2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season

Last updated

2016 NCAA Division I FCS season
NCAA logo.svg
Regular season
Number of teams125
DurationAugust 26 – December 3
Payton Award Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State
Buchanan Award Karter Schult, Northern Iowa
Playoff
DurationNovember 26 – December 17
Championship date January 7, 2017
Championship site Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Champion James Madison
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
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2017 »

The 2016 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 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was played on January 7, 2017, in Frisco, Texas. The James Madison Dukes defeated the Youngstown State Penguins, 28–14, to capture their second national championship in team history.

Contents

Notable headlines

FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll) September 2: Albany 22, Buffalo 16
September 3: #14 Eastern Washington 45, Washington State 42
September 3: #5 Northern Iowa 25, Iowa State 20
September 3: #4 Richmond 37, Virginia 20
September 10: Eastern Illinois 21, Miami (OH) 17
September 10: #10 Illinois State 9, Northwestern 7
September 10: #23 North Carolina A&T 39, Kent State 36 4OT
September 17: #1 North Dakota State 23, No. 13 (FBS) Iowa 21 [NOTE: NDSU became just the 4th FCS team to beat an AP ranked FBS team, and afterward received 74 votes for the AP top-25 rankings (No. 27 overall), the most votes ever received by an FCS team]. [6]
September 24: Central Arkansas 28, Arkansas State 23
September 24: #13 Western Illinois 28, Northern Illinois 23

Conference changes and new programs

School2015 conference2016 conference
Coastal Carolina Big South FCS independent
East Tennessee State FCS independent SoCon

