2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2025 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams129
DurationAugust 23 – December 6
Payton AwardBeau Brungard, QB, Youngstown State
Buchanan AwardAndrew Zock, DE, Mercer
Playoff
DurationNovember 29 – January 5
Championship dateJanuary 5, 2026
Championship siteFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
ChampionMontana State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

The 2025 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 23 and ended in November, with the exception of the SWAC Football Championship Game in early December. The postseason began on November 29 and ended on January 5, 2026, with the 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2025, FCS teams were allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the usual 11.[2] This was the last season before the permanent expansion to a 12-game regular season (see "Notable headlines" below).

Conference changes and new programs

Two schools played their first FCS seasons in 2025—one transitioning from NCAA Division II, and the other playing its first season of varsity football. One other school changed conferences within FCS after the 2024 season. Two others left FCS for the Football Bowl Subdivision.

School 2024 conference 2025 conference Ref
Delaware CAA Football CUSA (FBS) [3][4]
Missouri State MVFC CUSA (FBS) [5][6]
New Haven NE-10 (D-II) NEC [7][8]
Richmond CAA Football Patriot [9]
UTRGV New program Southland [10][11]

The 2025 season was also the last for at eight programs in their current FCS conferences, and also Sacred Heart's last season as an FCS independent.

School 2025 conference 2026 conference Ref
Chicago State New program Independent
North Dakota State MVFC Mountain West (FBS) [12]
Sacramento State Big Sky MAC (FBS) [13]
Sacred Heart Independent CAA Football [14]
Saint Francis NEC PAC (Division III) [15]
Southern Utah UAC Big Sky [16]
Tennessee Tech OVC–Big South SoCon [17]
Utah Tech UAC Big Sky [16]
Villanova CAA Football Patriot League [18]
William & Mary CAA Football Patriot League [19]

