| Year: | 2020 |
| Number Of Teams: | 127 (101) |
| Regular Season: | Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 |
| Playoffs: | April 24, 2021 – May 8, 2021 |
| Nc Date: | May 16, 2021 |
| Championship: | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
| Champions: | Sam Houston State |
| Payton: | Cole Kelley, QB, Southeastern Louisiana |
| Buchanan: | Jordan Lewis, DL, Southern |
The 2020–21 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 and postseason were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Several FCS conferences moved their scheduled games from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021, and in August 2020, the NCAA announced that the FCS postseason would also be delayed.[1]
While the NCAA at one point announced a cancellation of the FCS playoff,[2] in late September 2020 a revised playoff schedule was announced, with the FCS Championship Game played on May 16, 2021.[3] Sam Houston State defeated South Dakota State for the title, 23-21.
Of the 127 programs in FCS for this season, 101 played at least one game in either the fall of 2020 or the spring of 2021. The remaining 26 schools opted not to participate. The Ivy League was the only FCS conference with no members competing in football in 2020–21.
October 23, 2020: Jacksonville State 19, FIU 10
February 21, 2021: Tarleton State 43, New Mexico State 17
| School | 2019 conference | 2020–21 conference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RMAC (D-II) | FCS Independent | ||
| MVFC | |||
| LSC (D-II) | FCS Independent | ||
| FCS Independent | |||
| Dropped program | |||
| Big South |
All teams played spring schedules, except where noted. The Ivy League did not play in either the fall or spring.
| Conference | Team | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | Semifinals (L – James Madison) | ||||
| 3rd | 2019 | Second Round (L – James Madison) | |||
| 17th | First Round (L – James Madison) | ||||
| 10th | 2019 | Second Round (L – Northern Iowa) | |||
| 3rd | First Round (L – Fordham) | ||||
| 10th | 2018 | Second Round (L – Maine) | |||
| 4th | 2019 | First Round (L – Monmouth) | |||
| 1st | – | – | |||
| 1st | – | – | |||
| 12th | Semifinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Conference | Team | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14th | First Round (L – North Dakota State) | ||||
| 17th | Championship Game (L – North Dakota State) | ||||
| 3rd | First Round (L – Idaho) | ||||
| 3rd | 2019 | First Round (L – Nicholls) | |||
| 11th | 2019 | National Champions (W – James Madison) | |||
| 9th | Quarterfinals (L – William & Mary) |
In late September 2020, the NCAA announced that the FCS postseason would take place in April and May 2021. Also announced was a reduction of participating teams from 24 to 16, with 10 automatic qualifiers. The first round of the playoffs was scheduled for April 24, with the Championship Game in mid-May,[16] later set for May 16.
Due to the MEAC cancelling all fall sports for the 2020 season, the MEAC/SWAC Celebration Bowl (the one FCS bowl game) was canceled.
* Host institution
Saturday, August 29 – FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17.[17]
Table only includes coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2020. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2020, see 2019 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | Mark Hudspeth | July 3 | Resigned | Marquase Lovings (interim) |
| Jackson State | John Hendrick | August 31 | Fired | |
| Austin Peay | Marquase Lovings (interim) | October 27 | Permanent replacement | Scotty Walden |
| Montana State | Jeff Choate | January 22 | Hired as Texas defensive coordinator | Brent Vigen |
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk State | Latrell Scott | March 3 | Hired as East Carolina tight ends coach | Dawson Odums | |
| Western Carolina | Mark Speir | April 9 | Fired | Kerwin Bell | |
| Tennessee State | Rod Reed | April 11 | Retired | Eddie George | |
| Southern | Dawson Odums | April 20 | Hired by Norfolk State | Jason Rollins (interim) | |
| Presbyterian | Tommy Spangler | April 21 | Fired | Kevin Kelley |