2023 NCAA Division I FCS season | |
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Regular season | |
Number of teams | 128 |
Duration | August 26 – December 2 |
Payton Award | Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State |
Buchanan Award | Terrell Allen, DE, Tennessee State |
Playoff | |
Duration | November 25 – December 16 |
Championship date | 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game |
Championship site | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
Champion | South Dakota State |
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons | |
«2022 2024» |
The 2023 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 26 and ended in November. The postseason began in November and ended on January 7, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.[1] South Dakota State repeated as champions, defeating Montana, 23–3.
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 11
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
School | 2022 conference | 2023 conference |
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Abilene Christian | WAC | United |
Austin Peay | ASUN | United |
Campbell | Big South | CAA |
Central Arkansas | ASUN | United |
Eastern Kentucky | ASUN | United |
Jacksonville State | ASUN (FCS) | C-USA (FBS) |
Kennesaw State | ASUN | FCS Independent |
Murray State | Ohio Valley | MVFC |
North Alabama | ASUN | United |
North Carolina A&T | Big South | CAA |
Sam Houston State | WAC (FCS) | C-USA (FBS) |
Southern Utah | WAC | United |
Tarleton State | WAC | United |
Stephen F. Austin | WAC | United |
Utah Tech | WAC | United |
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Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
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Big Sky Conference | Montana | 27th | 2022 | Second round - (L - North Dakota State) |
Big South–OVC | Gardner–Webb | 2nd | 2022 | Second round - (L - William & Mary) |
CAA Football | Villanova | 15th | 2021 | Quarterfinal - (L - South Dakota State) |
Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 13th | 2022 | National Champions (W - North Dakota State) |
Northeast Conference | Duquesne | 3rd | 2018 | Second round - (L - South Dakota State) |
Patriot League | Lafayette | 5th | 2013 | First round - (L - New Hampshire) |
Pioneer Football League | Drake | 1st | None | None |
Southern Conference | Furman | 20th | 2022 | Second round - (L - Incarnate Word) |
Southland Conference | Nicholls | 7th | 2019 | Second round - (L - North Dakota State) |
United Athletic Conference | Austin Peay | 2nd | 2019 | Quarterfinals - (L - Montana State) |
Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
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Big Sky Conference | Idaho | 13th | 2022 | First round (L - Southeastern Louisiana) |
Montana State | 13th | 2022 | Semifinal (L - South Dakota State) | |
Sacramento State | 4th | 2022 | Quarterfinal (L - Incarnate Word) | |
CAA Football | Albany | 3rd | 2019 | Second round (L - Montana State) |
Delaware | 19th | 2022 | Second round (L - South Dakota State) | |
Richmond | 13th | 2022 | Second round (L - Sacramento State) | |
Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota | 5th | 2022 | First round (L - Weber State) |
North Dakota State | 14th | 2022 | National Runner-up (L - South Dakota State) | |
South Dakota | 3rd | 2021 | First round (L - Southern Illinois) | |
Southern Illinois | 11th | 2021 | Second round (L - North Dakota State) | |
Youngstown State | 13th | 2016 | National Runner-up (L - James Madison) | |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North Carolina Central | 1st | None | None |
Southern Conference | Chattanooga | 5th | 2016 | Second round (L - Sam Houston State) |
Mercer | 1st | None | None |
The FCS again featured a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). The top eight teams were seeded.[10]
Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
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Dec. 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia |
USA: ABC Canada: TSN2 |
Florida A&M (11–1) Howard (6–5) |
SWAC MEAC |
Florida A&M 30 Howard 26 |
Source:[11]
Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings |
The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.
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The regular season began on Saturday, August 26 with three games in Week 0:
Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.
This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.
During the regular season, 33 unranked teams defeated ranked teams.
