2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2024 NCAA Division I FCS season
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	2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
	«2023

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 begins on August 24 and ends in November. The postseason began in November and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, will end on January 4, 2025, with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.^[1]

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.^[2]

Conference changes and new programs[edit]

School	2023 conference	2024 conference
Bryant^[3]	Big South–OVC	CAA
Kennesaw State^[4]	FCS Independent	CUSA (FBS)
Mercyhurst^[5]	PSAC (D-II)	NEC (FCS)
Merrimack^[6]	NEC	FCS Independent
Robert Morris^[7]	Big South–OVC	NEC
Sacred Heart^[8]	NEC	FCS Independent
West Georgia^[9]	Gulf South (D-II)	UAC (FCS)
Western Illinois^[10]	MVFC	Big South–OVC

Conference standings[edit]

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Cal Poly	0	–	0	0	–	0
Eastern Washington	0	–	0	0	–	0
Idaho	0	–	0	0	–	0
Idaho State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Montana	0	–	0	0	–	0
Montana State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Northern Arizona	0	–	0	0	–	0
Northern Colorado	0	–	0	0	–	0
Portland State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Sacramento State	0	–	0	0	–	0
UC Davis	0	–	0	0	–	0
Weber State	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Big South–OVC football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Charleston Southern	0	–	0	0	–	0
Eastern Illinois	0	–	0	0	–	0
Gardner–Webb	0	–	0	0	–	0
Lindenwood *	0	–	0	0	–	0
Southeast Missouri State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Tennessee State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Tennessee Tech	0	–	0	0	–	0
UT Martin	0	–	0	0	–	0
Western Illinois	0	–	0	0	–	0

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
Team	W		L	W		L
Albany	0	–	0	0	–	0
Bryant	0	–	0	0	–	0
Campbell	0	–	0	0	–	0
Delaware	0	–	0	0	–	0
Elon	0	–	0	0	–	0
Hampton	0	–	0	0	–	0
Maine	0	–	0	0	–	0
Monmouth	0	–	0	0	–	0
New Hampshire	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Carolina A&T	0	–	0	0	–	0
Rhode Island	0	–	0	0	–	0
Richmond	0	–	0	0	–	0
Stony Brook	0	–	0	0	–	0
Towson	0	–	0	0	–	0
Villanova	0	–	0	0	–	0
William & Mary	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Ivy League football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Brown	0	–	0	0	–	0
Columbia	0	–	0	0	–	0
Cornell	0	–	0	0	–	0
Dartmouth	0	–	0	0	–	0
Harvard	0	–	0	0	–	0
Penn	0	–	0	0	–	0
Princeton	0	–	0	0	–	0
Yale	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Delaware State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Howard	0	–	0	0	–	0
Morgan State	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Carolina Central	0	–	0	0	–	0
Norfolk State	0	–	0	0	–	0
South Carolina State	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Illinois State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Indiana State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Missouri State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Murray State	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Dakota	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Dakota State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Northern Iowa	0	–	0	0	–	0
South Dakota	0	–	0	0	–	0
South Dakota State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Southern Illinois	0	–	0	0	–	0
Youngstown State	0	–	0	0	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of May 11, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Northeast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Central Connecticut	0	–	0	0	–	0
Duquesne	0	–	0	0	–	0
LIU	0	–	0	0	–	0
Mercyhurst *	0	–	0	0	–	0
Robert Morris	0	–	0	0	–	0
Saint Francis (PA)	0	–	0	0	–	0
Stonehill *	0	–	0	0	–	0
Wagner	0	–	0	0	–	0

Note: 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
Team	W		L	W		L
Bucknell	0	–	0	0	–	0
Colgate	0	–	0	0	–	0
Fordham	0	–	0	0	–	0
Georgetown	0	–	0	0	–	0
Holy Cross	0	–	0	0	–	0
Lafayette	0	–	0	0	–	0
Lehigh	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Pioneer Football League standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Butler	0	–	0	0	–	0
Davidson	0	–	0	0	–	0
Dayton	0	–	0	0	–	0
Drake	0	–	0	0	–	0
Marist	0	–	0	0	–	0
Morehead State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Presbyterian	0	–	0	0	–	0
San Diego	0	–	0	0	–	0
St. Thomas (MN) *	0	–	0	0	–	0
Stetson	0	–	0	0	–	0
Valparaiso	0	–	0	0	–	0

