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| 2018 NCAA Division I FCS season | |
|---|---|
| Regular season | |
| Number of teams | 125 |
| Duration | August 25 – November 17 |
| Payton Award | Devlin Hodges, QB,Samford |
| Buchanan Award | Zach Hall, LB,Southeast Missouri State |
| Playoff | |
| Duration | November 24 – December 15 |
| Championship date | January 5, 2019 |
| Championship site | Toyota Stadium,Frisco, Texas |
| Champion | North Dakota State |
| NCAA Division I FCS football seasons | |
«2017 2019» | |
The2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part ofcollege football in the United States, was organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at theDivision IFootball Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. TheFCS Championship Game was played on January 5, 2019, inFrisco, Texas.North Dakota State claimed its second consecutive FCS title, and seventh in eight years, defeatingEastern Washington, 38-24.
| School | 2017 conference | 2018 conference |
|---|---|---|
| Campbell | Pioneer | Big South |
| Hampton | MEAC | FCS Independent |
| Idaho | Sun Belt (FBS) | Big Sky |
| Liberty | Big South | FBS Independent |
| North Alabama | Gulf South (D–II) | FCS Independent |
| North Dakota | Big Sky |
(FCS rankings from theSTATS poll, FBS rankings from theAP poll.)
August 30:UC Davis 44,San Jose State 38
September 1: No. 18Nicholls 26,Kansas 23OT
September 1:Northern Arizona 30,UTEP 10
September 1: No. 19Villanova 19,Temple 17
September 2: No. 14North Carolina A&T 28,East Carolina 23
September 8: No. 22Maine 31,Western Kentucky 28
September 22: No. 16Illinois State 35,Colorado State 19
| School | 2017 conference | 2018 conference |
|---|---|---|
| Campbell | Pioneer | Big South |
| Hampton | MEAC | FCS Independent |
| Idaho | Sun Belt (FBS) | Big Sky |
| Liberty | Big South | FBS Independent |
| North Alabama | Gulf South (D–II) | FCS Independent |
| North Dakota | Big Sky |
| Conference | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAC | Alcorn State 9–3 (6–1) | Southern 7–4 (6–1) | 37–28 | Noah Johnson (Alcorn State) | De’Arius Christmas (Grambling State) | Fred McNair (Alcorn State) |
Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.
| Conference | Champion | Record | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | Eastern Washington UC Davis Weber State | 9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) | Jake Maier (UC Davis) | Jay-Tee Tiuli (Eastern Washington) | Aaron Best (Eastern Washington) Dan Hawkins (UC Davis) |
| Big South | Kennesaw State | 10–1 (5–0) | Chandler Burks (Kennesaw State) | Anthony Gore, Jr. (Kennesaw State) | Brian Bohanon (Kennesaw State) |
| CAA | Maine | 8–3 (7–1) | Tom Flacco (Towson) | Jimmy Moreland (James Madison) | Joe Harasymiak (Maine) |
| Ivy | Princeton | 10–0 (7–0) | John Lovett (Princeton) | Isiah Swann (Dartmouth) | Bob Surace (Princeton) |
| MEAC | North Carolina A&T | 9–2 (6–1) | Caylin Newton (Howard) | Darryl Johnson Jr. (North Carolina A&T) | Sam Washington (North Carolina A&T) |
| MVFC | North Dakota State | 11–0 (8–0) | Easton Stick (North Dakota State) | Jabril Cox (North Dakota State) | Curt Mallory (Indiana State) |
| NEC | Duquesne Sacred Heart | 8–3 (5–1) 7–4 (5–1) | A. J. Hines (Duquesne) | Cam Gill (Wagner) | Mark Nofri (Sacred Heart) Jerry Schmitt (Duquesne) |
| OVC | Jacksonville State | 8–3 (7–1) | Marquis Terry (Southeast Missouri State) | Zach Hall (Southeast Missouri State) | Tom Matukewicz (Southeast Missouri State) |
| Patriot | Colgate | 9–1 (6–0) | James Holland, Jr. (Colgate) | T. J. Hill (Colgate) | Dan Hunt (Colgate) |
| Pioneer | San Diego | 9–2 (8–0) | Anthony Lawrence (San Diego) | Nathan Clayberg (Drake) | Roger Hughes (Stetson) |
| Southern | East Tennessee State Furman Wofford | 8–3 (6–2) 6–4 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) | Devlin Hodges (Samford) | Isaiah Mack (Chattanooga) | Randy Sanders (East Tennessee State) |
| Southland | Incarnate Word Nicholls | 6–4 (6–2) 8–3 (7–2) | Jazz Ferguson (Northwestern State) | B. J. Blunt (McNeese State) | Eric Morris (Incarnate Word) |
| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | 7th | 2017 | Quarterfinals (L –James Madison) |
| Big South Conference | Kennesaw State | 2nd | 2017 | Quarterfinals (L –Sam Houston State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Maine | 8th | 2013 | Second Round (L –New Hampshire) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 9th | 2017 | National Champions (W –James Madison) |
| Northeast Conference | Duquesne | 2nd | 2015 | First Round (L –William & Mary) |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Jacksonville State | 9th | 2017 | Second Round (L –Kennesaw State) |
| Patriot League | Colgate | 11th | 2015 | Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Pioneer Football League | San Diego | 4th | 2017 | Second Round (L –North Dakota State) |
| Southern Conference | Wofford | 9th | 2017 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Southland Conference | Nicholls | 5th | 2017 | First Round (L –South Dakota) |
| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Conference | Eastern Washington | 13th | 2016 | Semifinals (L –Youngstown State) |
| UC Davis | 1st | – | ||
| Montana State | 9th | 2014 | First Round (L –South Dakota State) | |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Delaware | 16th | 2010 | Championship Game (L –Eastern Washington) |
| Elon | 3rd | 2017 | First Round (L –Furman) | |
| James Madison | 15th | 2017 | Championship Game (L –North Dakota State) | |
| Stony Brook | 4th | 2017 | Second Round (L –James Madison) | |
| Towson | 3rd | 2013 | Championship Game (L –North Dakota State) | |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Northern Iowa | 20th | 2017 | Second Round (L –South Dakota State) |
