2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2020 Big South Conference football standings
	$ – Conference champion; * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition to NCAA Division I ; As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Big Sky Conference football standings
	As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	127[1]
Duration	August – November
Playoff
Duration	November 28 – December 19
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
	«2019

The 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, will be organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Dixie State Trailblazers	RMAC (Division II)	FCS independent
North Dakota Fighting Hawks	FCS independent	MVFC
Tarleton State Texans	LSC (Division II)	FCS independent
Presbyterian Blue Hose	Big South	FCS independent
Jacksonville Dolphins	Pioneer Football League	Disbanded program
Robert Morris Colonials	Northeast Conference	FCS independent

Presbyterian will play the 2020 season as an FCS independent before joining the non-scholarship FCS Pioneer Football League in 2021; it will remain a full but non-football Big South member. Robert Morris, moving from the football-sponsoring Northeast Conference to the non-football Horizon League, will play as an FCS independent before joining Big South football in 2021.

The 2020 season will be the last for Bethune–Cookman, Florida A&M, and North Carolina A&T in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. On July 1, 2021, Bethune–Cookman and Florida A&M will move to the Southwestern Athletic Conference[2][3] and North Carolina A&T will move to the Big South Conference.[4]

Rule changes

Other headlines

May 12 – Timothy White, chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system, announced that it would remain in a virtual learning model for the 2020 fall term. Because NCAA president Mark Emmert publicly stated that athletics could not take place on a campus without students, this left the 2020 season in doubt for the system's two FCS schools, Big Sky Conference members Cal Poly and Sacramento State. No decision on any school's football season has been made.[5]
May 19 – The NCAA announced its Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions for the 2020–21 school year. A total of fifteen programs in eight sports were declared ineligible for postseason play due to failure to meet the required APR benchmark, including the following Division I FCS football teams:[6]
June 4 – Florida A&M University announced that it would leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the Southwestern Athletic Conference after the 2020–21 school year.[2]
June 15 – Robert Morris University announced its departure from the Northeast Conference for the Horizon League effective July 1, 2020. Football is one of six sports sponsored by RMU that are not sponsored by the Horizon League. The football program will join Big South Conference football in 2021. For the 2020 football team, the Colonials will play as an FCS independent.[7][8] The schedule for the Robert Morris football team will still be played, yet will transfer those games as non-conference.[9]
June 25 – Bethune–Cookman University announced that it would leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the Southwestern Athletic Conference after the 2020–21 school year.[3]

"Week Zero"

The regular season will begin on Saturday, August 29 with at least three games involving FCS teams. Two will pit FCS teams against FBS teams.

Idaho State at New Mexico
UC Davis at Nevada
FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas[10]

FCS team wins over FBS teams

Non-DI team wins over FCS teams

Conference standings

2020 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Albany		0	–	0		0	–	0
Delaware		0	–	0		0	–	0
Elon		0	–	0		0	–	0
James Madison		0	–	0		0	–	0
Maine		0	–	0		0	–	0
New Hampshire		0	–	0		0	–	0
Rhode Island		0	–	0		0	–	0
Richmond		0	–	0		0	–	0
Stony Brook		0	–	0		0	–	0
Towson		0	–	0		0	–	0
Villanova		0	–	0		0	–	0
William & Mary		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Ivy League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Brown		0	–	0		0	–	0
Columbia		0	–	0		0	–	0
Cornell		0	–	0		0	–	0
Dartmouth		0	–	0		0	–	0
Harvard		0	–	0		0	–	0
Penn		0	–	0		0	–	0
Princeton		0	–	0		0	–	0
Yale		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Bethune–Cookman		0	–	0		0	–	0
Delaware State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Florida A&M		0	–	0		0	–	0
Howard *		0	–	0		0	–	0
Morgan State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Norfolk State		0	–	0		0	–	0
North Carolina A&T		0	–	0		0	–	0
North Carolina Central		0	–	0		0	–	0
South Carolina State		0	–	0		0	–	0

* – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Illinois State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Indiana State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Missouri State		0	–	0		0	–	0
North Dakota		0	–	0		0	–	0
North Dakota State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Northern Iowa		0	–	0		0	–	0
South Dakota		0	–	0		0	–	0
South Dakota State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Southern Illinois		0	–	0		0	–	0
Western Illinois		0	–	0		0	–	0
Youngstown State		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Northeast Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Bryant		0	–	0		0	–	0
Central Connecticut		0	–	0		0	–	0
Duquesne		0	–	0		0	–	0
LIU		0	–	0		0	–	0
Merrimack *		0	–	0		0	–	0
Sacred Heart		0	–	0		0	–	0
Saint Francis		0	–	0		0	–	0
Wagner		0	–	0		0	–	0