Conference standings

2016 Big Sky Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Eastern Washington +^  8 0   12 2  
No. 12 North Dakota +^  8 0   9 3  
No. 25 Weber State ^  6 2   7 5  
No. 24 Cal Poly ^  5 3   7 5  
Southern Utah  5 3   6 5  
Northern Colorado  4 4   6 5  
Northern Arizona  4 4   5 6  
Montana  3 5   6 5  
Montana State  2 6   4 7  
Portland State  2 6   3 8  
UC Davis  2 6   3 8  
Sacramento State  2 6   2 9  
Idaho State  1 7   2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Big South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 15 Charleston Southern +^  4 1   7 4  
Liberty +  4 1   6 5  
Kennesaw State  3 2   8 3  
Gardner–Webb  3 2   5 6  
Presbyterian  1 4   2 9  
Monmouth  0 5   4 7  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 James Madison $^  8 0   14 1  
No. 11 Villanova ^  6 2   9 4  
No. 17 New Hampshire ^  6 2   8 5  
No. 8 Richmond ^  5 3   10 4  
Maine  5 3   6 5  
Albany  4 4   7 4  
Stony Brook  4 4   5 6  
William & Mary  3 5   5 6  
Towson  3 5   4 7  
Delaware  2 6   4 7  
Elon  1 7   2 9  
Rhode Island  1 7   2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Princeton +  6 1   8 2  
Penn +  6 1   7 3  
Harvard  5 2   7 3  
Brown  3 4   4 6  
Yale  3 4   3 7  
Cornell  2 5   4 6  
Columbia  2 5   3 7  
Dartmouth  1 6   4 6  
  • + Conference co-champions
2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 22 North Carolina Central $  8 0   9 3  
No. 20 North Carolina A&T ^  7 1   9 3  
Hampton  5 3   5 6  
South Carolina State  5 3   5 6  
Bethune–Cookman  4 4   4 6  
Florida A&M *  4 4   4 7  
Norfolk State  3 5   4 7  
Savannah State *  3 5   3 7  
Morgan State *  3 5   3 8  
Howard *  2 6   2 9  
Delaware State  0 8   0 11  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
  • * Florida A&M, Howard, Morgan State, and Savannah State ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 3 North Dakota State +^  7 1   12 2  
No. 6 South Dakota State +^  7 1   9 4  
No. 2 Youngstown State ^  6 2   12 4  
Illinois State ^  4 4   6 6  
Northern Iowa  4 4   5 6  
Western Illinois  3 5   6 5  
South Dakota  3 5   4 7  
Indiana State  2 6   4 7  
Missouri State  2 6   4 7  
Southern Illinois  2 6   4 7  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Northeast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Duquesne +  5 1   8 3  
Saint Francis (PA) +^  5 1   7 5  
Wagner  4 2   6 5  
Bryant  4 2   5 6  
Sacred Heart  1 5   6 5  
Central Connecticut  1 5   2 9  
Robert Morris  1 5   2 9  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
2016 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 6 Jacksonville State $^  7 0   10 2  
UT Martin  6 2   7 5  
Tennessee Tech  5 3   5 6  
Tennessee State  4 3   7 4  
Eastern Illinois  4 4   6 5  
Murray State  4 4   4 7  
SE Missouri State  3 5   3 8  
Eastern Kentucky  2 6   3 8  
Austin Peay  0 8   0 11  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Patriot League football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 21 Lehigh $^  6 0   9 3  
Fordham  5 1   8 3  
Colgate  4 2   5 5  
Bucknell  3 3   4 7  
Holy Cross  2 4   4 7  
Lafayette  1 5   2 9  
Georgetown  0 6   3 8  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Pioneer Football League standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 19 San Diego $^  8 0   10 2  
Dayton  7 1   9 2  
Drake  6 2   7 4  
Marist  5 3   5 6  
Jacksonville  4 3   5 5  
Campbell  3 4   5 5  
Morehead State  3 5   4 7  
Valparaiso  3 5   4 7  
Butler  2 6   4 7  
Stetson  2 6   4 7  
Davidson  0 8   2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 10 The Citadel $^  8 0   10 2  
No. 9 Wofford ^  6 2   10 4  
No. 13 Chattanooga ^  6 2   9 4  
No. 23 Samford ^  5 3   7 5  
Mercer  4 4   6 5  
Furman  3 5   3 8  
East Tennessee State  2 6   5 6  
Western Carolina  1 7   2 9  
VMI  1 7   3 8  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 Southland Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 5 Sam Houston State $^  9 0   12 1  
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^  8 1   10 3  
SE Louisiana  7 2   7 4  
McNeese State  5 4   6 5  
Nicholls State  5 4   5 6  
Stephen F. Austin  4 5   5 6  
Houston Baptist  3 5   4 7  
Incarnate Word *  3 6   3 8  
Lamar  3 6   3 8  
Abilene Christian *  2 7   2 9  
Northwestern State  0 9   1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
  • * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II
Rankings from STATS poll
2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
Alcorn State xy  5 4   5 6  
Alabama A&M  4 5   4 7  
Alabama State  3 6   4 7  
Jackson State  3 6   3 8  
Mississippi Valley State  1 8   1 10  
West Division
No. 16 Grambling State xy$  9 0   12 1  
Southern *  8 1   8 3  
Prairie View A&M  7 2   7 4  
Texas Southern  4 5   4 7  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 8   1 10  
Championship: Grambling State 27, Alcorn State 20
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
  • * – ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS Poll
2016 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 18 Coastal Carolina    10 2  
  • Coastal Carolina ineligible for FCS playoffs as part of FBS transition
Rankings from STATS Poll

Conference summaries

Championship games

ConferenceChampionRunner-upScoreOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach of the Year
SWAC Grambling State
11–1 (9–0)
Alcorn State
5–6 (5–4)
27–20Devante Kincade
(Grambling State)
Tiger Donovan McCray
(Grambling State)
Broderick Fobbs
(Grambling State)

Other conference winners

Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.

ConferenceChampionRecordOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach of the Year
Big Sky Eastern Washington
North Dakota
10–1 (8–0)
9–2 (8–0)
Gage Gubrud
(Eastern Washington)
Cooper Kupp
(Eastern Washington)
Cole Reyes
(North Dakota)
Bubba Schweigert
(North Dakota)
Big South Charleston Southern
Liberty
7–3 (4–1)
6–5 (4–1)
Tyrell Maxwell
(Gardner–Webb)
Anthony Ellis
(Charleston Southern)
Jamey Chadwell
(Charleston Southern)
CAA James Madison 10–1 (8–0)Bryan Schor
(James Madison)
Tanoh Kpassagnon
(Villanova)
Mike Houston
(James Madison)
Ivy Penn
Princeton
7–3 (6–1)
8–2 (6–1)
John Lovett
(Princeton)
Folarin Orimolade
(Dartmouth)
Bob Surace
(Princeton)
MEAC North Carolina Central 9–2 (8–0) Tarik Cohen
(North Carolina A&T)
Shaquille Leonard
(South Carolina State)
Jerry Mack
(North Carolina Central)
MVFC North Dakota State
South Dakota State
10–1 (7–1)
8–3 (7–1)
Taryn Christion
(South Dakota State)
Karter Schult
(Northern Iowa)
John Stiegelmeier
(South Dakota State)
NEC Duquesne
Saint Francis (PA)
8–3 (5–1)
7–4 (5–1)
Kamron Lewis
(Saint Francis)
Christian Kuntz
(Duquesne)
Chris Villarrial
(Saint Francis)
OVC Jacksonville State 10–1 (7–0)Eli Jenkins
(Jacksonville State)
Darius Jackson
(Jacksonville State)
John Grass
(Jacksonville State)
Patriot Lehigh 9–2 (6–0)Nick Shafnisky
(Lehigh)
Pat Afriyie
(Colgate)
Andy Coen
(Lehigh)
Pioneer San Diego 9–1 (8–0)Jonah Hodges
(San Diego)
Donald Payne
(Stetson)
Dale Lindsey
(San Diego)
Southern The Citadel 10–1 (8–0) Devlin Hodges
(Samford)
Keionta Davis
(Chattanooga)
Brent Thompson
(The Citadel)
Southland Sam Houston State 11–0 (9–0)Overall: Jeremiah Briscoe
(Sam Houston State)
Offensive: Yedidiah Louis
(Sam Houston State)
P. J. Hall
(Sam Houston State)
K. C. Keeler
(Sam Houston State)

    Playoff qualifiers

    Automatic berths for conference champions

    ConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bidResult
    Big Sky Conference Eastern Washington 12th 2014 Quarterfinals (L – Illinois State)
    Big South Conference Charleston Southern 2nd 2015 Quarterfinals (L – Jacksonville State)
    Colonial Athletic Association James Madison 13th 2015 National Champions (W – Youngstown State)
    Missouri Valley Football Conference South Dakota State 6th2015First Round (L – Montana)
    Northeast Conference Saint Francis (PA) 1st
    Ohio Valley Conference Jacksonville State 7th2015Championship Game (L – North Dakota State)
    Patriot League Lehigh 10th 2011 Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Pioneer Football League San Diego 2nd2014First Round (L – Montana)
    Southern Conference The Citadel 5th2015Second Round (L – Charleston Southern)
    Southland Conference Sam Houston State 10th2015Semifinals (L – Jacksonville State)

    At large qualifiers

    ConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bidResult
    Big Sky Conference Cal Poly 4th 2012 Second Round (L – Sam Houston State)
    North Dakota 1st
    Weber State 5th 2009 First Round (L – William & Mary)
    Big South Conference None
    Colonial Athletic Association New Hampshire 15th 2015 First Round (L – Colgate)
    Richmond 11th 2015 Semifinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Villanova 11th 2014 Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State)
    Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference North Carolina A&T 5th 2003 First Round (L – Wofford)
    Missouri Valley Football Conference Illinois State 7th 2015 Quarterfinals (L – Richmond)
    North Dakota State 7th 2015 Semifinals (L - James Madison)
    Youngstown State 14th 2006 Semifinals (L – Appalachian State)
    Northeast Conference None
    Ohio Valley Conference None
    Patriot League None
    Pioneer Football League None
    Southern Conference Chattanooga 4th 2015 Second Round (L – Jacksonville State)
    Samford 6th 2013 First Round (L – Jacksonville State)
    Wofford 6th 2012 Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Southland Conference Central Arkansas 3rd 2012 Second Round (L – Georgia Southern)
    Southwestern Athletic Conference None