* – 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
Team	W		L	W		L
Chattanooga	0	–	0	0	–	0
East Tennessee State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Furman	0	–	0	0	–	0
Mercer	0	–	0	0	–	0
Samford	0	–	0	0	–	0
The Citadel	0	–	0	0	–	0
VMI	0	–	0	0	–	0
Western Carolina	0	–	0	0	–	0
Wofford	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 Southland Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Houston Christian	0	–	0	0	–	0
Incarnate Word	0	–	0	0	–	0
Lamar	0	–	0	0	–	0
McNeese	0	–	0	0	–	0
Nicholls	0	–	0	0	–	0
Northwestern State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Southeastern Louisiana	0	–	0	0	–	0
Texas A&M–Commerce *	0	–	0	0	–	0

* – Texas A&M–Commerce 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
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Alabama A&M	0	–	0	0	–	0
Alabama State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Bethune–Cookman	0	–	0	0	–	0
Florida A&M	0	–	0	0	–	0
Jackson State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Mississippi Valley State	0	–	0	0	–	0
West Division
Alcorn State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	0	–	0	0	–	0
Grambling State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Prairie View A&M	0	–	0	0	–	0
Southern	0	–	0	0	–	0
Texas Southern	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from STATS Poll

2024 United Athletic Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Abilene Christian	0	–	0	0	–	0
Austin Peay	0	–	0	0	–	0
Central Arkansas	0	–	0	0	–	0
Eastern Kentucky	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Alabama	0	–	0	0	–	0
Southern Utah	0	–	0	0	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	0	–	0	0	–	0
Tarleton State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Utah Tech	0	–	0	0	–	0
West Georgia*	0	–	0	0	–	0

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
Team	W		L	W		L
Merrimack	0	–	0	0	–	0
Sacred Heart	0	–	0	0	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

Postseason[edit]

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.^[2]

Bowl game[edit]

Date	Time (EST)	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 14	TBD	Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	USA: ABC Canada: TSN	TBD TBD	SWAC MEAC

Rankings[edit]

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Kickoff games[edit]

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

FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri State
Delaware State at Hawaii
Montana State at New Mexico
MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Norfolk State vs. Florida A&M

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

References[edit]

^ "FCS Championship: Future dates and sites". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
^ ^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.
^ "CAA adds Bryant as 16th football member for '24". August 10, 2023.
^ "Kennesaw State joining C-USA in July 2024". October 14, 2022.
^ "Mercyhurst University marks new era in athletics with move to Division I". Mercyhurst University. April 4, 2024.
^ "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference". Merrimack College. October 23, 2023.
^ "RMU Football to Rejoin Northeast Conference for 2024 Season". November 28, 2023.
^ "Sacred Heart University Joining the MAAC". March 14, 2024.
^ "NCAA Division II Powerhouse Announces Move to Division I". September 8, 2023.
^ "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24".

[1] "FCS Championship: Future dates and sites". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.

[seed-2] Herder, Sam (April 25, 2024). "Seeded Teams In 24-Team FCS Playoff Bracket Increases From 8 To 16". HeroSports.com. Retrieved May 9, 2024.

[3] "CAA adds Bryant as 16th football member for '24". August 10, 2023.

[4] "Kennesaw State joining C-USA in July 2024". October 14, 2022.

[5] "Mercyhurst University marks new era in athletics with move to Division I". Mercyhurst University. April 4, 2024.

[6] "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference". Merrimack College. October 23, 2023.

[7] "RMU Football to Rejoin Northeast Conference for 2024 Season". November 28, 2023.

[8] "Sacred Heart University Joining the MAAC". March 14, 2024.

[9] "NCAA Division II Powerhouse Announces Move to Division I". September 8, 2023.

[10] "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24".

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v t e NCAA football seasons
Pre-NCAA	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905
NCAA pre-divisional	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
NCAA University Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
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