2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season

For the 2022 FBS season, see 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2022 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	130
Duration	August 27 – December 3
Payton Award	Lindsey Scott Jr., QB, Incarnate Word
Buchanan Award	Zeke Vandenburgh, LB, Illinois State
Playoff
Duration	November 26 – December 17
Championship date	January 8, 2023
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Champion	South Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
« 2021 2023 »

The 2022 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 regular season began on August 27 and ended on November 19. The postseason began on November 26, and ended on January 8, 2023, with the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. ^[1] South Dakota State defeated defending champion North Dakota State, 45-21, to win the title.

Notable headlines

• May 18 – The ASUN Conference and Western Athletic Conference renewed their football alliance for the 2022 season, as each suffered key losses of members starting FBS transitions, rendering them ineligible for a playoff automatic qualifier (AQ) as separate leagues. Eight alliance members (three WAC, five ASUN) competed for a single AQ in the FCS playoffs. ^[2]
• August 31 – The Division I Board of Directors adopted a series of changes to transfer rules. ^[3]
  • Transfer windows were adopted for all Division I sports. Student-athletes who wish to be immediately eligible at their next school must enter the NCAA transfer portal within the designated period(s) for their sport. For FCS football, two windows were established: a 45-day window starting the day after postseason selections are made, and a spring window from May 1–15. Accommodations will be made for participants in the FCS championship game.
  • Student-athletes who experience head coaching changes, or those whose athletic aid is reduced, canceled, or not renewed, may transfer outside designated windows without penalty.
  • Transferring student-athletes will be guaranteed their financial aid at their next school through graduation.
• September 21 – Houston Baptist University announced a name change to Houston Christian University, effective immediately. ^[4]
• December 9 – In the highest-scoring game in FCS playoff history, Incarnate Word defeated previously unbeaten Sacramento State 66–63. UIW quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. threw four touchdown passes to bring his season total to 59, surpassing the previous FCS record of 57 held by Jeremiah Briscoe of Sam Houston in 2016. ^[5] Scott ended the season with 60, having thrown one TD pass in UIW's 35–32 semifinal loss to North Dakota State. ^[6]

FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 2: William & Mary 41, Charlotte 24
September 3: Delaware 14, Navy 7
September 10: Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 ^7OT
September 10: Incarnate Word 55, Nevada 41
September 10: Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31
September 10: Weber State 35, Utah State 7
September 17: Southern Illinois 31, Northwestern 24
September 24: Sacramento State 41, Colorado State 10

Conference changes and new programs

School	2021 conference	2022 conference
Austin Peay	Ohio Valley	ASUN
Bryant	NEC	Big South
Hampton	Big South	CAA
James Madison	CAA (FCS)	Sun Belt (FBS)
Kennesaw State	Big South	ASUN
Lamar	WAC	Southland
Lindenwood	GLVC (D-II)	Ohio Valley (FCS)
Monmouth	Big South	CAA
North Alabama		ASUN
Southern Utah	Big Sky	WAC
Stonehill	Northeast-10 (D-II)	NEC (FCS)
Texas A&M–Commerce	Lone Star (D-II)	Southland (FCS)

In November 2021, Incarnate Word announced a move to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2022 season. ^[7] Days before officially joining, on June 24, the school backed out of that plan, recommitting to the Southland Conference. ^[8]