| South Dakota State | 8th | 2017 | Semifinals (L – James Madison) | |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Southeast Missouri State | 2nd | 2010 | Second Round (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Southern Conference | East Tennessee State | 2nd | 1996 | Quarterfinals (L –Montana) |
| Southland Conference | Incarnate Word | 1st | – | |
| Lamar | 1st | – |
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 15 | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00 pm | ABC | North Carolina A&T Aggies (9–2) Alcorn State Braves (9–3) | MEAC SWAC | North Carolina A&T 24 Alcorn State 22 |
| First Round November 24 Campus sites ESPN3 | Second Round December 1 Campus sites ESPN3 | Quarterfinals December 7/8 Campus sites ESPN,ESPN2,ESPN3 | Semifinals December 14/15 Campus sites ESPN2 | National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota State | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 35 | Montana State | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota State | 35 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Incarnate Word | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Colgate | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Colgate | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| James Madison | 20 | James Madison | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota State | 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | South Dakota State | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kennesaw State | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 19 | Wofford | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kennesaw State | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Elon | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | South Dakota State | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | South Dakota State | 51 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| January 5 –Toyota Stadium (ESPN2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Towson | 10 | Duquesne | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota State | 38 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Duquesne | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Weber State | 48 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| SE Missouri State | 28 | SE Missouri State | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Weber State | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stony Brook | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Maine | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Maine | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 34 | Jacksonville State | 27 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Maine | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ETSU | 27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 50 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 42 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicholls | 49 | Nicholls | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UC Davis | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UC Davis | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 16 | Northern Iowa | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Lamar | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Name | Location | NCAA team | Hosting Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2018 | Drake-China Ambassadors Bowl | UIBE,Beijing,China | Drake | China All-Stars (AFLC,CAFL, & CBL) | 77–0 |
One kickoff game was played during "Week Zero" on August 25:
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2018. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2018, see2017 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F. Austin | Clint Conque | August 6 | Resigned | Jeff Byrd (interim) |
| Jackson State | Tony Hughes | October 28 | Fired | John Hendrick[a] |
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois | Kim Dameron | November 18 | Contract not renewed | Adam Cushing |
| William & Mary | Jimmye Laycock | November 18 | Retired | Mike London[7] |
| Howard | Mike London | November 19 | Hired as head coach byWilliam & Mary | Ron Prince |
| Northern Arizona | Jerome Souers | November 19 | Retired | Chris Ball |
| Brown | Phil Estes | November 19 | Resigned | James Perry |
| McNeese State | Lance Guidry | November 20 | Contract not renewed | Sterlin Gilbert |
| Sacramento State | Jody Sears | November 26 | Fired | Troy Taylor |
| Texas Southern | Michael Haywood | November 27 | Resigned | Clarence McKinney |
| Stephen F. Austin | Jeff Byrd (interim) | December 1 | Permanent replacement | Colby Carthel |
| James Madison | Mike Houston | December 3 | Hired as head coach byEast Carolina | Curt Cignetti |
| Bryant | James Perry | December 3 | Hired as head coach byBrown | Chris Merritt |
| Austin Peay | Will Healy | December 4 | Hired as head coach byCharlotte | Mark Hudspeth |
| Charleston Southern | Mark Tucker | December 7 | Resigned | Autry Denson |
| Savannah State | Erik Raeburn | December 7 | Fired | Shawn Quinn (interim) |
| Lehigh | Andy Coen | December 7 | Retired | Tom Gilmore |
| North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | December 10 | Hired as head coach byKansas State | Matt Entz[8] |
| Drake | Rick Fox | December 10 | Resigned | Todd Stepsis |
| North Carolina Central | Granville Eastman (interim) | December 12 | Permanent replacement | Trei Oliver |
| Chattanooga | Tom Arth | December 14 | Hired as head coach byAkron | Rusty Wright |
| Elon | Curt Cignetti | December 14 | Hired as head coach byJames Madison | Tony Trisciani |
| Maine | Joe Harasymiak | December 21 | Hired as defensive assistant byMinnesota | Nick Charlton |
| Bucknell | Joe Susan | January 14 | Resigned | Dave Cecchini |
| Central Connecticut | Peter Rossomando | January 23 | Hired as offensive line coach byRutgers | Ryan McCarthy |
| Valparaiso | Dave Cecchini | February 6 | Hired as head coach byBucknell | Landon Fox |
| Morgan State | Ernest T. Jones (interim) | February 7 | Permanent replacement | Tyrone Wheatley |