2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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The 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was 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 ended in November. The postseason began in November and, aside from any scheduled all-star games, ended on January 6, 2025 with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

2024 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams129
DurationAugust 24 – December 7
Payton AwardTommy Mellott, QB, Montana State
Buchanan AwardDavid Walker, DE, Central Arkansas
Playoff
DurationNovember 30 – December 21
Championship dateJanuary 6, 2025
Championship siteToyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ChampionNorth Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2024, FCS teams were allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the usual 11.

Conference changes and new programs

School 2023 conference 2024 conference Ref
Bryant Big South–OVC CAA
Kennesaw State FCS Independent CUSA (FBS)
Mercyhurst PSAC (D-II) NEC
Merrimack NEC FCS Independent
Robert Morris Big South–OVC NEC
Sacred Heart NEC FCS Independent
Stephen F. Austin United Southland
West Georgia Gulf South (D-II) United
Western Illinois MVFC Big South–OVC

Notable headlines

  • April 19 - The NCAA approved numerous technology rules such as teams having the option of using tablets to view in-game video for the 2024 season. Seven of the final eight playoff teams leveraged GameStrat's in-game video technology.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • August 27:
    • The oversight committees for FBS and FCS recommended that the transfer portal be open only for a 30-day period, starting on the Monday after conference championship games. This did not affect the previously existing exceptions for participants in postseason games, which allows players to enter the portal within a 5-day window after their team's final game, or players undergoing a coaching change. The Division I Council voted on the change in October.
    • Both oversight committees also approved a change to redshirt rules. Effective immediately, the participation limit of four games for redshirting players no longer includes postseason games. Relevant to FCS, this includes the SWAC championship game, the Celebration Bowl, and FCS playoff games.
  • October 9:
    • 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 replaced 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. The Council would approve this proposal at its January 2025 meeting, thereby reducing the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools 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.
  • December 18 - The Ivy League announced starting in the 2025 season, the league champion would participate in the NCAA Division I Championship.

Conference standings

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Montana State $^   8 – 0     15 – 1  
No. 5 UC Davis ^   7 – 1     11 – 3  
No. 7 Idaho ^   6 – 2     10 – 4  
No. 22 Northern Arizona ^   6 – 2     8 – 5  
No. 10 Montana ^   5 – 3     9 – 5  
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
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Big South–OVC football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Southeast Missouri State +^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Tennessee Tech +   6 – 2     7 – 5  
No. 17 UT Martin +^   6 – 2     9 – 5  
No. 19 Tennessee State +^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Lindenwood*   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Western Illinois   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Gardner–Webb   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.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 15 Richmond +^   8 – 0     10 – 3  
No. 9 Rhode Island* +^   7 – 1     11 – 3  
No. 12 Villanova ^   6 – 2     10 – 4  
Delaware*   6 – 2     9 – 2  
No. 23 New Hampshire ^   6 – 2     8 – 5  
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  
Albany   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Hampton   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Campbell   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Bryant   0 – 8     2 – 10  
North Carolina A&T   0 – 8     1 – 11  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * 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.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Ivy League football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Dartmouth +   5 – 2     8 – 2  
No. 25 Harvard +   5 – 2     8 – 2  
Columbia +   5 – 2     7 – 3  
Yale   4 – 3     7 – 3  
Cornell   3 – 4     4 – 6  
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
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 24 South Carolina State $   5 – 0     9 – 3  
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
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 +^   7 – 1     14 – 2  
No. 3 South Dakota State +^   7 – 1     12 – 3  
No. 4 South Dakota +^   7 – 1     11 – 3  
Missouri State *   6 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 11 Illinois State ^   6 – 2     10 – 4  
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  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Northeast Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Central Connecticut +^   5 – 1     7 – 6  
Duquesne +   5 – 1     8 – 3  
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
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Patriot League football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 20 Lehigh +^   5 – 1     9 – 4  
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
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Pioneer Football League standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Drake $^   7 – 1     8 – 3  
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
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southern Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Mercer $^   7 – 1     11 – 3  
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
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southland Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 Incarnate Word $^   7 – 0     11 – 3  
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.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 18 Jackson State xy$   8 – 1     12 – 2  
Florida A&M   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Alabama State   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Alabama A&M   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Bethune–Cookman   2 – 6     2 – 10  
Mississippi Valley State   1 – 7     1 – 11  
West Division
Southern xy   7 – 2     8 – 5  
Alcorn State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Texas Southern   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Prairie View A&M   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Grambling State   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Championship: Jackson State 41, Southern 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 United Athletic Conference standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 14 Abilene Christian $^   7 – 1     9 – 5  
No. 13 Tarleton State ^   6 – 2     10 – 4  
No. 21 Eastern Kentucky ^   6 – 2     8 – 5  
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.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Sacred Heart   –     5 – 6  
Merrimack   –     5 – 6  

