 4  
Penn   2 – 5     4 – 6  
Brown   2 – 5     3 – 7  
Princeton   2 – 5     3 – 7  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 20 South Carolina State $   5 – 0     9 – 2  
North Carolina Central   4 – 1     8 – 3  
Morgan State   3 – 2     6 – 6  
Norfolk State   2 – 3     4 – 8  
Howard   1 – 4     4 – 8  
Delaware State   0 – 5     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 South Dakota State +^   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 3 North Dakota State +^   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 4 South Dakota +^   7 – 1     9 – 2  
Missouri State*   6 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 11 Illinois State ^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
Youngstown State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Indiana State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
North Dakota   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Southern Illinois   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Northern Iowa   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Murray State   0 – 8     1 – 11  
* Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Duquesne +   5 – 1     8 – 3  
Central Connecticut +^   5 – 1     7 – 5  
Robert Morris   4 – 2     7 – 5  
LIU   3 – 3     4 – 8  
Wagner   2 – 4     4 – 8  
Saint Francis (PA)   2 – 4     4 – 7  
Mercyhurst*   0 – 0     4 – 7  
Stonehill*   0 – 6     1 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • * – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Lehigh +^   5 – 1     8 – 3  
Holy Cross +   5 – 1     6 – 6  
Bucknell   4 – 2     6 – 6  
Lafayette   2 – 4     6 – 6  
Georgetown   2 – 4     5 – 6  
Fordham   2 – 4     2 – 10  
Colgate   1 – 5     2 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Drake $^   7 – 1     8 – 2  
San Diego   6 – 2     8 – 3  
Butler   5 – 3     9 – 3  
Morehead State   5 – 3     7 – 5  
St. Thomas (MN)*   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Dayton   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Davidson   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Presbyterian   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Valparaiso   2 – 5     4 – 7  
Marist   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Stetson   0 – 7     2 – 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Mercer $^   7 – 1     10 – 2  
Western Carolina   6 – 2     7 – 5  
Chattanooga   5 – 3     7 – 5  
East Tennessee State   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Samford   3 – 4     4 – 7  
The Citadel   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Wofford   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Furman   2 – 5     3 – 8  
VMI   1 – 7     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southland Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 Incarnate Word $^   7 – 0     10 – 2  
Southeastern Louisiana   6 – 1     7 – 5  
Stephen F. Austin   4 – 3     7 – 5  
Lamar   4 – 3     7 – 5  
McNeese   3 – 4     6 – 6  
Houston Christian   3 – 4     5 – 7  
East Texas A&M*   2 – 4     3 – 9  
Nicholls   2 – 5     4 – 8  
Northwestern State   0 – 7     0 – 12  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – East Texas A&M is ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 18 Jackson State xy   8 – 0     10 – 2  
Alabama State   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Alabama A&M   4 – 3     6 – 5  
Florida A&M   4 – 3     6 – 5  
Bethune–Cookman   2 – 6     2 – 10  
Mississippi Valley State   1 – 7     1 – 11  
West Division
Southern xy   6 – 1     7 – 4  
Alcorn State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Texas Southern   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Prairie View A&M   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Grambling State   2 – 5     5 – 6  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Championship: Jackson State vs. Southern
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 United Athletic Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 15 Abilene Christian $^   7 – 1     8 – 4  
No. 14 Tarleton State ^   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 22 Eastern Kentucky ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Southern Utah   6 – 2     7 – 5  
Central Arkansas   3 – 5     6 – 6  
Austin Peay   3 – 5     4 – 8  
North Alabama   3 – 5     3 – 9  
West Georgia*   1 – 7     4 – 7  
Utah Tech   1 – 7     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Note: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
As of November 26, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Sacred Heart   –     5 – 6  
Merrimack   –     5 – 6  

Playoff qualifiers

[edit]