Conference standings

2022 ASUN Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Jacksonville State*   5 – 0     9 – 2   Austin Peay +   3 – 2     7 – 4   Eastern Kentucky +^   3 – 2     7 – 5   Central Arkansas +   3 – 2     5 – 6   Kennesaw State   1 – 4     5 – 6   North Alabama   0 – 5     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: Jacksonville State ineligible for postseason play and ASUN title due to start of transition to FBS. Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Big Sky Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Montana State +^   8 – 0     12 – 2   No. 5 Sacramento State +^   8 – 0     12 – 1   No. 9 Weber State ^   6 – 2     10 – 3   No. 18 Idaho ^   6 – 2     7 – 5   No. 25 UC Davis   5 – 3     6 – 5   No. 14 Montana ^   4 – 4     8 – 5   Portland State   3 – 5     4 – 7   Eastern Washington   2 – 6     3 – 8   Northern Colorado   2 – 6     3 – 8   Northern Arizona   2 – 6     3 – 8   Idaho State   1 – 7     1 – 10   Cal Poly   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Big South Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Gardner–Webb $^   5 – 0     7 – 6   North Carolina A&T   4 – 1     7 – 4   Campbell   2 – 3     5 – 6   Bryant   2 – 3     4 – 7   Charleston Southern   2 – 3     2 – 8   Robert Morris   0 – 5     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2022 Colonial Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 William & Mary +^   7 – 1     11 – 2   No. 13 New Hampshire +^   7 – 1     9 – 4   No. 11 Richmond ^   6 – 2     9 – 4   No. 17 Elon ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   Rhode Island   5 – 3     7 – 4   No. 19 Delaware ^   4 – 4     8 – 5   Towson   4 – 4     6 – 5   Villanova   4 – 4     6 – 5   Monmouth   3 – 5     5 – 6   Albany   2 – 6     3 – 8   Maine   2 – 6     2 – 9   Hampton   1 – 7     4 – 7   Stony Brook   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Ivy League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Yale $   6 – 1     8 – 2   Penn   5 – 2     8 – 2   Princeton   5 – 2     8 – 2   Harvard   4 – 3     6 – 4   Columbia   3 – 4     6 – 4   Cornell   2 – 5     5 – 5   Dartmouth   2 – 5     3 – 7   Brown   1 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Carolina Central +   4 – 1     10 – 2   Howard +   4 – 1     5 – 6   Delaware State   2 – 3     5 – 6   Morgan State   2 – 3     4 – 7   Norfolk State   2 – 3     2 – 9   South Carolina State   1 – 4     3 – 8   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from STATS Poll
2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 South Dakota State $^   8 – 0     14 – 1   No. 2 North Dakota State ^   7 – 1     12 – 3   No. 20 North Dakota ^   5 – 3     7 – 5   Youngstown State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Northern Iowa   5 – 3     6 – 5   Illinois State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Southern Illinois   4 – 4     5 – 6   Missouri State   3 – 5     5 – 6   South Dakota   2 – 6     3 – 8   Indiana State   1 – 7     2 – 9   Western Illinois   0 – 8     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Northeast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Saint Francis (PA) $^   7 – 0     9 – 3   Merrimack *   6 – 1     8 – 3   LIU   4 – 3     4 – 7   Duquesne   3 – 4     4 – 7   Sacred Heart   3 – 4     5 – 6   Central Connecticut   2 – 5     2 – 9   Stonehill *   2 – 5     4 – 5   Wagner   1 – 6     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: Merrimack and Stonehill ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Ohio Valley Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Southeast Missouri State +^   5 – 0     9 – 3   UT Martin +   5 – 0     7 – 4   Tennessee State   2 – 3     4 – 7   Tennessee Tech   2 – 3     4 – 7   Lindenwood *   1 – 3     7 – 3   Eastern Illinois   1 – 4     2 – 9   Murray State   1 – 4     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: Lindenwood ineligible for OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll
2022 Patriot League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Holy Cross $^   6 – 0     12 – 1   No. 22 Fordham ^   5 – 1     9 – 3   Lafayette   3 – 3     4 – 7   Bucknell   2 – 4     3 – 8   Colgate   2 – 4     3 – 8   Lehigh   2 – 4     2 – 9   Georgetown   1 – 5     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Pioneer Football League standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   St. Thomas (MN) * $   8 – 0     10 – 1   Dayton   6 – 2     8 – 3   Davidson ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   Butler   5 – 3     7 – 4   San Diego   4 – 3     5 – 5   Valparaiso   4 – 4     5 – 7   Marist   4 – 4     4 – 7   Drake   3 – 5     3 – 8   Stetson   2 – 5     4 – 6   Morehead State   1 – 7     2 – 9   Presbyterian   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Southern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Samford $^   8 – 0     11 – 2   No. 10 Furman ^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 23 Chattanooga   5 – 3     7 – 4   No. 24 Mercer   5 – 3     7 – 4   Western Carolina   4 – 4     6 – 5   Wofford   3 – 5     3 – 8   The Citadel   3 – 5     4 – 7   East Tennessee State   1 – 7     3 – 8   VMI   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2022 Southland Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Southeastern Louisiana +^   5 – 1     9 – 4   No. 3 Incarnate Word +^   5 – 1     12 – 2   Northwestern State   4 – 2     4 – 7   Nicholls   3 – 3     3 – 8   Texas A&M–Commerce *   3 – 3     5 – 6   McNeese   2 – 4     4 – 7   Houston Christian   1 – 5     2 – 9   Lamar   1 – 5     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Texas A&M–Commerce ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division No. 16 Jackson State xy$   8 – 0     12 – 1   Florida A&M   7 – 1     9 – 2   Alabama State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Alabama A&M   4 – 4     4 – 7   Bethune–Cookman   2 – 6     2 – 9   Mississippi Valley State   2 – 6     2 – 9   West Division Southern xy   5 – 3     7 – 5   Prairie View A&M x   5 – 3     6 – 5   Alcorn State   4 – 4     5 – 6   Texas Southern   4 – 4     5 – 6   Grambling State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   1 – 7     3 – 8   Championship: Jackson State 43, Southern 24 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2022 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Eastern Kentucky $^   4 – 1     7 – 5   Central Arkansas   4 – 1     5 – 6   Austin Peay   3 – 1     7 – 4   Stephen F. Austin   2 – 1     6 – 5   Abilene Christian   1 – 1     7 – 4   Kennesaw State   1 – 3     5 – 6   Southern Utah   0 – 3     5 – 6   North Alabama   0 – 4     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2022 Western Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Stephen F. Austin +   3 – 1     6 – 5   Abilene Christian +   3 – 1     7 – 4   Sam Houston *   3 – 2     5 – 4   Utah Tech *   2 – 2     4 – 7   Tarleton *   1 – 3     6 – 5   Southern Utah   1 – 3     5 – 6   + – Conference co-champions * Note: Sam Houston ineligible for WAC championship and FCS postseason play due to start of transition to FBS; Tarleton and Utah Tech ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference	Team	Appearance	Last bid	Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference	Sacramento State	3rd	2021	Second Round (L - South Dakota State)
Big South Conference	Gardner–Webb	1st	None	None
Colonial Athletic Association	William & Mary	11th	2015	Second Round (L - Richmond)
Missouri Valley Football Conference	South Dakota State	12th	2021	Semifinals (L – Montana State)
Northeast Conference	Saint Francis (PA)	2nd	2016	First Round (L – Villanova)
Ohio Valley Conference	Southeast Missouri State	4th	2019	First Round (L - Illinois State)
Patriot League	Holy Cross	5th	2021	Second Round (L – Villanova)
Pioneer Football League	Davidson	3rd	2021	First Round (L – Kennesaw State)
Southern Conference	Samford	6th	2017	First Round (L – Kennesaw State)
Southland Conference	Southeastern Louisiana	5th	2021	Second Round (L – James Madison)
ASUN Conference-Western Athletic Conference	Eastern Kentucky	22nd	2014	First Round (L - Indiana State)