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Montana State 12–0 (8–0) 14th 2023 Lost to North Dakota State in second round
Big South–OVC Southeast Missouri State 9–3 (6–2) 5th 2022 Lost to Montana in first round
CAA Football Richmond 10–2 (8–0) 14th 2023 Lost to Albany in second round
Missouri Valley Football Conference South Dakota State 10–2 (7–1) 14th 2023 Won National Championship against Montana
Northeast Conference Central Connecticut 7–5 (5–1) 3rd 2019 Lost to Albany in first round
Patriot League Lehigh 8–3 (5–1) 12th 2017 Lost to Stony Brook in first round
Pioneer Football League Drake 8–2 (7–1) 2nd 2023 Lost to North Dakota State in first round
Southern Conference Mercer 10–2 (7–1) 2nd 2023 Lost to South Dakota State in second round
Southland Conference Incarnate Word 10–2 (7–0) 4th 2022 Lost to North Dakota State in semifinal
United Athletic Conference Abilene Christian 8–4 (7–1) 1st N/A N/A

At-large qualifiers

Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Idaho 9–3 (6–2) 14th 2023 Lost to Albany in quarterfinals
UC Davis 10–2 (7–1) 3rd 2021 Lost to South Dakota State in first round
Montana 8–4 (5–3) 29th 2023 Lost to South Dakota State in National Championship
Northern Arizona 8–4 (6–2) 7th 2017 Lost to San Diego in first round
Big South–OVC UT Martin 8–4 (6–2) 3rd 2021 Lost to Montana State in second round
Tennessee State 9–3 (6–2) 7th 2013 Lost to Eastern Illinois in second round
CAA Football New Hampshire 8–4 (6–2) 18th 2022 Lost to Holy Cross in second round
Villanova 9–3 (6–2) 16th 2023 Lost to South Dakota State in quarterfinals
Rhode Island 10–2 (7–1) 4th 1985 Lost to Furman in quarterfinals
Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State 10–2 (7–1) 15th 2023 Lost to Montana in semifinal
South Dakota 9–2 (7–1) 4th 2023 Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals
Illinois State 9–3 (6–2) 9th 2019 Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals
United Athletic Conference Tarleton State 9–3 (6–2) 1st N/A N/A
Eastern Kentucky 8–4 (6–2) 22nd 2022 Lost to Gardner–Webb in second round

Abstentions

  • Ivy League – Harvard
  • Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
  • Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State

Postseason

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.

Bowl game

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec 14 Noon Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia 		USA: ABC
Canada: TSN1/4 		Jackson State Tigers
South Carolina State Bulldogs 		SWAC
MEAC 		Jackson State 28
South Carolina State 7

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

First Round
November 30
Campus sites
USA: ESPN+, ESPN2
Canada: TSN+ 		Second Round
December 7
Campus sites
ESPN+ 		Quarterfinals
December 13/14
Campus sites
USA: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+
Canada: TSN+ 		Semifinals
December 21
Campus sites
USA: ABC/ESPN+
Canada: TSN+ 		National Championship
January 6
7 p.m. EST
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
USA: ESPN/ESPN+
Canada: TSN2/TSN+
1 Montana State 49
16 New Hampshire 10 UT Martin 17
UT Martin 41 1 Montana State 52
8 Idaho 19
8 Idaho 34
9 Richmond 16 Lehigh 13
Lehigh 20 1 Montana State 31
4 South Dakota 17
5 UC Davis 42
12 Illinois State 35 12 Illinois State 10
Southeast Missouri State* 27 4 South Dakota 35
5 UC Davis 21
4 South Dakota 42
13 Tarleton State 43 13 Tarleton State 31
Drake 29 1 Montana State 32
2 North Dakota State 35
3 South Dakota State 35
14 Montana 41 14 Montana 18
Tennessee State 27 3 South Dakota State 55
6 Incarnate Word 14
6 Incarnate Word 13
11 Villanova 22 11 Villanova 6
Eastern Kentucky 17 3 South Dakota State 21
2 North Dakota State 28
7 Mercer 17
10 Rhode Island 21 10 Rhode Island 10
Central Connecticut 17 2 North Dakota State 31
7 Mercer 7
2 North Dakota State 51
15 Abilene Christian 24 15 Abilene Christian 31
Northern Arizona 0