Notable headlines

  • December 12, 2024 – The Ivy League announced that starting with the 2025 football season; the Ivy League champion would compete in the FCS playoffs. This marked the first time that conference participated in postseason play since the 1945 signing of the Ivy Group Agreement, which initially governed football competition between Ivy schools but was extended to cover all sports in 1954.[20][a]
  • March 25, 2025 – Saint Francis announced that it would reclassify to NCAA Division III starting in 2026–27, when it will leave the Northeast Conference for the Presidents' Athletic Conference.[15]
  • April 25 – William & Mary announced that its football program would leave CAA Football for associate membership in the Patriot League starting in the 2026 season. W&M's non-football sports will remain in the multi-sports CAA, which is a separate entity from CAA Football.[19]
  • May 5 – The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) announced a new governance structure that formalized the decades-long informal ties between it and the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), and created a formal relationship between the MVFC and the non-football Summit League. MVC commissioner Jeff Jackson replaced founding MVFC commissioner Patty Viverito following her June 30 retirement, and Summit commissioner Josh Fenton filled the new position of executive advisor at that time. Administrative operations are shared by the MVC and Summit, which were home to all but one of the MVFC's 10 members in the 2025 season.[21]
  • May 6 – New Haven announced that it accepted an invite to join the Northeast Conference effective July 1, 2025, and begin reclassification from NCAA Division II to be eligible for postseason play in 2028–29.[7]
  • June 5 – Villanova announced it would leave CAA Football after the 2025 season for the Patriot League, while otherwise remaining a member of the non-football Big East Conference.[18]
  • June 23 – The NCAA Division I Board of Directors announced that St. Thomas had met all the requirements to be fully instated as a Division I university starting with the 2025–26 academic year. The Tommies will now be eligible for all NCAA postseason tournaments, including the FCS playoffs.[22][23]
  • June 25 – The Big Sky Conference announced that Southern Utah and Utah Tech, Western Athletic Conference (WAC) members that play football in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), would join the Big Sky in 2026.[16]
  • June 26:
    • The Division I Council approved the following measures, to take effect with the 2026 season, which the NCAA's FCS Oversight Committee had recommended on May 6:[24][25]
      • Permanent expansion of the FCS regular season from 11 to 12 games.
      • Standardization of the regular season starting date as the Thursday 13 weeks before the FCS playoff bracket is released on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. (The normal start of the FCS regular season had been the Thursday preceding Labor Day.)
      • Elimination of rule exceptions allowing contests that meet legislated criteria to be played as early as the second Saturday before Labor Day. Instead, all FCS teams will be able to play during what the Football Bowl Subdivision calls Week 0.
    • The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and WAC announced that their football alliance, the UAC, would become an all-sports conference in 2026. At that time, the WAC will rebrand as the UAC, with its membership including all seven remaining UAC members with scholarship FCS programs plus non-football UT Arlington (the conference would later add another non-football school, Little Rock[26]). The ASUN membership going forward will consist of five non-football schools, Pioneer Football League member Stetson, and Bellarmine, which plays the non-NCAA variant of sprint football.[27]
  • July 22 — CAA Football announced that Sacred Heart would join the conference in 2026, ending the Pioneers' two-year stint as an FCS independent. Sacred Heart will remain a member of the non-football Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[14]
  • August 13 – The Southern Conference announced that Tennessee Tech would join from the Ohio Valley Conference and the OVC–Big South Football Association in 2026.[17]
  • October 2 – The Northeast Conference adopted its longstanding abbreviation of NEC as its official name.[28]
  • October 8:
    • The Division I Administrative Committee, which officially renamed itself the Division I Cabinet at its scheduled meeting, introduced a proposal to expand allowed logos on student-athletes' uniforms and equipment beyond those of the manufacturer. It also approved changes to the football transfer portal previously recommended by the FBS and FCS Oversight Committees:[29]
      • A single transfer window will run from January 2–16. This only affects entry into the portal; a player who enters the portal may transfer outside the window.
      • The window for players undergoing a head coaching change was modified. The window for these players will open five calendar days after the hiring or public announcement of a new head coach, and run for 15 days. Should a school not hire or announce a new head coach after 30 days from the previous coach's departure, a separate 15-day window will open on the 31st day, provided that the 31st day is on or after January 3. The opportunity for such a window will exist through June 30.
  • October 18 – Shortly before its homecoming game against Marist, Morehead State officially renamed its home of Jayne Stadium to Phil Simms Stadium.[30]
  • December 18 – Chicago State announced that it would play its first season of FCS football in 2026, initially as an independent before joining NEC football in 2027.[31]

Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 23 in Week 0:

Conference standings

2025 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Montana State $^   8 0     14 2  
No. 3 Montana ^   7 1     13 2  
No. 8 UC Davis ^   6 2     9 4  
Sacramento State   5 3     7 5  
Idaho State   5 3     6 6  
Northern Arizona   4 4     7 5  
Eastern Washington   4 4     5 7  
Cal Poly   2 6     4 8  
Idaho   2 6     4 8  
Northern Colorado   2 6     4 8  
Weber State   2 6     4 8  
Portland State   1 7     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 Rhode Island $^   8 0     11 3  
No. 4т Villanova ^   7 1     12 3  
No. 23 New Hampshire ^   6 2     8 5  
No. 22 Monmouth   6 2     9 3  
William & Mary   6 2     7 5  
Maine   5 3     6 6  
Elon   4 4     6 6  
Stony Brook   4 4     6 6  
Towson   4 4     6 6  
North Carolina A&T   2 6     2 10  
Campbell   2 6     2 10  
Bryant   1 7     3 9  
Albany   1 7     2 10  
Hampton   0 8     2 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Ivy League football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 15 Yale +^   6 1     9 3  
No. 20 Harvard +^   6 1     9 2  
Dartmouth   4 3     7 3  
Penn   4 3     6 4  
Cornell   3 4     4 6  
Princeton   2 5     3 7  
Brown   2 5     5 5  
Columbia   1 6     2 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 21 South Carolina State $   5 0     10 3  
Delaware State   4 1     8 4  
North Carolina Central   3 2     8 4  
Howard   2 3     5 7  
Morgan State   1 4     4 8  
Norfolk State   0 5     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4т North Dakota State $^   8 0     12 1  
No. 9 South Dakota ^   6 2     10 5  
No. 2 Illinois State ^   5 3     12 5  
No. 14 North Dakota ^   5 3     8 6  
No. 18 Youngstown State ^   5 3     8 5  
No. 13 South Dakota State ^   4 4     9 5  
No. 25 Southern Illinois   4 4     7 5  
Northern Iowa   1 7     3 9  
Murray State   1 7     1 11  
Indiana State   1 7     3 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Central Connecticut $^   6 1     8 5  
Duquesne   5 2     7 5  
Mercyhurst*   4 3     5 7  
LIU   4 3     6 6  
Wagner   4 3     5 7  
Stonehill   3 4     4 8  
Robert Morris   2 5     3 9  
New Haven*   0 0     5 5  
Saint Francis   0 7     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 OVC–Big South football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Tennessee Tech $^   8 0     11 2  
UT Martin   6 2     6 6  
Gardner–Webb   5 3     7 5  
Lindenwood   5 3     6 6  
Charleston Southern   4 4     5 7  
Southeast Missouri State   3 5     4 8  
Western Illinois   3 5     4 8  
Eastern Illinois   2 6     3 8  
Tennessee State   0 8     2 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Patriot League football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 10 Lehigh $^   7 0     12 1  
Lafayette   6 1     8 4  
Holy Cross   3 4     3 9  
Richmond   3 4     7 5  
Georgetown   3 4     6 6  
Colgate   3 4     5 7  
Bucknell   2 5     5 7  
Fordham   1 6     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Drake $^   7 1     8 4  
Presbyterian   6 2     10 2  
San Diego   6 2     8 4  
St. Thomas (MN)   5 3     7 5  
Dayton   5 3     7 4  
Morehead State   4 4     6 6  
Butler   4 4     6 6  
Marist   3 5     5 7  
Stetson   2 6     3 9  
Davidson   1 7     2 10  
Valparaiso   1 7     2 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Southern Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 17 Mercer $^   8 0     9 3  
Western Carolina   6 2     7 5  
East Tennessee State   5 3     7 5  
Wofford   5 3     6 6  
Chattanooga   4 4     5 7  
Furman   4 4     6 6  
The Citadel   3 5     4 8  
Samford   1 7     1 11  
VMI   0 8     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Southland Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Stephen F. Austin $^   8 0     11 3  
No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana ^   7 1     9 4  
No. 24 Lamar ^   5 3     8 5  
UT Rio Grande Valley   5 3     9 3  
Nicholls   4 4     4 8  
McNeese   4 4     5 7  
East Texas A&M   3 5     3 9  
Incarnate Word   3 5     5 7  
Houston Christian   1 7     2 10  
Northwestern State   0 8     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Jackson State xy   7 1     9 3  
Alabama State x   7 1     10 2  
Bethune–Cookman   5 3     6 6  
Florida A&M   4 4     5 7  
Alabama A&M   1 7     4 8  
Mississippi Valley State*   1 7     2 10  
West Division
Prairie View A&M xy$   7 1     10 4  
Texas Southern   5 3     6 5  
Alcorn State   4 4     5 7  
Grambling State   4 4     7 5  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff*   2 6     4 8  
Southern   1 7     2 10  
Championship: Prairie View A&M 23, Jackson State 21
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to failed academic requirements[33]
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 United Athletic Conference standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Abilene Christian +^   7 1     9 5  
No. 6 Tarleton State +^   7 1     12 2  
Southern Utah   6 2     7 5  
West Georgia*   5 3     8 3  
Austin Peay   4 4     7 5  
Eastern Kentucky   3 5     5 7  
Central Arkansas   2 6     3 9  
Utah Tech   1 7     2 10  
North Alabama   1 7     2 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2025 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Sacred Heart       8 4  
Merrimack       4 8  