At large qualifiers

Conference	Team	Appearance	Last bid	Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference	Montana State	12th	2021	Championship Game (L - North Dakota State)
	Weber State	10th	2020	First Round (L - Southern Illinois)
	Idaho	12th	1995	First Round (L - McNeese State)
	Montana	26th	2021	Quarterfinals (L - James Madison)
Colonial Athletic Association	New Hampshire	17th	2017	Quarterfinals (L - South Dakota State)
	Elon	4th	2018	First Round (L - Wofford)
	Richmond	12th	2016	Quarterfinals (L - Eastern Washington)
	Delaware	18th	2020	Semifinals (L - South Dakota State)
Missouri Valley Football Conference	North Dakota State	13th	2021	National Champions (W - Montana State)
	North Dakota	4th	2020	Quarterfinals (L - James Madison)
Patriot League	Fordham	6th	2015	First Round (L - Chattanooga)
Southern Conference	Furman	19th	2019	First Round (L - Austin Peay)
Southland Conference	Incarnate Word	3rd	2021	Second Round (L - Sam Houston State)

Abstentions

• Ivy League – Yale
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina Central
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State

Postseason

The FCS again featured a 24-team postseason bracket: 11 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 13 at-large bids; the top eight teams were seeded. ^[9]

Bowl game

Date	Time (EST)	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 17	12:00 p.m.	Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	ABC	North Carolina Central Eagles (9–2) Jackson State Tigers (12–0)	MEAC SWAC	North Carolina Central 41 Jackson State 34 (OT)

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

	First Round November 26 Campus sites					Second Round December 3 Campus sites					Quarterfinals December 9/10 Campus sites					Semifinals December 16/17 Campus sites					National Championship January 8 2 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ABC, ESPN+
						1	South Dakota State	42
	Saint Francis (PA)		17				Delaware	6
	Delaware		56								1	South Dakota State	42
											8	Holy Cross	21
						8	Holy Cross	35
	Fordham		42				New Hampshire	19
	New Hampshire		52													1	South Dakota State	39
																4	Montana State	18
						5	William & Mary	54
	Gardner–Webb		52				Gardner–Webb	14
	Eastern Kentucky		41								5	William & Mary	7
											4	Montana State	55
						4	Montana State	33
	North Dakota		31				Weber State	25
	Weber State		38																		1	South Dakota State	45
																					3	North Dakota State	21
						3	North Dakota State	49
	Southeast Missouri State		24				Montana	26
	Montana		34								3	North Dakota State	27
											6	Samford	9
						6	Samford	48
	Idaho		42				Southeastern Louisiana	42
	Southeastern Louisiana		45													3	North Dakota State	35
																7	Incarnate Word	32
						7	Incarnate Word	41
	Elon		6				Furman	38
	Furman		31								7	Incarnate Word	66
											2	Sacramento State	63
						2	Sacramento State	38
	Davidson		0				Richmond	31
	Richmond		41

Rankings

Main article: 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

The top 25 from the STATS and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

STATS Ranking Team 1 North Dakota State (52) 2 South Dakota State (2) 3 Montana 4 Montana State 5 Missouri State 6 Villanova 7 Sacramento State 8 Kennesaw State 9 Southern Illinois 10 Stephen F. Austin 11 East Tennessee State 12 Chattanooga 13 Eastern Washington 14 Incarnate Word 15 Jackson State 16 Holy Cross 17 Southeastern Louisiana 18 UT Martin 19 Delaware 20 Weber State 21 Northern Iowa 22 Rhode Island 23 Mercer 24 Richmond 25 UC Davis

USA Today Coaches Ranking Team 1 North Dakota State (24) 2 Montana 3 South Dakota State (1) 4 Montana State 5 Villanova 6 Kennesaw State 7 Sacramento State 8 Missouri State 9 Southern Illinois 10 Stephen F. Austin 11 East Tennessee State 12 Eastern Washington 13 Chattanooga 14 Incarnate Word 15 UT Martin 16 Southeastern Louisiana 17 Jackson State 18 Holy Cross 19 Delaware 20 Weber State 21 Northern Iowa 22 UC Davis 23 Mercer 24 Rhode Island т Richmond т

Final rankings

Rank	Stats Perform [10]	Coaches' Poll
1	South Dakota State (14–1) (54)	South Dakota State (14–1) (26)
2	North Dakota State (12–3)	North Dakota State (12–3)
3	Incarnate Word (12–2)	Incarnate Word (12–2)
4	Montana State (12–2)	Sacramento State (12–1)
5	Sacramento State (12–1)	Montana State (12–2)
6	Holy Cross (12–1)	Holy Cross (12–1)
7	Samford (11–2)	Samford (11–2)
8	William & Mary (11–2)	William & Mary (11–2)
9	Weber State (10–3)	Weber State (10–3)
10	Furman (10–3)	Furman (10–3)
11	Richmond (9–4)	Jackson State (12–1)
12	Southeastern Louisiana (9–4)	Richmond (9–4)
13	New Hampshire (9–4)	Southeast Missouri State (9–3)
14	Montana (8–5)	Montana (8–5)
15	Southeast Missouri State (9–3)	New Hampshire (9–4)
16	Jackson State (12–1)	Fordham (9–3)
17	Elon (8–4)	North Carolina Central (10–2)
18	Idaho (7–5)	Elon (8–4)
19	Delaware (8–5)	Southeastern Louisiana (9–4)
20	North Dakota (7–5)	St. Thomas (MN)
21	North Carolina Central (10–2)	Mercer (7–4)
22	Fordham (9–3)	Idaho (7–5)
23	Chattanooga (7–4)	Florida A&M (9–2)
24	Mercer (7–4)	Delaware (8–5) т Chattanooga (7–4) т
25	UC Davis (6–5)

Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 27 with seven games in Week 0:

• FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Jacksonville State 42, No. 10 Stephen F. Austin 17
• MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Alabama State 23, Howard 13
• Florida State 47 (FBS), Duquesne 7
• North Carolina 56 (FBS), Florida A&M 24
• Western Kentucky 38, Austin Peay 27
• UNLV 52 (FBS), Idaho State 21
• No. 23 Mercer 63, Morehead State 13

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the STATS Poll.

• Week 4
  • No. 2т South Dakota State defeated No. 6 Missouri State, 28–14 (Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO)
• Week 7
  • No. 2 South Dakota State defeated No. 1 North Dakota State, 23–21 (Fargodome, Fargo, ND)
• Week 8
  • No. 2 Sacramento State defeated No. 7 Montana, 31–24 ^OT (Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA)
  • No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 5 Weber State, 43–38 (Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, MT)
• Week 10
  • No. 2 Sacramento State defeated No. 5 Weber State, 33–30 (Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT)

Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

During the regular season, 13 unranked teams defeated a ranked team.

• August 27, 2022
  • Jacksonville State 42, No. 10 Stephen F. Austin 17 (FCS Kickoff)
• September 1
  • Samford 27, No. 8 Kennesaw State 17
• September 10
  • The Citadel 20, No. 9 East Tennessee State 17
  • Southeast Missouri State 34, No. 17 Southern Illinois 31
  • North Dakota 29, No. 24 Northern Iowa 27
• September 17
  • North Carolina Central 45, No. 25 New Hampshire 27
  • Furman 27, No. 18 East Tennessee State 14
• September 24
  • Monmouth 49, No. 9 Villanova 42
  • Elon 35, No. 14 William & Mary 31
  • Austin Peay 31, No. 16 Eastern Kentucky 20
  • Southeastern Louisiana 41, No. 4т Incarnate Word 35
• October 1
  • North Dakota 48, No. 7 Missouri State 31
  • Central Arkansas 49, No. 22 Austin Peay 20
• October 8
  • Texas A&M–Commerce 31, No 19. Southeastern Louisiana 28
• October 15
  • Idaho 30, No. 2 Montana 23
  • Sam Houston State 25, No. 23 Eastern Kentucky 17
• October 22
  • South Dakota 27, No. 14 Southern Illinois 24
• October 29
  • Elon 27, No. 12 Delaware 7
  • Eastern Kentucky 28, No. 15 Southeast Missouri State 23
  • Northern Iowa 37, No. 20 Southern Illinois 36
  • Jacksonville State 40, No. 25 Austin Peay 16
• November 5
  • Kennesaw State 44, No. 15 UT Martin 27
• November 12
  • UC Davis 44, No. 15 Idaho 26
  • Yale 24, No. 24 Princeton 20
• November 19
  • Western Carolina 32, No. 15 Chattanooga 29
  • Villanova 29, No. 20 Delaware 26

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2022, 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 2022, see 2021 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement
Wofford	Josh Conklin	October 6, 2022	Resigned (effective immediately) [11]	Shawn Watson (named full time on December 1)
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Doc Gamble	October 20, 2022	Fired [12]	Don Treadwell (interim)
North Alabama	Chris Willis	October 30, 2022	Fired [13]	Ryan Held (interim)

