NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not part of a football conference. This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do. As of the 2024 season, Merrimack and Sacred Heart will be competing as independents, as their primary conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, does not sponsor football. They were previously members of the Northeast Conference which does sponsor the sport. Merrimack and Sacred Heart are confirmed to play as FCS independents in 2024.
The Georgia Southern Eagles football program represents Georgia Southern University in football as part of the Sun Belt Conference. The current head coach is Clay Helton. The Eagles have won six FCS (I-AA) national championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award winners. Georgia Southern first continuously fielded a football team in 1924, but play was suspended for World War II and did not return until 1981. The Eagles competed as an FCS independent from 1984 to 1992 and as a member of the Southern Conference from 1993 to 2013, winning 10 SoCon championships. In 2014, Georgia Southern moved to the FBS level and joined the Sun Belt Conference, winning the conference championship outright in its first year. Georgia Southern's main Sun Belt rivals are Appalachian State and Georgia State.
The Georgia State Panthers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Georgia State University, located in Atlanta, Georgia. All GSU teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS level as members of the Sun Belt Conference, a conference of which they were a charter member. Previously, GSU was a member of the CAA, and prior to that, the ASUN Conference.
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2024 season, there are 10 conferences and 134 schools in FBS.
The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play within the conference for the 2022 season. The university first fielded a football team in 1972, and the Dukes play at the on-campus Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes are currently coached by Bob Chesney.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves football team represents Arkansas State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football competition. The team was founded in 1911 and has competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference since 2001. Their home field is Centennial Bank Stadium and the head coach is Butch Jones.
The Georgia State Panthers football team is the college football program for Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Panthers football team was founded in 2010 and competes at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers currently play at Center Parc Stadium, about ten minutes from GSU's downtown campus.
Trent Gaylord Miles is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at Georgia State University, a position he assumed in November 2012 and held until he was fired on November 12, 2016. From 2008 to 2012, Miles was the head coach at his alma mater Indiana State University, from which he holds a bachelor's degree in criminology."
The 2011 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers were led by second year head coach Bill Curry and played their home games at the Georgia Dome. Although Georgia State is a full member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the Panthers played as an FCS independent. This was their second season in program history and last as an independent. They became a football member of the CAA in 2012. They finished the season with a record of 3-8.
The 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Jeffrey Michael Monken is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the United States Military Academy, a position he has held since 2014. Monken previously served as the head football coach of Georgia Southern University from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, he worked under Paul Johnson as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Georgia Southern, the United States Naval Academy, and Georgia Tech.
Bob Trott is an American football coach and former player. He was previously the defensive coordinator at East Carolina University. Prior to this position he was the defensive coordinator at James Madison University.
The 2012–13 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter in his second season at GSU. They played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). This was their final year in the CAA before moving to the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 10–8 in CAA play to finish in a tie for fifth place.
The 2012–13 Georgia State Panthers women's basketball team represented Georgia State University in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Panthers, coached by Sharon Baldwin-Tener, were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, and played their home games on campus at the GSU Sports Arena. The 2012–13 season represented the last season that the Panthers played in the CAA as they joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013.
The 2014–15 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter serving his fourth season at GSU. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena competing as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 25–10, 15–5 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship. They defeated Louisiana–Lafayette and Georgia Southern to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Baylor in the second round before losing in the third round to Xavier.
The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2016, and ended on December 10, 2016. The postseason concluded on January 9, 2017, with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, where the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to claim their second national title in school history. The championship game was a rematch of the 2016 edition won by Alabama.
The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017. The regular season began on August 26, 2017, and ended on December 9, 2017.
The 2022 Sun Belt Conference football season is the 22nd season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The season began on September 2, 2022, and will conclude with its conference championship game on December 3, 2022. It is part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference expanded to 14 football members for the 2022 season with the addition of 4 new member schools. The 14 members were divided into two divisions for play. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2022.
The 2024 Georgia State Panthers football team will represent Georgia State University in the Sun Belt Conference's East Division during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers will be led by a new head coach, Dell McGee, who inherits a strong 2024 recruiting class from his predecessor, Shawn Elliott, including McGee's son Austin McGee, Damaine Wilson of Florida, and Indiana tight end Lane Wadle. The Panthers will play home games at the Center Parc Stadium, located in Atlanta, Georgia.
