2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

For the 2024 FBS season, see 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

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]

2024 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	129
Duration	August 24 – December 7
Playoff
Duration	November 30 – December 21
Championship date	January 6, 2025
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2023

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

• 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 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.

Conference changes and new programs

School	2023 conference	2024 conference	Ref
Bryant Bulldogs	Big South–OVC	CAA	[6]
Kennesaw State Owls	FCS Independent	CUSA (FBS)	[7]
Mercyhurst Lakers	PSAC (D-II)	NEC	[8]
Merrimack Warriors	NEC	FCS Independent	[9]
Robert Morris Colonials	Big South–OVC	NEC	[10]
Sacred Heart Pioneers	NEC	FCS Independent	[11]
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	UAC	Southland	[12]
West Georgia Wolves	Gulf South (D-II)	UAC	[13][14][15][16]
Western Illinois Leathernecks	MVFC	Big South–OVC	[17]

Conference standings

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Montana State   5 – 0     9 – 0   No. 4 UC Davis   5 – 0     8 – 1   No. 7 Montana   4 – 1     7 – 2   No. 9 Idaho   3 – 2     6 – 3   Northern Arizona   3 – 2     5 – 4   Weber State   2 – 3     3 – 6   Idaho State   2 – 3     4 – 5   Portland State   2 – 3     2 – 6   Sacramento State   1 – 4     3 – 6   Cal Poly   1 – 4     2 – 6   Eastern Washington   1 – 4     2 – 7   Northern Colorado   1 – 4     1 – 8   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Big South–OVC football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Southeast Missouri State   5 – 0     8 – 1   No. 19 UT Martin   4 – 1     6 – 3   Tennessee Tech   4 – 2     4 – 5   Tennessee State   3 – 2     6 – 3   Lindenwood*   3 – 3     4 – 6   Western Illinois   2 – 3     3 – 6   Gardner–Webb   2 – 3     3 – 6   Eastern Illinois   1 – 4     2 – 7   Charleston Southern   0 – 6     1 – 8   Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Rhode Island   5 – 0     8 – 1   No. 13 Richmond   5 – 0     7 – 2   Delaware*   4 – 1     7 – 1   No. 17 Stony Brook   4 – 1     7 – 2   No. 12 Villanova   4 – 1     7 – 2   No. 20 William & Mary   3 – 2     6 – 3   New Hampshire   3 – 2     5 – 4   Hampton   2 – 3     5 – 4   Maine   2 – 3     4 – 5   Monmouth   2 – 3     4 – 5   Towson   2 – 3     4 – 5   Elon   2 – 3     3 – 6   Albany   1 – 4     3 – 6   Campbell   1 – 4     3 – 6   Bryant   0 – 5     2 – 7   North Carolina A&T   0 – 5     1 – 8   * Delaware ineligible for rankings and 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Ivy League football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Harvard   3 – 1     6 – 1   Dartmouth   3 – 1     6 – 1   Columbia   3 – 1     5 – 2   Brown   2 – 2     3 – 4   Cornell   2 – 2     3 – 4   Yale   1 – 3     4 – 3   Penn   1 – 3     3 – 4   Princeton   1 – 3     2 – 5   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   South Carolina State   2 – 0     6 – 2   North Carolina Central   2 – 1     6 – 3   Howard   1 – 1     4 – 5   Morgan State   1 – 1     4 – 5   Norfolk State   1 – 2     3 – 7   Delaware State   0 – 2     1 – 8   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 North Dakota State   6 – 0     9 – 1   Missouri State*   5 – 0     7 – 2   No. 3 South Dakota State   4 – 1     7 – 2   No. 5 South Dakota   4 – 1     6 – 2   No. 18 Illinois State   3 – 2     6 – 3   Indiana State   3 – 2     4 – 5   No. 21 North Dakota   2 – 3     5 – 4   Youngstown State   2 – 4     3 – 7   Northern Iowa   0 – 5     2 – 7   Southern Illinois   0 – 5     2 – 7   Murray State   0 – 6     1 – 8   * Missouri State ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Northeast Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 25 Duquesne   4 – 0     6 – 2   Robert Morris   4 – 0     5 – 3   Central Connecticut   3 – 1     4 – 5   Wagner   2 – 2     4 – 6   LIU   2 – 2     2 – 7   Saint Francis (PA)   1 – 4     3 – 6   Mercyhurst*   0 – 3     2 – 7   Stonehill*   0 – 3     1 – 7   * – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Patriot League football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Holy