* Hosted despite being the unseeded team (Illinois State unable to host due to facilities conflicts)

Source:

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
AFCA 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:
AFCA source:

Final rankings

Stats Perform
Ranking Team
1 North Dakota State (56)
2 Montana State
3 South Dakota State
4 South Dakota
5 UC Davis
6 Incarnate Word
7 Idaho
8 Mercer
9 Rhode Island
10 Montana
11 Illinois State
12 Villanova
13 Tarleton State
14 Abilene Christian
15 Richmond
16 Southeast Missouri State
17 UT Martin
18 Jackson State
19 Tennessee State
20 Lehigh
21 Eastern Kentucky
22 Northern Arizona
23 New Hampshire
24 South Carolina State
25 Harvard
AFCA Coaches
Ranking Team
1 North Dakota State (16)
2 Montana State
3 South Dakota State
4 South Dakota
5 UC Davis
6 Incarnate Word
7 Mercer
8 Idaho
9 Villanova
10 Illinois State
11 Rhode Island
12 Tarleton State
13 Montana
14 Abilene Christian
15 Jackson State
16 Richmond
17 Southeast Missouri State
18 UT Martin
19 Tennessee State
20 South Carolina State
21 Lehigh
22 Northern Arizona
23 Missouri State
24 New Hampshire
25 Eastern Kentucky

STATS source: AFCA source:

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 (Dakota Marker – Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
  • Week 9
    • No. 3 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 20–17OT (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
  • Week 11
    • No. 4 UC Davis defeated No. 7 Montana, 30–14 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana)
  • Week 12
    • No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 4 UC Davis, 30–28 (UC Davis Health Stadium, Davis, California)
  • Week 13
    • No. 4 South Dakota defeated No. 1 North Dakota State, 29–28 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, South Dakota)
    • No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 9 Montana, 34–11 (Brawl of the Wild – Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)

Upsets

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

Regular season

During the regular season, thirty-four 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
  • October 5, 2024
    • Weber State, 55, No. 8 Montana 48OT
    • 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 40OT
    • Stony Brook 35, No. 16 William & Mary 13
  • October 31, 2024
  • 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
  • November 9, 2024
    • Lindenwood 24, No. 6 Southeast Missouri State 12
    • Delaware 24, No. 11 Rhode Island 21
    • Eastern Kentucky 31, No. 16 Central Arkansas 24
    • Elon 40, No. 20 William & Mary 36
    • East Tennessee State 24, No. 22 Western Carolina 21
  • November 16, 2024
    • Monmouth 40, No. 9 Villanova 33
    • New Hampshire 31, No. 16 Stony Brook 30
    • Tennessee Tech 10, No. 18 UT Martin 9
    • Samford 36, No. 19 Chattanooga 13
    • Furman 24, No. 21 East Tennessee State 21
    • Southern Utah 38, No. 24 Central Arkansas 31
  • November 23, 2024
    • Stephen F. Austin 32, No. 11 Abilene Christian 19
    • Tennessee State 28, No. 12 Southeast Missouri State 21
    • Yale 34, No. 17 Harvard 29
    • Monmouth 55, No. 18 Stony Brook 47
    • Central Connecticut 21, No. 19 Duquesne 14

Postseason

FCS team wins over FBS teams

  • August 24:
  • September 7:
    • Saint Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
    • No. 7 Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
    • Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24OT
  • September 21:
    • Monmouth 45, FIU 42
  • September 28:

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 Previous position
Northern Iowa Mark Farley November 10, 2024 Retired Todd Stepsis Drake head coach (2019–2024)
Valparaiso Landon Fox November 24, 2024 Contract not renewed Andy Waddle Marietta head coach (2013–2024)
Prairie View A&M Bubba McDowell November 24, 2024 Fired Tremaine Jackson Valdosta State head coach (2022–2024)
McNeese Gary Goff November 25, 2024 Contract not renewed Matt Viator Louisiana senior defensive analyst (2021–2024)
Davidson Scott Abell November 26, 2024 Hired by Rice Saj Thakkar Bentley head coach (2023–2024)
Norfolk State Dawson Odums November 26, 2024 Fired Michael Vick Atlanta Legends advisor (2019)
North Dakota Bubba Schweigert November 30, 2024 Resigned Eric Schmidt San Diego State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2024)
Nicholls Tim Rebowe December 1, 2024 Retired Tommy Rybacki Nicholls defensive coordinator (2015–2024)
Colgate Stan Dakosty December 2, 2024 Fired Curt Fitzpatrick Cortland head coach (2020–2024)
Alabama A&M Connell Maynor December 2, 2024 Fired Sam Shade Miles head coach (2022–2024)
Drake Todd Stepsis December 3, 2024 Hired by Northern Iowa Joe Woodley Grand View head coach (2019–2024)
Delaware State Lee Hull December 3, 2024 Fired DeSean Jackson Woodrow Wilson (HS) (CA) offensive coordinator (2024)
Stetson Brian Young December 3, 2024 Resigned Michael Jasper Bethel (TN) head coach (2019–2024)
Butler Mike Uremovich December 4, 2024 Hired by Ball State Kevin Lynch Ball State assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach (2021–2024)
North Carolina A&T Vincent Brown December 4, 2024 Fired Shawn Gibbs Fort Valley State head coach (2022–2024)
Mississippi Valley State Kendrick Wade December 4, 2024 Fired Terrell Buckley Orlando Guardians head coach (2023)
Sacramento State Andy Thompson December 6, 2024 Resigned Brennan Marion UNLV offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023–2024)
East Tennessee State Tre Lamb December 8, 2024 Hired by Tulsa Will Healy Georgia State running backs coach (2024)
Idaho Jason Eck December 14, 2024 Hired by New Mexico Thomas Ford Oregon State running backs coach (2024)
South Dakota State Jimmy Rogers December 28, 2024 Hired by Washington State Dan Jackson Idaho defensive coordinator (2024)
South Dakota Bob Nielson January 16, 2025 Retired Travis Johansen South Dakota associate head coach and defensive coordinator (2022–2024)
Albany Greg Gattuso February 5, 2025 Hired as assistant coach by Penn State Jared Ambrose (interim) Albany assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach (2022–2024)
Tennessee State Eddie George March 9, 2025 Hired by Bowling Green Reggie Barlow DC Defenders head coach (2023–2024)

Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:

# College football team Average attendance
1 Jackson State Tigers 27,213
2 Montana Grizzlies 25,845
3 Montana State Bobcats 21,899
4 Tarleton State Texans 19,147
5 Alabama State Hornets 18,868
6 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 18,504
7 Southern Jaguars 18,463
8 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 17,329
9 Florida A&M Rattlers 17,043
10 North Dakota State Bison 16,789
11 Norfolk State Spartans 14,544
12 Sacramento State Hornets 14,047
13 South Carolina State Bulldogs 13,962
14 North Carolina A&T Aggies 13,265
15 Holy Cross Crusaders 12,084
16 Idaho Vandals 11,500
17 Alcorn State Braves 11,408
18 Grambling State Tigers 11,334
19 UC Davis Aggies 11,266
20 Harvard Crimson 11,079
21 The Citadel Bulldogs 10,225
22 Texas Southern Tigers 10,225
23 Northern Iowa Panthers 10,135
24 ETSU Buccaneers 9,881
25 Alabama A&M Bulldogs 9,803
26 Missouri State Bears 9,663
27 Prairie View A&M Panthers 9,448
28 Abilene Christian Wildcats 9,356
29 William & Mary Tribe 9,088
30 Youngstown State Penguins 8,974

See also

wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season, What is 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season? What does 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season mean?

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