2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2018 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 FCS Championship Game was played on January 5, 2019, in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State claimed its second consecutive FCS title, and seventh in eight years.

2018 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams125
DurationAugust 25 – November 17
Payton AwardDevlin Hodges, QB, Samford
Buchanan AwardZach Hall, LB, Southeast Missouri State
Playoff
DurationNovember 24 – December 15
Championship dateJanuary 5, 2019
Championship siteToyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ChampionNorth Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes
SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference
CampbellPioneerBig South
HamptonMEACFCS Independent
IdahoSun Belt (FBS)Big Sky
LibertyBig SouthFBS Independent
North AlabamaGulf South (D–II)FCS Independent
North DakotaBig SkyFCS Independent [lower-alpha 1]
  1. North Dakota will officially join the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020, and is classified as an FCS independent for 2018 and 2019. However, to accommodate pre-existing game contracts, it still plays its Big Sky Conference schedule and conference games still count for their opponents.

In addition to the schools changing conferences, the 2018 season was the last for Savannah State in D-I with its decision to reclassify all of its sports to D-II.[1]

Other headlines

Offseason
  • June 13 – Major changes to redshirt rules in Division I football (both FBS and FCS) took effect from this season forward after having been approved by the NCAA Division I Council. Players can now participate in as many as four games in a given season while still retaining redshirt status. The only exception to this new rule is that players who enroll at a school in midyear and participate in postseason competition that takes place during or before their first academic term at that school will lose a full year of athletic eligibility.[3]

Season
  • September 10 – The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced that Merrimack College would start a transition from the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) and join the NEC effective July 1, 2019. Merrimack's football team is expected to immediately start playing a full NEC schedule, but will not be eligible for the FCS playoffs until becoming a full D-I member in 2023.[4]
  • October 3 – Long Island University announced that it would merge its two current athletic programs—the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, full but non-football members of the NEC, and LIU Post Pioneers, a Division II program that is a full member of the non-football East Coast Conference and an NE-10 football member—effective with the 2019–20 school year. The new program will compete under the LIU name with a new nickname. The Post football team will become the LIU football team, playing in the NEC. There has been no definitive report as to when the new LIU football team will be eligible for the FCS playoffs.[5]
  • October 27 – Central Connecticut's Aaron Dawson ran for 308 yards in the second half, a record for a half throughout Division I, and 361 overall to lead the Blue Devils to a 49–24 win over Wagner.[6]
  • November 17 – In the final game of his college career, Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges set a new FCS record for career passing yardage, surpassing late Alcorn State and NFL great Steve McNair in the Bulldogs' 38–27 win over East Tennessee State. Hodges finished his career with 14,584 yards.[7]
  • January 4 – The NCAA and the Southland Conference (SLC) announced that the FCS championship game, which is currently co-hosted by the SLC, would remain at its current home of Toyota Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas through at least the 2024 season, with an option for the 2025 season.[8]

Pre-season international exhibitions
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

Kickoff games

One kickoff game was played during "Week Zero" on August 25:

FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll, FBS rankings from the AP poll.)

Hurricane Florence
See also: Hurricane Florence

All times Eastern

Several games on the east coast were rescheduled, canceled, or moved due to Hurricane Florence:

Sources:[9][10][11]