* – Merrimack ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition to NCAA Division I, and also ineligible for NEC title due to not playing a full conference schedule ** – Robert Morris will compete as an FCS Independent in 2020 due to dropping from the conference As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Austin Peay		0	–	0		0	–	0
Eastern Illinois		0	–	0		0	–	0
Eastern Kentucky		0	–	0		0	–	0
Jacksonville State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Murray State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Southeast Missouri State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Tennessee State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Tennessee Tech		0	–	0		0	–	0
UT Martin		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Patriot League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Bucknell		0	–	0		0	–	0
Colgate		0	–	0		0	–	0
Fordham		0	–	0		0	–	0
Georgetown		0	–	0		0	–	0
Holy Cross		0	–	0		0	–	0
Lafayette		0	–	0		0	–	0
Lehigh		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Pioneer Football League standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Butler		0	–	0		0	–	0
Davidson		0	–	0		0	–	0
Dayton		0	–	0		0	–	0
Drake		0	–	0		0	–	0
Marist		0	–	0		0	–	0
Morehead State		0	–	0		0	–	0
San Diego		0	–	0		0	–	0
Stetson		0	–	0		0	–	0
Valparaiso		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Southern Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Chattanooga		0	–	0		0	–	0
The Citadel		0	–	0		0	–	0
East Tennessee State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Furman		0	–	0		0	–	0
Mercer		0	–	0		0	–	0
Samford		0	–	0		0	–	0
VMI		0	–	0		0	–	0
Western Carolina		0	–	0		0	–	0
Wofford		0	–	0		0	–	0

As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Southland Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Abilene Christian		0	–	0		0	–	0
Central Arkansas		0	–	0		0	–	0
Houston Baptist		0	–	0		0	–	0
Incarnate Word		0	–	0		0	–	0
Lamar		0	–	0		0	–	0
McNeese State *		0	–	0		0	–	0
Nicholls		0	–	0		0	–	0
Northwestern State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Sam Houston State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Southeastern Louisiana		0	–	0		0	–	0
Stephen F. Austin *		0	–	0		0	–	0

* – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
Alabama A&M		0	–	0		0	–	0
Alabama State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Alcorn State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Jackson State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Mississippi Valley State		0	–	0		0	–	0
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		0	–	0		0	–	0
Grambling State		0	–	0		0	–	0
Prairie View A&M *		0	–	0		0	–	0
Southern		0	–	0		0	–	0
Texas Southern		0	–	0		0	–	0

* – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

2020 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Dixie State *			–			0	–	0
Presbyterian **			–			0	–	0
Robert Morris **			–			0	–	0
Tarleton State *			–			0	–	0

* – Ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from Division II ** – Playing as an FCS independent for the 2020 season before moving to a different conference As of June 26, 2020; Rankings from STATS Poll

Postseason

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to 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

End of season

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement

References

"Road to the Championship". ncaa.com. 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
"SWAC Announces Addition of Florida A&M as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
"Bethune-Cookman University is fourth school to leave MEAC since 2018". WTKR. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
"Big South Adds North Carolina A&T University as Full Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
Bonagura, Kyle (May 12, 2020). "California State University system to stay online, leaving fall sports up in air". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
Borzello, Jeff (May 19, 2020). "NCAA: 15 Division I programs face postseason bans over APR results". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
"Robert Morris leaves NEC for Horizon League; football moves to Big South". wtae.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
"Robert Morris football to join Big South Conference in 2021". fbschedules.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
"Robert Morris joins Horizon League, football heads to Big South". timesonline.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
"Austin Peay Football to Open 2020 at Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FCStourney-1] "Road to the Championship". ncaa.com. 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

[FAMU-2] "SWAC Announces Addition of Florida A&M as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

[BCU-3] "Bethune-Cookman University is fourth school to leave MEAC since 2018". WTKR. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

[4] "Big South Adds North Carolina A&T University as Full Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.

[5] Bonagura, Kyle (May 12, 2020). "California State University system to stay online, leaving fall sports up in air". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.

[6] Borzello, Jeff (May 19, 2020). "NCAA: 15 Division I programs face postseason bans over APR results". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.

[7] "Robert Morris leaves NEC for Horizon League; football moves to Big South". wtae.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

[8] "Robert Morris football to join Big South Conference in 2021". fbschedules.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

[9] "Robert Morris joins Horizon League, football heads to Big South". timesonline.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

[10] "Austin Peay Football to Open 2020 at Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.

NCAA football seasons
Pre-divisional	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
NCAA University Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I/I-A/FBS	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
NCAA College Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020