Automatic berths for conference champions

[edit]
Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Montana State 14th 2023 Second round - (L - North Dakota State)
Big South–OVC Southeast Missouri State 5th 2022 First round - (L - Montana)
CAA Football Richmond 14th 2023 Second round - (L - Albany)
Missouri Valley Football Conference South Dakota State 14th 2023 National Champion - (W - Montana)
Northeast Conference Central Connecticut 3rd 2019 First round - (L - Albany)
Patriot League Lehigh 12th 2017 First round - (L - Stony Brook)
Pioneer Football League Drake 2nd 2023 First round - (L - North Dakota State)
Southern Conference Mercer 2nd 2023 Second round - (L - South Dakota State)
Southland Conference Incarnate Word 4th 2022 Semifinal - (L - North Dakota State)
United Athletic Conference Abilene Christian 1st None None

At large qualifiers

[edit]
Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Idaho 14th 2023 Quarterfinals - (L - Albany)
UC Davis 3rd 2021 First round - (L - South Dakota State)
Montana 29th 2023 National Runner-up - (L - South Dakota State)
Northern Arizona 7th 2017 First round - (L - San Diego)
Big South–OVC UT Martin 3rd 2021 Second round - (L - Montana State)
Tennessee State 7th 2013 Second round - (L - Eastern Illinois)
CAA Football New Hampshire 18th 2022 Second round - (L - Holy Cross)
Villanova 16th 2023 Quarterfinals - (L - South Dakota State)
Rhode Island 4th 1985 Quarterfinals - (L - Furman)
Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State 15th 2023 Semifinals - (L - Montana)
South Dakota 4th 2023 Quarterfinals - (L - North Dakota State)
Illinois State 9th 2019 Quarterfinals - (L - North Dakota State)
United Athletic Conference Tarleton State 1st None None
Eastern Kentucky 22nd 2022 Second round - (L - Gardner–Webb)

Abstentions

[edit]

Postseason

[edit]

The FCS again features a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). Where previously the top eight teams were seeded, the top 16 teams were seeded this year, a change from the 2023 season.[3]

Bowl game

[edit]
Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 14 12:00 p.m. Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia 		USA: ABC
Canada: TSN 		TBD
South Carolina State 		SWAC
MEAC

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

[edit]
First Round
November 30
Campus sites
ESPN+ 		Second Round
December 7
Campus sites
ESPN+ 		Quarterfinals
December 13/14
Campus sites
ABC, ESPN Networks 		Semifinals
December 21
Campus sites
ABC 		National Championship
January 5
7 p.m. EST
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ESPN
1 Montana State
16 New Hampshire    
UT Martin    
   
8 Idaho
9 Richmond    
Lehigh    
   
5 UC Davis
12 Illinois State    
Southeast Missouri State*    
   
4 South Dakota
13 Tarleton State    
Drake    
   
3 South Dakota State
14 Montana    
Tennessee State    
   
6 Incarnate Word
11 Villanova    
Eastern Kentucky    
   
7 Mercer
10 Rhode Island    
Central Connecticut    
   
2 North Dakota State
15 Abilene Christian    
Northern Arizona

* Hosting despite being the unseeded team (Illinois State unable to host due to facilities conflicts)[19]

Source:[20]

Rankings

[edit]
Main article: 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

[edit]
Stats Perform
Ranking Team
1 South Dakota State (52)
2 North Dakota State (3)
3 Montana
4 Montana State (1)
5 South Dakota
6 Villanova
7 Idaho
8 Sacramento State
9 Chattanooga
10 Southern Illinois
11 Central Arkansas
12 Furman
13 Richmond
14 Incarnate Word
15 William & Mary
16 Albany
17 Lafayette
18 UC Davis
19 Illinois State
20 Western Carolina
21 Tarleton State
22 Weber State
23 Nicholls
24 North Dakota
25 Youngstown State
USA Today Coaches
Ranking Team
1 South Dakota State (25)
2 North Dakota State
3 Montana
4 Montana State
5 South Dakota
6 Villanova
7 Idaho
8 Chattanooga
9 Furman
10 Sacramento State
11 Southern Illinois
12 Richmond
13 Central Arkansas
14 Albany
15 Incarnate Word
16 William & Mary
17 UC Davis
18 Lafayette
19 Western Carolina
20 Illinois State
21 Tarleton State
22 North Dakota
23 Youngstown State
24 Nicholls
25 Florida A&M (1)