    Abstentions

    Postseason

    Bowl game

    GameDate/TVLocationWinning TeamLosing TeamScoreOffensive MVPDefensive MVP
    Celebration Bowl December 17
    ABC
    Georgia Dome
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Grambling State
    12–1 (9–0)
    North Carolina Central
    9–3 (8–0)
    10–9Martez Carter
    (RB, Grambling State)
    Jameel Jackson
    (DB, Grambling State)

    NCAA Division I playoff bracket

    First round
    November 26
    Campus sites
    ESPN3
    Second round
    December 3
    Campus sites
    ESPN3
    Quarterfinals
    December 9 and 10
    Campus sites
    ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
    Semifinals
    December 16 and 17
    Campus sites
    ESPN2, ESPNU
    National Championship
    January 7
    12:00 pm
    Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
    ESPN2
    1 North Dakota State*45
    Cal Poly* 21 San Diego 7
    San Diego 351 North Dakota State*36
    8 South Dakota State 10
    8 South Dakota State*10
    Villanova * 31Villanova 7
    Saint Francis (PA) 21 1 North Dakota State* 17
    4 James Madison27
    4 James Madison*55
    New Hampshire * 64New Hampshire 22
    Lehigh 21 4 James Madison*65
    5 Sam Houston State 7
    5 Sam Houston State*41
    Chattanooga * 45Chattanooga 36
    Weber State 14 4 James Madison28
     Youngstown State 14
    2 Eastern Washington*31
    Central Arkansas * 31Central Arkansas 14
    Illinois State 24 2 Eastern Washington*38
    Richmond 0
    7 North Dakota* 24
    Richmond * 39Richmond27
    North Carolina A&T 10 2 Eastern Washington* 38
    Youngstown State40
    3 Jacksonville State* 24
    Youngstown State * 38Youngstown State40
    Samford 24 Youngstown State*30
     Wofford 23
    6 The Citadel* 3
    Wofford * 15Wofford17
    Charleston Southern 14

    * Home team  
     Winner
    All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)

    Awards and honors

    Walter Payton Award

    Buck Buchanan Award

    Jerry Rice Award

    Coaches

    Updated stadiums

    Coaching changes

    In-season

    This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2016. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2016, see 2015 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

    SchoolOutgoing coachDateReasonReplacement
    Delaware Dave Brock October 16Fired [9] Dennis Dottin-Carter (interim)

    End of season

    SchoolOutgoing coachDateReasonReplacement
    Abilene Christian Ken Collums November 20Fired Mark Ribaudo (interim)
    Howard Gary Harrell November 20Contract was not renewed Mike London [10]
    Presbyterian Harold Nichols November 20Resigned Tommy Spangler
    UC Davis Ron Gould November 20Fired Dan Hawkins
    Lamar Ray Woodard November 21Fired Mike Schultz
    Bryant Marty Fine November 30Resigned James Perry
    Lafayette Frank Tavani December 1Fired John Garrett
    Furman Bruce Fowler December 2Resigned Clay Hendrix
    Villanova Andy Talley December 3Retired Mark Ferrante [11]
    Delaware Dennis Dottin-Carter (interim)December 13Permanent replacement Danny Rocco [12]
    Richmond Danny RoccoDecember 13Hired by Delaware Russ Huesman [13]
    Chattanooga Russ HuesmanDecember 14Hired by Richmond Tom Arth
    Indiana State Mike Sanford December 16Resigned Curt Mallory
    Abilene ChristianMark Ribaudo (interim)December 18Permanent replacement Adam Dorrel
    Eastern Washington Beau Baldwin January 16Hired as OC at California Aaron Best

    Rule changes

    The following rule changes were recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2022 season: [14]

    See also

    Related Research Articles

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    2. "UI Moving Football to Big Sky Conference" (Press release). University of Idaho Office of the President. April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
    3. Dodd, Dennis (April 27, 2016). "Idaho will become first team to drop from FBS to FCS in 2018". CBSSports.com . Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
    4. "ETSU, WCU to Play at Bristol Motor Speedway" (Press release). Southern Conference. January 29, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
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