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2023, 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 2023, see 2022 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
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Columbia | Al Bagnoli | August 4, 2023 | Retired[12] | Mark Fabish (interim) |
Dartmouth | Buddy Teevens | September 19, 2023 | Died[13] | Sammy McCorkle (named full time on October 19) |
Northwestern State | Brad Laird | October 26, 2023 | Resigned[4] | Weston Glaser (interim) |
Southern | Eric Dooley | November 14, 2023 | Hired as Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach by Grambling State[14] | Terrence Graves (named full time on December 12) |
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 |
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South Carolina State | Oliver Pough | August 24, 2023 | Retired (effective at season's end)[15] | Chennis Berry | Benedict head coach (2020–2023) |
Stony Brook | Chuck Priore | November 13, 2023 | Fired[16] | Billy Cosh | Western Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023) |
East Tennessee State | George Quarles | November 19, 2023 | Hired as Tight Ends Coach by Austin Peay[17] | Tre Lamb | Gardner–Webb head coach (2020–2023) |
Cornell | David Archer | November 19, 2023 | Fired[18] | Dan Swanstrom | Penn offensive coordinator (2022–2023) |
Western Illinois | Myers Hendrickson | November 19, 2023 | Fired[19] | Joe Davis | Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2022–2023) |
Northern Arizona | Chris Ball | November 20, 2023 | Fired[20] | Brian Wright | Pittsburg State head coach (2020–2023) |
Morehead State | Rob Tenyer | November 20, 2023 | Contract not renewed[21] | Jason Woodman[22] | Fairmont State head coach (2013–2023) |
Texas Southern | Clarence McKinney | November 20, 2023 | Contract not renewed[23] | Cris Dishman[24] | Vegas Vipers defensive coordinator (2023) |
Utah Tech | Paul Peterson | November 20, 2023 | Fired[25] | Lance Anderson[26] | Boise State senior analyst (2023) |
Tennessee Tech | Dewayne Alexander | November 21, 2023 | Fired[27] | Bobby Wilder | Old Dominion head coach (2009–2019) |
Gardner–Webb | Tre Lamb | November 27, 2023 | Hired by East Tennessee State[28] | Cris Reisert | Tiffin head coach (2019–2023) |
Grambling State | Hue Jackson | November 28, 2023 | Fired[29] | Mickey Joseph | Nebraska interim head coach (2022) |
UC Davis | Dan Hawkins | November 28, 2023 | Resigned[30] | Tim Plough | California tight ends coach (2023) |
Northwestern State | Weston Glaser (interim) | November 28, 2023 | Permanent replacement[31] | Blaine McCorkle | Belhaven head coach (2018–2023) |
Marist | Jim Parady | November 29, 2023 | Retired[32] | Mike Willis[33] | Princeton assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach (2020–2023) |
Columbia | Mark Fabish (interim) | December 2, 2023 | Permanent replacement[34] | Jon Poppe | Union (NY) head coach (2023) |
Austin Peay | Scotty Walden | December 4, 2023 | Hired by UTEP[35] | Jeff Faris | UCLA tight ends coach (2022–2023) |
Holy Cross | Bob Chesney | December 7, 2023 | Hired by James Madison[36] | Dan Curran | Merrimack head coach (2013–2023) |
North Dakota State | Matt Entz | December 10, 2023 | Hired as linebackers coach by USC[37] | Tim Polasek | Wyoming offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2021–2023) |
Merrimack | Dan Curran | December 15, 2023 | Hired by Holy Cross[38] | Mike Gennetti | Merrimack assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (2011–2023) |
Campbell | Mike Minter | December 18, 2023 | Resigned[39] | Braxton Harris | Houston Christian head coach (2023) |
Alcorn State | Fred McNair | December 19, 2023 | Hired as Tight Ends Coach by Southern | Cedric Thomas[40] | Alcorn State defensive coordinator (2022–2023) |
Florida A&M | Willie Simmons | January 1, 2024 | Hired as running backs coach by Duke[41] | James Colzie III[42] | Florida A&M assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach (2023) |
Murray State | Dean Hood | January 1, 2024 | Hired as Director of Player Development by Kentucky[43] | Jody Wright[44] | South Carolina tight ends coach (2022–2023) |
Houston Christian | Braxton Harris | January 2, 2024 | Hired by Campbell[45] | Jason Bachtel[46] | Houston Christian offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023) |
Mercer | Drew Cronic | January 9, 2024 | Hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by Navy[47] | Mike Jacobs[48] | Lenoir–Rhyne head coach (2020–2023) |
Harvard | Tim Murphy | January 17, 2024 | Retired[49] | Andrew Aurich | Rutgers tight ends coach (2023) |
Hampton | Robert Prunty | April 30, 2024 | Fired[50] | Trenton Boykin (full-season interim) | Hampton special teams coordinator and running backs coach (2020–2023) |