STATS source:[21]
AFCA source:[22]


Kickoff games

[edit]

The regular season began on Saturday, August 24 with four games in Week 0:

Regular season top 10 matchups

[edit]

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

Upsets

[edit]

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

[edit]

During the regular season, thirty-four unranked teams defeated ranked teams.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

[edit]

Coaching changes

[edit]

Preseason and in-season

[edit]

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2024, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2024, see 2023 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement

End of season

[edit]

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement Previous position
Northern Iowa Mark Farley November 10, 2024 Retiring[23]
Valparaiso Landon Fox November 24, 2024 Contract not renewed[24]
Prairie View A&M Bubba McDowell November 24, 2024 Fired[25]
McNeese Gary Goff November 25, 2024 Contract not renewed[26]
Davidson Scott Abell November 26, 2024 Hired by Rice[27]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FCS Championship: Future dates and sites". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bylaw 17.11.6.1: Number of Contests (FBS/FCS): Maximum Limitations – Institutional" (PDF). 2023–24 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 5, 2023. p. 263. Retrieved August 2, 2024. In championship subdivision football . . . Twelve football contests shall be permissible during those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November (e.g., 2024, 2025).
  3. ^ a b Herder, Sam (April 25, 2024). "Seeded Teams In 24-Team FCS Playoff Bracket Increases From 8 To 16". HeroSports.com. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "SFA Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25" (Press release). Southland Conference. May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "DI Council approves changes to notification-of-transfer windows in basketball, football" (Press release). NCAA. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Approves Name Change for Texas A&M University-Commerce" (Press release). East Texas A&M University. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Coastal Athletic Association adding Bryant University in '24". ESPN.com. August 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "Kennesaw State to join Conference USA in July 2024". ESPN.com. October 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "Mercyhurst University marks new era in athletics with move to Division I". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. April 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference". merrimack.edu. Merrimack College. October 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "RMU Football to Rejoin Northeast Conference for 2024 Season". rmucolonials.com. Robert Morris University. November 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Sacred Heart University Joining the MAAC". sacredheartpioneers.com. Sacred Heart University. March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "SFA Accepts Bid to Southland Conference for 2024-25 Season". sfajacks.com. Stephen F. Austin State University. May 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "UWG, United Athletic Conference Reveal 2024 Conference Football Slate". uwgathletics.com. University of West Georgia. November 14, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "UWG Athletics to Transition to NCAA Division I". westga.edu. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "UAC Welcomes West Georgia as its 11th Member". uacfootball.com. United Athletic Conference. August 8, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Chavkin, Daniel (September 8, 2023). "University of West Georgia Announces Move to NCAA Division I". SI.com.
  18. ^ "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24". ovcsports.com. December 5, 2023.
  19. ^ Tock, Olivia; Randle, Luke (November 23, 2024). "SEMO Redhawks selected to host Illinois State in FCS Playoffs". KFVS-TV. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Treacy, Dan (November 24, 2024). "FCS playoff bracket: Full list of selections, schedule and seeds for 2024 college football playoffs". The Sporting News. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Champ's Still No. 1: South Dakota State Sits on Top of FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "Two-time defending champs South Dakota State lead 2024 preseason FCS Coaches' Poll". ncaa.com. NCAA. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "UNI Football head coach Mark Farley to retire at conclusion of 2024 season". unifootball.com. Northern Iowa Panthers. November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Valpo Athletics Announces Change in Leadership of Football Program" (Press release). Valparaiso Beacons. November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  25. ^ Kleinpeter, Jim (November 24, 2024). "Prairie View fires football coach Bubba McDowell". The Advocate. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  26. ^ "McNeese Announces Football Leadership Change". McNeese State University Athletics. November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  27. ^ "Abell Named Owls' New Head Football Coach" (Press release). Rice University Athletics. November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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