Conference standings
2018 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 6 Weber State +^  7 –1     10 –3  
No. 2 Eastern Washington +^  7 –1     12 –3  
No. 7 UC Davis +^  7 –1     10 –3  
No. 17 Montana State ^  5 –3     8 –5  
Idaho State  5 –3     6 –5  
Montana  4 –4     6 –5  
Cal Poly  4 –4     5 –6  
Northern Arizona  3 –4     4 –6  
Portland State  3 –5     4 –7  
Idaho  3 –5     4 –7  
Northern Colorado  2 –6     2 –9  
Southern Utah  1 –7     1 –10  
Sacramento State  0 –7     2 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Although North Dakota was classified as an independent, games against them still counted as Big Sky Conference games.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Big South Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 5 Kennesaw State $^  5 –0     11 –2  
Monmouth  4 –1     8 –3  
Charleston Southern  3 –2     5 –6  
Gardner–Webb  2 –3     3 –8  
Campbell  1 –4     6 –5  
Presbyterian  0 –5     2 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 CAA football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 4 Maine $^  7 –1     10 –4  
No. 9 James Madison ^  6 –2     9 –4  
No. 16 Stony Brook ^  5 –3     7 –5  
No. 20 Towson ^  5 –3     7 –5  
No. 24 Delaware ^  5 –3     7 –5  
No. 19 Elon ^  4 –3     6 –5  
Rhode Island  4 –4     6 –5  
William & Mary  3 –4     4 –6  
New Hampshire  3 –5     4 –7  
Villanova  2 –6     5 –6  
Richmond  2 –6     4 –7  
Albany  1 –7     3 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Ivy League football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 11 Princeton $  7 –0     10 –0  
No. 18 Dartmouth  6 –1     9 –1  
Harvard  4 –3     6 –4  
Yale  3 –4     5 –5  
Penn  3 –4     6 –4  
Columbia  3 –4     6 –4  
Cornell  2 –5     3 –7  
Brown  0 –7     1 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 12 North Carolina A&T $  6 –1     9 –2  
Bethune–Cookman  5 –2     7 –5  
Florida A&M  5 –2     6 –5  
South Carolina State  4 –3     5 –6  
Howard  4 –3     4 –6  
North Carolina Central  3 –4     5 –6  
Morgan State  3 –4     4 –7  
Norfolk State  2 –5     4 –7  
Delaware State  2 –5     3 –8  
Savannah State  1 –6     2 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 1 North Dakota State $^  8 –0     15 –0  
No. 3 South Dakota State ^  6 –2     10 –3  
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^  5 –3     7 –6  
Indiana State  5 –3     7 –4  
Western Illinois  4 –4     5 –6  
Illinois State  3 –5     6 –5  
Youngstown State  3 –5     4 –7  
South Dakota  3 –5     4 –7  
Missouri State  2 –6     4 –7  
Southern Illinois  1 –7     2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 21 Duquesne +^  5 –1     8 –3  
Sacred Heart +  5 –1     7 –4  
Central Connecticut  4 –2     6 –5  
Wagner  3 –3     4 –7  
Saint Francis (PA)  2 –4     4 –7  
Bryant  2 –4     6 –5  
Robert Morris  0 –6     2 –9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 10 Jacksonville State $^  7 –1     8 –3  
No. 15 Southeast Missouri State ^  6 –2     8 –3  
Eastern Kentucky  5 –2     7 –4  
Murray State  5 –3     5 –6  
Tennessee State  3 –4     4 –5  
Eastern Illinois  3 –5     3 –8  
Austin Peay  3 –5     5 –6  
UT Martin  2 –6     2 –9  
Tennessee Tech  1 –7     1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Patriot League football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 8 Colgate $^  6 –0     10 –2  
Holy Cross  4 –2     5 –6  
Georgetown  4 –2     5 –6  
Lehigh  2 –4     3 –8  
Lafayette  2 –4     3 –8  
Fordham  2 –4     2 –9  
Bucknell  1 –5     1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 25 San Diego $^  8 –0     9 –3  
Stetson  6 –2     8 –2  
Drake  6 –2     7 –4  
Marist  5 –3     5 –6  
Dayton  5 –3     6 –5  
Davidson  3 –5     6 –5  
Butler  2 –6     4 –7  
Morehead State  2 –6     3 –8  
Valparaiso  2 –6     2 –9  
Jacksonville  1 –7     2 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2018 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 13 Wofford +^  6 –2     9 –4  
No. 22 East Tennessee State +^  6 –2     8 –4  
Furman +  6 –2     6 –4  
Samford  5 –3     6 –5  
Chattanooga  4 –4     6 –5  
The Citadel  4 –4     5 –6  
Mercer  4 –4     5 –6  
Western Carolina  1 –7     3 –8  
VMI  0 –8     1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2018 Southland Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 14 Nicholls +^  7 –2     9 –4  
Incarnate Word +^  6 –2     6 –5  
Lamar ^  6 –3     7 –5  
Abilene Christian  5 –4     6 –5  
Central Arkansas  5 –4     6 –5  
McNeese State  5 –4     6 –5  
Sam Houston State  5 –4     6 –5  
Northwestern State  4 –5     5 –6  
Southeastern Louisiana  4 –5     4 –7  
Stephen F. Austin  2 –7     2 –8  
Houston Baptist  0 –9     1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Alcorn State x$  6 –1     9 –3  
Alabama A&M  5 –2     6 –5  
Jackson State  4 –3     5 –5  
Alabama State  3 –4     4 –7  
Mississippi Valley State  1 –6     1 –10  
West Division
Southern xy  6 –1     7 –4  
Grambling State  4 –3     6 –5  
Prairie View A&M  4 –3     5 –6  
Texas Southern  1 –6     2 –9  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –6     2 –9  
Championship: Alcorn State 37, Southern 28
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2018 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
North Alabama   –     7 –3  
Hampton   –     7 –3  
North Dakota   –     6 –5  

Conference summaries

Championship games
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)

Other conference winners

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)

    Playoff qualifiers

    Automatic berths for conference champions
    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    Big Sky ConferenceWeber State7th2017Quarterfinals (L – James Madison)
    Big South ConferenceKennesaw State2nd2017Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State)
    Colonial Athletic AssociationMaine8th2013Second Round (L – New Hampshire)
    Missouri Valley Football ConferenceNorth Dakota State9th2017National Champions (W – James Madison)
    Northeast ConferenceDuquesne2nd2015First Round (L – William & Mary)
    Ohio Valley ConferenceJacksonville State9th2017Second Round (L – Kennesaw State)
    Patriot LeagueColgate11th2015Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State)
    Pioneer Football LeagueSan Diego4th2017Second Round (L – North Dakota State)
    Southern ConferenceWofford9th2017Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Southland ConferenceNicholls5th2017First Round (L – South Dakota)