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Montana State 10–2 15th 2024 Lost to North Dakota State in National Championship
CAA Football Rhode Island 10–2 5th 2024 Lost to Mercer in the second round
Ivy League Yale 8–2 1st[c]
Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State 12–0 16th 2024 Won National Championship against Montana State
Northeast Conference Central Connecticut 8–4 4th 2024 Lost to Rhode Island in the first round
OVC–Big South Tennessee Tech 11–1 2nd 2011 Lost to Central Arkansas in the first round
Patriot League Lehigh 12–0 13th 2024 Lost to Idaho in the second round
Pioneer Football League Drake 8–3 3rd 2024 Lost to Tarleton State in the first round
Southern Conference Mercer 9–2 3rd 2024 Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinal
Southland Conference Stephen F. Austin 10–2 9th 2021 Lost to Incarnate Word in first round
United Athletic Conference Abilene Christian 8–4 2nd 2024 Lost to North Dakota State in second round

At-large qualifiers

Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference UC Davis 8–3 4th 2024 Lost to South Dakota in the quarterfinals
Montana 11–1 30th 2024 Lost to South Dakota State in second round
CAA Football New Hampshire 8–4 19th 2024 Lost to UT Martin in first round
Villanova 9–2 17th 2024 Lost to Incarnate Word in second round
Ivy League Harvard 9–1 1st[c]
Missouri Valley Football Conference Illinois State 8–4 10th 2024 Lost to UC Davis in second round
North Dakota 7–5 6th 2023 Lost to Sacramento State in first round
South Dakota 8–4 5th 2024 Lost to Montana State in semifinals
South Dakota State 8–4 15th 2024 Lost to North Dakota State in semifinals
Youngstown State 8–4 14th 2023 Lost to Villanova in second round
Southland Conference Lamar 8–4 2nd 2018 Lost to Northern Iowa in first round
Southeastern Louisiana 9–3 6th 2022 Lost to Samford in second round
United Athletic Conference Tarleton State 11–1 2nd 2024 Lost to South Dakota in second round

Abstentions

Postseason

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

First Round
November 29
Campus sites
USA: ESPN+
Canada: TSN+
Second Round
December 6
Campus sites
USA: ESPN2/ESPN+
Canada: TSN+
Quarterfinals
December 12/13
Campus sites
USA: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Canada: TSN+
Semifinals
December 20
Campus sites
USA: ABC/ESPN2
Canada: TSN+
National Championship
January 5
7:30 p.m. EST
FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
USA: ESPN
Canada: TSN2/TSN+
1 North Dakota State 28
16 Southeastern Louisiana 3 Illinois State 29
Illinois State 21 Illinois State 42
8 UC Davis 31
8 UC Davis 47
9 Rhode Island 27 9 Rhode Island 26
Central Connecticut 19 Illinois State 30
12 Villanova 14
4 Tarleton State 31
13 Tennessee Tech 6 North Dakota 13
North Dakota 31 4 Tarleton State 21
12 Villanova 26
5 Lehigh 7
12 Villanova 52 12 Villanova 14
Harvard 7 Illinois State 34
2 Montana State 35*
2 Montana State 21
15 Youngstown State 42 Yale 13
Yale 43 2 Montana State 44
7 Stephen F. Austin 28
7 Stephen F. Austin 41
10 Abilene Christian 38 10 Abilene Christian 34
Lamar 20 2 Montana State 48
3 Montana 23
3 Montana 50
14 South Dakota State 41 14 South Dakota State 29
New Hampshire 3 3 Montana 52
11 South Dakota 22
6 Mercer 0
11 South Dakota 38 11 South Dakota 47
Drake 17