Cross   3 – 0     4 – 5   Bucknell   2 – 1     4 – 5   Lehigh   2 – 1     5 – 3   Georgetown   2 – 2     5 – 4   Colgate   1 – 2     2 – 7   Lafayette   1 – 3     4 – 5   Fordham   1 – 3     1 – 8   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Pioneer Football League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Drake   5 – 0     6 – 1   Morehead State   4 – 1     6 – 3   St. Thomas (MN)*   4 – 1     5 – 4   Butler   3 – 2     7 – 2   Dayton   3 – 2     5 – 3   San Diego   3 – 2     5 – 3   Davidson   3 – 3     5 – 4   Presbyterian   2 – 4     4 – 6   Valparaiso   1 – 3     3 – 5   Stetson   0 – 4     2 – 6   Marist   0 – 6     0 – 9   * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southern Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Mercer   5 – 1     8 – 1   No. 22 Western Carolina   4 – 1     5 – 4   No. 23 Chattanooga   4 – 2     5 – 4   East Tennessee State   3 – 2     5 – 4   Samford   2 – 3     3 – 5   The Citadel   2 – 4     4 – 5   Wofford   2 – 4     4 – 5   Furman   1 – 3     2 – 6   VMI   1 – 4     1 – 8   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Southland Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Incarnate Word   4 – 0     7 – 2   Southeastern Louisiana   4 – 1     5 – 5   Stephen F. Austin   4 – 2     6 – 3   Lamar   2 – 2     5 – 4   Nicholls   2 – 2     4 – 5   McNeese   2 – 3     5 – 5   Houston Christian   1 – 3     3 – 6   Texas A&M–Commerce*   1 – 3     1 – 8   Northwestern State   0 – 4     0 – 9   * – Texas A&M–Commerce is ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division Jackson State   5 – 0     7 – 2   Alabama State   4 – 1     5 – 3   Florida A&M   3 – 1     5 – 3   Bethune–Cookman   2 – 3     2 – 7   Alabama A&M   1 – 3     3 – 5   Mississippi Valley State   0 – 5     0 – 9   West Division Southern   4 – 1     5 – 4   Alcorn State   3 – 2     4 – 5   Prairie View A&M   2 – 3     4 – 5   Texas Southern   2 – 3     3 – 5   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 – 3     3 – 6   Grambling State   1 – 4     4 – 5   As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 United Athletic Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Abilene Christian   5 – 1     6 – 3   No. 14 Tarleton State   4 – 1     7 – 2   No. 16 Central Arkansas   3 – 2     6 – 3   Eastern Kentucky   3 – 2     5 – 4   Southern Utah   3 – 2     4 – 5   Austin Peay   3 – 3     4 – 5   North Alabama   3 – 3     3 – 7   Utah Tech   1 – 5     1 – 9   West Georgia*   0 – 6     3 – 6   Note: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 4, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Merrimack   –     4 – 5   Sacred Heart   –     4 – 5   As of November 4, 2024

Postseason

The FCS will again feature 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 sixteen teams will be seeded this year, a new change from the 2023 season.^[3]

Bowl game

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 TBD	SWAC MEAC

Rankings

Main article: 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

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

Pre-season polls

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:^[18]
AFCA source:^[19]

Kickoff games

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

• FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Southeast Missouri State 37, North Alabama 15
• Hawaii 35, Delaware State 14
• No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
• MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Florida A&M 24, Norfolk State 23

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

• Week 6
  • No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 7 North Dakota, 41–17 (Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
• Week 7
  • No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 7 Idaho, 38–7 (Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)
• Week 8
  • No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 1 South Dakota State, 13–9 (Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
• Week 9
  • No. 3 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 20–17^OT (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
• Week 11
  • No. 4 UC Davis vs. No. 7 Montana (Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana)