    At large qualifiers
    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    Big Sky ConferenceEastern Washington13th2016Semifinals (L – Youngstown State)
    UC Davis1st–
    Montana State9th2014First Round (L – South Dakota State)
    Colonial Athletic AssociationDelaware16th2010Championship Game (L – Eastern Washington)
    Elon3rd2017First Round (L – Furman)
    James Madison15th2017Championship Game (L – North Dakota State)
    Stony Brook4th2017Second Round (L – James Madison)
    Towson3rd2013Championship Game (L – North Dakota State)
    Missouri Valley Football ConferenceNorthern Iowa20th2017Second Round (L – South Dakota State)
    South Dakota State8th2017Semifinals (L – James Madison)
    Ohio Valley ConferenceSoutheast Missouri State2nd2010Second Round (L – Eastern Washington)
    Southern ConferenceEast Tennessee State2nd1996Quarterfinals (L – Montana)
    Southland ConferenceIncarnate Word1st–
    Lamar1st–

    Abstentions

    Postseason

    NCAA FCS Playoff bracket
      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
    January 5
    12:00 pm
    Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
    ESPN2
                                                   
          1 North Dakota State 52  
      Montana State 35     Montana State 10    
      Incarnate Word 14         1 North Dakota State 35  
        8 Colgate 0    
          8 Colgate 23    
      James Madison 20     James Madison 20  
      Delaware 6         1 North Dakota State 44  
          5 South Dakota State 21    
          4 Kennesaw State 13  
      Wofford 19     Wofford 10    
      Elon 7         4 Kennesaw State 17    
        5 South Dakota State 27  
          5 South Dakota State 51    
      Towson 10     Duquesne 6  
      Duquesne 31         1 North Dakota State 38
          3 Eastern Washington 24
          2 Weber State 48  
      SE Missouri State 28     SE Missouri State 23    
      Stony Brook 14         2 Weber State 18  
        7 Maine 23    
          7 Maine 55    
      Jacksonville State 34     Jacksonville State 27  
      ETSU 27         7 Maine 19    
          3 Eastern Washington 50  
          3 Eastern Washington 42  
      Nicholls 49     Nicholls 21    
      San Diego 30         3 Eastern Washington 34    
        6 UC Davis 29  
          6 UC Davis 23    
      Northern Iowa 16     Northern Iowa 16  
      Lamar 13  

    Bowl games
    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

    Awards and honors

    Walter Payton Award

    Buck Buchanan Award

    Jerry Rice Award

    Coaches

    Coaching changes

    Preseason and in-season

    This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2018. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2018, see 2017 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 [lower-alpha 1]
    1. Interim for remainder of season; interim tag removed on November 28, 2018.

    End of season
    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[12]
    Howard Mike London November 19 Hired as head coach by William & 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 by East Carolina Curt Cignetti
    Bryant James Perry December 3 Hired as head coach by Brown Chris Merritt
    Austin Peay Will Healy December 4 Hired as head coach by Charlotte 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 by Kansas State Matt Entz[13]
    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 by Akron Rusty Wright
    Elon Curt Cignetti December 14 Hired as head coach by James Madison Tony Trisciani
    Maine Joe Harasymiak December 21 Hired as defensive assistant by Minnesota Nick Charlton
    Bucknell Joe Susan January 14 Resigned Dave Cecchini
    Central Connecticut Peter Rossomando January 23 Hired as offensive line coach by Rutgers Ryan McCarthy
    Valparaiso Dave Cecchini February 6 Hired as head coach by Bucknell Landon Fox
    Morgan State Ernest T. Jones (interim) February 7 Permanent replacement Tyrone Wheatley

    See also

    References
    1. "Savannah State Plans Athletic Division Reclassification" (Press release). Savannah State Athletics. April 17, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    2. Haley, Craig (March 14, 2018). "5 College Football Teams Changing FCS Affiliations in 2018". athlonsports.com. Athlon Sports & Life. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
    3. "DI football to offer more participation opportunities" (Press release). NCAA. June 13, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
    4. "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join the Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
    5. "Long Island University Announces Unification Into One LIU Division I Program" (Press release). LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
    6. "CCSU's Aaron Dawson sets record with 308 rushing yards in a half". ESPN. October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
    7. "Devlin Hodges notches FCS mark with 14,584 career passing yards". ESPN. November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
    8. "FCS Championship Will Stay in Frisco Through 2025 With Option for 2026" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
    9. Adelson, Andrea. "UNC, NC State, Va. Tech called due to Florence". ESPN. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
    10. "Football Cancels Game against Stetson". GoBlueHose.com. Presbyterian College. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
    11. "NCAAF College Football Scores - FCS Week 3". ESPN. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
    12. "London replaces legend as William & Mary coach". STATS FCS Football. November 19, 2018.
    13. Rittenberg, Adam (December 13, 2018). "North Dakota St. promotes defensive coordinator Matt Entz to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
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