Rankings

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

Preseason polls

Stats Perform
Ranking Team
1 North Dakota State (54)
2 Montana State (1)
3 South Dakota State
4 South Dakota (1)
5 Incarnate Word
6 Illinois State
7 Montana
8 UC Davis
9 Rhode Island
10 Tarleton State
11 Mercer
12 Idaho
13 Villanova
14 Lehigh
15 Sacramento State
16 Abilene Christian
17 Jackson State
18 Western Carolina
19 Northern Arizona
20 Southern Illinois
21 Tennessee Tech
22 Monmouth
23 Stephen F. Austin
24 Stony Brook
25 Richmond

STATS source:[34]

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Ref.
September 6 No. 2 South Dakota State No. 3 Montana State Bobcat StadiumBozeman, Montana  30–24 2OT  22,117 [35]
September 27 No. 8 Idaho No. 5 Montana Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, Montana (Little Brown Stein)  30–41   27,025 [36]
October 4 No. 1 North Dakota State No. 6 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, Illinois  33–16   9,829 [37]
October 11 No. 8 Southern Illinois No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, North Dakota  17–45   15,812 [38]
October 25 No. 1 North Dakota State No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, South Dakota (Dakota Marker)  38–7   19,477 [39]
November 15 No. 9 UC Davis No. 3 Montana State Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, Montana  17–38   21,777 [40]
November 22 No. 3 Montana State No. 2 Montana Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, Montana (Brawl of the Wild)  31–28   27,340 [41]
#Rankings from STATS poll released prior to the game.

Upsets

This section lists unranked teams defeating STATS poll-ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Ref.
August 23 No. 5 Incarnate Word Nicholls Manning Field at John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, Louisiana  6–20   8,779 [42]
August 30 Presbyterian No. 11 Mercer Five Star StadiumMacon, Georgia  15–10   8,149 [43]
August 30 Gardner–Webb No. 18 Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, North Carolina  52–45   11,889 [44]
September 6 No. 4 South Dakota Lamar Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, Texas  13–20   6,043 [45]
September 6 West Georgia No. 22 Nicholls Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium • Thibodaux, Louisiana  34–10   5,456 [46]
September 6 No. 24 Southern Utah San Diego Torero StadiumSan Diego, California  27–30   2,564 [47]
September 20 No. 25 New Hampshire Dartmouth Memorial FieldHanover, New Hampshire (Granite Bowl)  20–27   4,457 [48]
September 27 Cal Poly No. 21 Sacramento State Hornet StadiumSacramento, California  32–24   15,016 [49]
September 27 No. 12 Abilene Christian Incarnate Word Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, Texas  7–38   3,006 [50]
October 3 No. 8 Rhode Island Brown Centreville Bank StadiumPawtucket, Rhode Island (Governor's Cup)  21–28   5,047 [51]
October 11 Northern Colorado No. 11 Idaho Kibbie DomeMoscow, Idaho  49–33   12,902 [52]
October 11 No. 16 Austin Peay Eastern Kentucky Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, Kentucky  20–34   5,753 [53]
October 18 Youngstown State No. 10 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, Illinois  40–35   9,834 [54]
October 18 No. 13 Abilene Christian Southern Utah Eccles ColiseumCedar City, Utah  24–31   2,030 [55]
October 18 No. 24 Idaho Eastern Washington Roos FieldCheney, Washington (rivalry)  14–21   6,071 [56]
October 25 Grambling State No. 12 Jackson State Allegiant StadiumLas Vegas, Nevada (Las Vegas HBCU Classic)  26–24   29,655 [57]
October 25 No. 19 Presbyterian Dayton Welcome StadiumDayton, Ohio  19–35   2,687 [58]
October 31 Idaho No. 19 Northern Arizona Walkup SkydomeFlagstaff, Arizona  35–32 OT  8,010 [59]
November 1 Indiana State No. 4т South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, South Dakota  24–12   15,842 [60]
November 1 Idaho State No. 6 UC Davis UC Davis Health StadiumDavis, California  38–36   10,973 [61]
November 1 No. 8 North Dakota South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, South Dakota (Sitting Bull Trophy)  21–26   6,809 [62]
November 1 No. 14 Lamar Incarnate Word Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium • San Antonio, Texas  17–24   2,680 [63]
November 1 No. 22 Austin Peay Southern Utah Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, Utah  17–33   2,808 [64]
November 8 New Hampshire No. 7 Monmouth Kessler StadiumWest Long Branch, New Jersey  34–13   3,127 [65]
November 8 No. 25 Presbyterian Davidson Davidson College StadiumDavidson, North Carolina (1919 Cup)  13–14   2,373 [66]
November 15 East Tennessee State No. 25 Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina (Blue Ridge Border Battle)  52–35   10,543 [67]
November 22 Albany No. 12 Monmouth Kessler Stadium • West Long Branch, New Jersey  31–24   2,813 [68]
November 22 No. 23 Northern Arizona Weber State Stewart StadiumOgden, Utah (Red Rock Trophy)  28–48   3,149 [69]
#Rankings from STATS poll released prior to the game.

