2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season explained

Year:	2024
Number Of Teams:	129
Regular Season:	August 24 – December 7
Playoffs:	November 30 – December 21
Nc Date:	January 6, 2025
Championship:	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas

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 begins in November and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, will end on January 6, 2025, with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.^[1]

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2024, FCS teams will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the normal 11.^[2]

Notable headlines

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.^[3]
May 29 – Stephen F. Austin announced it would leave the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1 to rejoin the Southland Conference (SLC) after a three-year absence.^[4]

Conference changes and new programs

2023 conference	2024 conference
		^[5]
	CUSA (FBS)	^[6]
PSAC (D-II)		^[7]
		^[8]
		^[9]
		^[10]
		^[11]
Gulf South (D-II)		^[12] ^[13] ^[14] ^[15]
		^[16]

Postseason

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.

Bowl game

Rankings

See main article: 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings. The top 25 from the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

Stats Perform
Ranking	Team
1	South Dakota State (52)
2	North Dakota State (3)
3	Montana
4	Montana State (1)
5	South Dakota
6	Villanova
7	Idaho
8	Sacramento State
9	Chattanooga
10	Southern Illinois
11	Central Arkansas
12	Furman
13	Richmond
14	Incarnate Word
15	William & Mary
16	Albany
17	Lafayette
18	UC Davis
19	Illinois State
20	Western Carolina
21	Tarleton State
22	Weber State
23	Nicholls
24	North Dakota
25	Youngstown State

USA Today Coaches
Ranking	Team
1	South Dakota State (25)
2	North Dakota State
3	Montana
4	Montana State
5	South Dakota
6	Villanova
7	Idaho
8	Chattanooga
9	Furman
10	Sacramento State
11	Southern Illinois
12	Richmond
13	Central Arkansas
14	Albany
15	Incarnate Word
16	William & Mary
17	UC Davis
18	Lafayette
19	Western Carolina
20	Illinois State
21	Tarleton State
22	North Dakota
23	Youngstown State
24	Nicholls
25	Florida A&M (1)

STATS source:^[17]
AFCA source:^[18]

Kickoff games

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
- No. 4 Montana State at New Mexico MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Norfolk State vs. Florida A&M

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

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.

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

Notes and References

Web site: FCS Championship: Future dates and sites. NCAA.com. January 24, 2024.
Web site: Bylaw 17.11.6.1: Number of Contests (FBS/FCS): Maximum Limitations – Institutional . 2023–24 NCAA Division I Manual . NCAA . 263 . August 5, 2023 . August 2, 2024 . In championship subdivision football . . . Twelve football contests shall be permissible during those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November (e.g., 2024, 2025)..
Web site: Herder, Sam. Seeded Teams In 24-Team FCS Playoff Bracket Increases From 8 To 16. HeroSports.com. April 25, 2024. May 9, 2024.
SFA Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25 . Southland Conference . May 29, 2024 . May 29, 2024.
Web site: Coastal Athletic Association adding Bryant University in '24. ESPN.com. August 10, 2023.
Web site: Kennesaw State to join Conference USA in July 2024. ESPN.com. October 14, 2022.
Web site: Mercyhurst University marks new era in athletics with move to Division I. Mercyhurst University. hurstathletics.com. April 4, 2024.
Web site: Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Merrimack College. merrimack.edu. October 23, 2023.
Web site: RMU Football to Rejoin Northeast Conference for 2024 Season. Robert Morris University. rmucolonials.com. November 28, 2023.
Web site: Sacred Heart University Joining the MAAC. Sacred Heart University. sacredheartpioneers.com. March 14, 2024.
Web site: SFA Accepts Bid to Southland Conference for 2024-25 Season. Stephen F. Austin State University. sfajacks.com. May 29, 2024.
Web site: UWG, United Athletic Conference Reveal 2024 Conference Football Slate. uwgathletics.com. University of West Georgia. November 14, 2023. May 30, 2024.
Web site: UWG Athletics to Transition to NCAA Division I. westga.edu. May 30, 2024.
Web site: UAC Welcomes West Georgia as its 11th Member. uacfootball.com. United Athletic Conference. August 8, 2023. May 30, 2024.
Web site: University of West Georgia Announces Move to NCAA Division I. SI.com. September 8, 2023.
Web site: Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24. ovcsports.com. December 5, 2023.
Web site: The Champ's Still No. 1: South Dakota State Sits on Top of FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll. theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. August 5, 2024. August 10, 2024.
Web site: Two-time defending champs South Dakota State lead 2024 preseason FCS Coaches' Poll. ncaa.com. NCAA. August 12, 2024. August 12, 2024.