2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2019 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 FCS Championship Game was played on January 11, 2020, in Frisco, Texas. Defending champion North Dakota State completed the regular season undefeated, then won their eighth championship in nine seasons, defeating James Madison, 28-20, for the title.

Rule changes
The following playing rule changes have been recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for 2019:


 * Requiring replay reviews on targeting calls be either confirmed or overturned by reviewing all aspects of the play. If the review shows not all elements of targeting exist or if there is no indisputable video evidence, the call will be overturned.
 * Players who commit a second targeting penalty in the same season will not only have to sit out the remainder of that game, but will also have to sit out their team's entire next scheduled game.
 * Eliminating the two-man wedge on kickoffs.
 * Starting with the fifth overtime period, each team will line up to attempt a two-point conversion instead of snapping the ball from the 25-yard-line. Successful plays are scored as conversions.
 * Adding a two-minute break after the second and fourth overtime period.
 * Blindside blocks delivered with forcible contact will draw a 15-yard penalty (personal foul). If elements of targeting exist, the player delivering the block will be subject to ejection as with any other targeting foul.

All FCS teams were allowed to schedule 12 regular season games in the 2019 season. A standard provision of NCAA bylaws allows for 12 regular season games during years having 14 Saturdays in the period starting with the Labor Day (first Monday in September) weekend and ending with the last Saturday of November. The next time that a 12-game regular season will be allowed is 2024.

FCS team wins over FBS teams
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28 September 7: Southern Illinois 45, UMass 20 September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 OT

Conference changes and new programs
+ Following the 2018–19 academic year, Long Island University merged the athletic programs of its two campuses—the Division I non-football LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and Division II football-sponsoring LIU Post Pioneers—into a single Division I program rebranded as the LIU Sharks. The Sharks inherited LIU Brooklyn's membership in the Northeast Conference, with the former Post football team joining the NEC alongside most of LIU's other sports.

Playoff qualifiers
Champions of the following 10 conferences automatically received playoff bids:


 * Big Sky (Weber State)
 * Big South (Monmouth)
 * Colonial Athletic Association (James Madison)
 * Missouri Valley Football Conference (North Dakota State)
 * Northeast Conference (Central Connecticut)


 * Ohio Valley Conference (Austin Peay)
 * Patriot League (Holy Cross)
 * Pioneer Football League (San Diego)
 * Southern Conference (Wofford)
 * Southland Conference (Nicholls)

Abstentions

 * Ivy League – Yale and Dartmouth (co-champions)
 * Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
 * Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State

Postseason
A 24-team single-elimination tournament bracket culminated in the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game. Teams were announced in a selection show on November 24, with the top eight teams seeded and receiving first-round byes.

NCAA Division I playoff bracket
Source:

Kickoff game

 * Saturday, August 24 FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Youngstown State def. Samford, 45–22

Preseason and in-season
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2019. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2019, see 2018 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

† Prince was placed on administrative leave by the university, "after allegations of verbal abuse and intimidation of players."