FCS teams wins over FBS teams

Italics denotes FBS teams.

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Ref.
August 29 No. 10 Tarleton State Army Michie StadiumWest Point, New York  30–27 2OT  23,032 [70][71]
August 30 Austin Peay Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, Tennessee  34–14   18,505 [70][72]
September 6 Bryant UMass Warren McGuirk Alumni StadiumAmherst, Massachusetts  27–26   3,714 [70][73]
September 6 LIU Eastern Michigan Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan  28–23   15,313 [70][74]
#Rankings from STATS poll released prior to the game.

Non-DI team wins over FCS teams

Italics denotes non-DI teams.

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Ref.
August 30 Webber International (NAIA) Stetson Spec Martin StadiumDeLand, Florida  31–21   1,975 [75]
September 6 Adrian (D-III) Valparaiso Brown FieldValparaiso, Indiana  10–7   1,941 [76]
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2025, 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 2025, see 2024 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Southern Terrence Graves October 20, 2025 Fired[77] Fred McNair (interim)
Samford Chris Hatcher November 9, 2025 Fired[78] Scot Sloan (interim)
Weber State Mickey Mental November 10, 2025 Fired[79] Brent Myers (interim)

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
Portland State Bruce Barnum November 22, 2025 Fired[80] Chris Fisk[81] Central Washington head coach (2019–2025)
Cal Poly Paul Wulff November 23, 2025 Fired[82] Tim Skipper[83] UCLA interim head coach (2025)
Hampton Trenton Boykin November 23, 2025 Fired[84] Van Malone[85] Kansas State assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach (2020–2025)
Penn Ray Priore November 24, 2025 Resigned[86] Ricky Santos[87] New Hampshire head coach (2022–2025)
Southern Fred McNair (interim) November 30, 2025 Permanent replacement Marshall Faulk[88] Colorado running backs coach (2025)
Samford Scot Sloan (interim) December 3, 2025 Permanent replacement John Grass[89] Clemson senior offensive analyst/assistant quarterbacks coach (2024–2025)
Sacramento State Brennan Marion December 5, 2025 Hired as offensive coordinator at Colorado[90] Alonzo Carter[91] Arizona assistant head coach/running backs coach (2024–2025)
Bucknell Dave Cecchini December 8, 2025 Fired[92] Jeff Behrman[93] John Carroll head coach (2023–2025)
Florida A&M James Colzie III December 8, 2025 Fired[94] Quinn Gray[95] Albany State head coach (2023–2025)
Mercer Mike Jacobs December 10, 2025 Hired by Toledo[96] Joel Taylor[97] West Georgia head coach (2024–2025)
Monmouth Kevin Callahan December 11, 2025 Transitioned to advisory role[98] Jeff Gallo Monmouth offensive coordinator (2019–2025)
West Georgia Joel Taylor December 11, 2025 Hired by Mercer[97] Steve Englehart[99] Presbyterian head coach (2022–2025)
New Hampshire Ricky Santos December 13, 2025 Hired by Penn[87] Sean Goldrich[100] Delaware quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator/recruiting coordinator (2025)
Gardner-Webb Cris Reisert December 15, 2025 Resigned[101] Kris McCullough[102] UT Permain Basin head coach (2023–2025)
