2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2016 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 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was played on January 7, 2017, in Frisco, Texas. The James Madison Dukes defeated the Youngstown State Penguins, 28–14, to capture their second national championship in team history.

Rule changes
The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:


 * Requiring replay officials to review all aspects of targeting penalties, including the option to call a targeting foul missed by the on-field officials if the foul is deemed egregious.
 * Allowing electronic devices to be used for coaching purposes in the press box and locker room during the game. Electronic devices will still be prohibited on the field and sideline.
 * Coaches can now be ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in one game, the same as players.
 * A ball carrier who "gives himself up" (e.g., by sliding) will now be considered a defenseless player.
 * Deliberate tripping of a ball carrier with the leg is now a penalty (15 yards for tripping).
 * Players who leave the tackle box are now prohibited from blocking below the waist toward the initial position of the ball.
 * An exception to a rule introduced for the 2015 season regarding low hits to passers (i.e., at or below the knee) was eliminated. Last season, a defensive player would not have been penalized for such a hit if making a bona fide attempt at a tackle, but will now be penalized in the same situation.
 * Teams attempting a scrimmage kick (field goals/PATs/punts) must have five offensive linemen (numbered 50–79) on the scrimmage line unless the kicking team has at least two players seven yards OR one player at least 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Previously only one player had to be lined up seven yards behind the line to avoid using five linemen, causing confusion in kick coverage on defense.

The committee, once again, took no action on changing the ineligible receiver downfield rule from three yards to one yard; however it will once again be a "point of emphasis" and will adjust officiating mechanics to better officiate those plays.

In addition to the above changes, the NCAA approved an experimental rule on kickoffs and touchbacks to be used this season by the Ivy League in conference games only. In those games, kickoffs were taken from the 40-yard line instead of the 35, and touchbacks were brought back to the 20-yard line instead of the 25. The Ivies proposed the experiment in the interest of player safety, believing that increasing the frequency of touchbacks would reduce injury risk from kick returns. The Ivies were scheduled to report the results of the experiment to the NCAA in February 2017.

Notable headlines

 * April 20 – The NCAA banned five schools from the 2016 postseason for failure to meet Academic Progress Rate criteria: Florida A&M, Howard, Morgan State, Savannah State, and Southern.
 * April 28 – Following the March 1 announcement by the Sun Belt Conference that it would not renew its football-only membership agreements with Idaho and New Mexico State when they expire at the end of the 2017 season, Idaho announced that it would return to FCS football in its all-sports league, the Big Sky Conference, in 2018. The Vandals thus became the first team ever to voluntarily drop from FBS to FCS.
 * September 17 – East Tennessee State and Western Carolina played on a temporary fieldturf surface installed on the infield of the Bristol Motor Speedway. The same NASCAR racetrack hosted a game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech one week earlier.
 * November 19 – Joe Thomas Sr., a 55-year-old walk-on at South Carolina State, appeared for one play in the first quarter of the Bulldogs' season finale against Savannah State, rushing for 3 yards. Although the NCAA does not keep statistics on player ages, the father of Green Bay Packers linebacker Joe Thomas Jr. is believed to be the oldest player ever to take the field in a Division I game.

FCS team wins over FBS teams
(FCS rankings from the STATS poll) September 2: Albany 22, Buffalo 16 September 3: # 14 Eastern Washington 45, Washington State 42 September 3: # 5 Northern Iowa 25, Iowa State 20 September 3: # 4 Richmond 37, Virginia 20 September 10: Eastern Illinois 21, Miami (OH) 17 September 10: # 10 Illinois State 9, Northwestern 7 September 10: # 23 North Carolina A&T 39, Kent State 36 4OT September 17: # 1 North Dakota State 23, No. 13 (FBS) Iowa 21 [NOTE: NDSU became just the 4th FCS team to beat an AP ranked FBS team, and afterward received 74 votes for the AP top-25 rankings (No. 27 overall), the most votes ever received by an FCS team]. September 24: Central Arkansas 28, Arkansas State 23 September 24: # 13 Western Illinois 28, Northern Illinois 23

Other conference winners
Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.

Abstentions

 * Ivy League – Princeton
 * Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina Central
 * Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

NCAA Division I playoff bracket
* Home team Winner All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)

Walter Payton Award

 * The Walter Payton Award is given to the year's most outstanding offensive player. Finalists:
 * Jeremiah Briscoe (QB), Sam Houston State
 * Gage Gubrud (QB), Eastern Washington
 * Cooper Kupp (WR), Eastern Washington

Buck Buchanan Award

 * The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the year's most outstanding defensive player. Finalists:
 * Dylan Cole (LB), Missouri State
 * P. J. Hall (DE), Sam Houston State
 * Karter Schult (DE), Northern Iowa

Jerry Rice Award

 * The Jerry Rice Award is given to the year's most outstanding freshman.
 * Winner: A. J. Hines (RB), Duquesne

Coaches

 * AFCA Coach of the Year: Mike Houston, James Madison
 * Eddie Robinson Award: K. C. Keeler, Sam Houston State

Updated stadiums

 *  South Dakota State  debuted Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium  (capacity 19,340).
 * New Hampshire debuted a major renovation of the renamed Wildcat Stadium, expanded to just over 11,000 from the previous capacity of 6,500.
 * William & Mary also debuted a major renovation and expansion to its Zable Stadium, which the saw the addition of an upper deck and an increase in capacity to 12,259.
 * Prairie View A&M opened its new Panther Stadium (capacity 15,000).

In-season
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2016. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2016, see 2015 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.