Upsets

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

Regular season

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

• September 7, 2024
  • Wofford 26, No. 14 Richmond 19
  • Charleston Southern 24, No. 15 Furman 20
  • Campbell 24, No. 17 Western Carolina 16
• September 14, 2024
  • Lamar 17, No. 20 Weber State 16
  • Duquesne 28, No. 21 Youngstown State 25
  • Western Carolina 24, No. 22 Elon 17
• September 21, 2024
  • Columbia 31, No. 18 Lafayette 20
• September 28, 2024
  • Northern Arizona 34, No. 10 Sacramento State 16
  • Maine 34, No. 21 Albany 20
  • McNeese 28, No. 25 Weber State 26
• October 4, 2024
  • Harvard 28, No. 21 New Hampshire 23
• October 5, 2024
  • Weber State, 55, No. 8 Montana 48^OT
  • Towson 34, No. 12 William & Mary 27
  • Houston Christian 43, No. 22 McNeese 22
  • Chattanooga 17, No. 23 East Tennessee State 10
• October 12, 2024
  • North Alabama 47, No. 10 Abilene Christian 34
  • Missouri State 41, No. 16 Illinois State 7
  • Eastern Washington 35, No. 18 Sacramento State 28
  • Northern Colorado 21, No. 20 Weber State 17
  • Stephen F. Austin 27, No. 22 Lamar 20
• October 19, 2024
  • Maine 35, No. 5 Villanova 7
  • Samford 55, No. 7 Mercer 35
  • Jackson State 35, No. 25т Florida A&M 21
• October 26, 2024
  • Youngstown State 41, No. 7 North Dakota 40^OT
  • Stony Brook 35, No. 16 William & Mary 13
• October 31, 2024
  • South Carolina State 24, No. 19 North Carolina Central 21
• November 2, 2024
  • Utah Tech 34, No. 11 Central Arkansas 21
  • Eastern Kentucky 17, No. 13 Tarleton State 13
  • Indiana State 35, No. 15 North Dakota 31
  • Western Carolina 38, No. 18 Chattanooga 34
  • Harvard 31, No. 22 Dartmouth 27
  • UT Martin 28, No. 25 Tennessee State 21

FCS team wins over FBS teams

• August 24:
  • No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
• September 7:
  • Saint Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
  • No. 7 Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
  • Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24^OT
• September 21:
  • Monmouth 45, FIU 42
• September 28:
  • UT Martin 24, Kennesaw State 13

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

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

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

See also

• 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2024 NCAA Division II football season
• 2024 NCAA Division III football season
• 2024 NAIA football season
• 2024 U Sports football season

References

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. 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. "Coastal Athletic Association adding Bryant University in '24". ESPN.com. August 10, 2023.
7. "Kennesaw State to join Conference USA in July 2024". ESPN.com. October 14, 2022.
8. "Mercyhurst University marks new era in athletics with move to Division I". hurstathletics.com. Mercyhurst University. April 4, 2024.
9. "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference". merrimack.edu. Merrimack College. October 23, 2023.
10. "RMU Football to Rejoin Northeast Conference for 2024 Season". rmucolonials.com. Robert Morris University. November 28, 2023.
11. "Sacred Heart University Joining the MAAC". sacredheartpioneers.com. Sacred Heart University. March 14, 2024.
12. "SFA Accepts Bid to Southland Conference for 2024-25 Season". sfajacks.com. Stephen F. Austin State University. May 29, 2024.
13. "UWG, United Athletic Conference Reveal 2024 Conference Football Slate". uwgathletics.com. University of West Georgia. November 14, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
14. "UWG Athletics to Transition to NCAA Division I". westga.edu. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
15. "UAC Welcomes West Georgia as its 11th Member". uacfootball.com. United Athletic Conference. August 8, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
16. "University of West Georgia Announces Move to NCAA Division I". SI.com. September 8, 2023.
17. "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24". ovcsports.com. December 5, 2023.
18. "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.
19. "Two-time defending champs South Dakota State lead 2024 preseason FCS Coaches' Poll". ncaa.com. NCAA. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.