Howard Larry Scott December 15, 2025 Hired as tight ends coach at Auburn[103] Ted White[104] Maryland offensive analyst (2025)
Weber State Brent Myers (interim) December 16, 2025 Permanent replacement Eric Kjar[105] Corner Canyon HS head coach (2017–2025)
VMI Danny Rocco December 16, 2025 Resigned[106] Ashley Ingram[107] Carson–Newman head coach (2024–2025)
Presbyterian Steve Englehart December 17, 2025 Hired by West Georgia[99] Matt Rahl[108] Presbyterian offensive line coach/run game coordinator/recruiting coordinator (Offense) (2024–2025)
Albany Jared Ambrose (interim) December 23, 2025 Permanent replacement Tom Perkovich[109] Susquehanna head coach (2015–2025)
Mercyhurst Ryan Riemedio January 28, 2026 Hired as defensive coordinator by Youngstown State[110] Thomas Sydeski[111] Mercyhurst offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2024–2025)
Montana Bobby Hauck February 4, 2026 Retired[112] Bobby Kennedy Montana wide receivers coach (2025)
South Dakota Travis Johansen February 6, 2026 Hired as defensive coordinator by Rutgers[113] Matt Vitzthum[114] South Dakota co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2025)
Drake Joe Woodley February 9, 2026 Hired as assistant coach by Rutgers[115] Matt Walker[116] Wisconsin–River Falls head coach (2011–2025)
Yale Tony Reno February 17, 2026 Resigned[117] Kevin Cahill[118] Lehigh head coach (2023–2025)
Lehigh Kevin Cahill February 23, 2026 Hired by Yale[118] Rich Nagy[119] Lehigh defensive coordinator (2023–2025)

Attendances

The top 50 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:

# Team Average
1 Jackson State 28,733
2 Montana 26,464
3 Southern 22,051
4 Montana State 21,877
5 Norfolk State 21,212
6 Tarleton State 20,841
7 Alabama State 20,618
8 South Dakota State 17,640
9 North Dakota State 16,048
10 Sacramento State 15,468
11 Alabama A&M 14,111
12 Florida A&M 14,093
13 Holy Cross 13,931
14 UC Davis 12,991
15 SC State 12,702
16 UTRGV 12,539
17 Yale 12,398
18 North Carolina A&T 12,282
19 North Dakota 11,603
20 Western Carolina 10,986
21 The Citadel 10,652
22 William & Mary 10,508
23 McNeese 10,417
24 Harvard 9,636
25 Northern Iowa 9,371
26 Youngstown State 9,276
27 Illinois State 9,212
28 East Tennessee State 9,093
29 Abilene Christian 9,077
30 Idaho 9,051
31 Furman 8,864
32 Murray State 8,542
33 North Alabama 8,486
34 Cal Poly 8,450
35 Mercer 8,262
36 NC Central 8,262
37 Northern Arizona 8,008
38 Grambling 8,002
39 SFA 7,905
40 Alcorn 7,724
41 Northwestern State 7,597
42 Texas Southern 7,481
43 Chattanooga 7,438
44 South Dakota 7,357
45 Idaho State 7,350
46 New Hampshire 7,243
47 Southern Illinois 7,117
48 Lamar 6,835
49 Elon 6,706
50 Austin Peay 6,673

Source:[120]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Ivy League officially dates its existence from the 1954 extension of the Ivy Group Agreement.
  2. ^ Game was declared a no contest after long weather delay.
  3. ^ a b This was the first year that the Ivy League participated in the playoff.

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