End of season

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

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
Charleston Southern	Autry Denson	November 14, 2022	Fired [14]	Gabe Giardina	Albany State head coach (2018–2022)
VMI	Scott Wachenheim	November 20, 2022	Resigned [15]	Danny Rocco	Delaware head coach (2017–2021)
Northern Colorado	Ed McCaffrey	November 21, 2022	Fired [16]	Ed Lamb	BYU associate head coach/ST coordinator/safeties coach (2016–2022)
Houston Christian	Vic Shealy	November 21, 2022	Resigned [17]	Braxton Harris	Campbell associate head coach/linebackers/recruiting coordinator (2021–2022)
Lamar	Blane Morgan	November 21, 2022	Fired [18]	Peter Rossomando	Charlotte interim head coach (2022)
Towson	Rob Ambrose	November 21, 2022	Fired [19]	Pete Shinnick	West Florida head coach (2014–2022)
The Citadel	Brent Thompson	November 21, 2022	Fired [20]	Maurice Drayton	Las Vegas Raiders assistant special teams coach (2022)
Lehigh	Tom Gilmore	November 21, 2022	Resigned [21]	Kevin Cahill	Yale associate head coach/OC/QB coach (2018–2022)
Texas A&M–Commerce	David Bailiff	November 22, 2022	Contract expired [22]	Clint Dolezel	Frisco Fighters head coach (2020–2021)
Idaho State	Charlie Ragle	November 28, 2022	Became ST Coordinator at Arizona State [23]	Cody Hawkins	UC Davis OC/QB coach (2017–2022)
Delaware State	Rod Milstead	November 28, 2022	Fired [24]	Lee Hull	Howard OC/QB coach (2020–2022)
Dayton	Rick Chamberlin	November 29, 2022	Retired [25]	Trevor Andrews	Western Michigan linebackers coach (2019–2022)
Bethune–Cookman	Terry Sims	November 29, 2022	Fired [26]	Raymond Woodie	Florida Atlantic associate head coach/OLB coach/ST coordinator/recruiting coordinator (2020–22)
Central Connecticut	Ryan McCarthy	November 30, 2022	Contract not renewed [27]	Adam Lechtenberg	Central Oklahoma assistant head coach/co-OC/QB coach (2022)
UIW	G. J. Kinne	December 2, 2022	Became head coach at Texas State [28] [29]	Clint Killough	UIW associate head coach/WR coach/recruiting coordinator (2022)
Cal Poly	Beau Baldwin	December 2, 2022	Became OC at Arizona State [30] [31]	Paul Wulff	Cal Poly associate head coach/OL coach (2020–2022)
North Alabama	Ryan Held (interim)	December 3, 2022	Permanent replacement	Brent Dearmon	Florida Atlantic OC/QB coach (2022)
Jackson State	Deion Sanders	December 4, 2022	Became head coach at Colorado	T. C. Taylor	Jackson State OC/WR coach (2019–2022)
Weber State	Jay Hill	December 7, 2022	Became DC at BYU	Mickey Mental	Weber State offensive coordinator (2022)
Mississippi Valley State	Vincent Dancy	December 8, 2022	Became defensive assistant at Colorado	Kendrick Wade	Delta State pass game coordinator/WR coach (2022)
Sacramento State	Troy Taylor	December 10, 2022	Became head coach at Stanford [32] [33]	Andy Thompson	Sacramento State defensive coordinator (2019–2022)
Missouri State	Bobby Petrino	December 15, 2022	Became OC at UNLV	Ryan Beard	Missouri State defensive coordinator and safeties coach (2020–2022)
North Carolina A&T	Sam Washington	December 15, 2022	Fired [34]	Vincent Brown	William & Mary Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach (2019–2022)
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Don Treadwell (interim)	December 22, 2022	Permanent replacement	Alonzo Hampton [35]	Louisiana–Monroe associate head coach/ST coordinator/safeties coach (2021–2022)
South Dakota State	John Stiegelmeier	January 20, 2023	Retired [36]	Jimmy Rogers [37]	South Dakota State associate head coach/Defensive coordinator/LB coach (2019–2022)
San Diego	Dale Lindsey	March 21, 2023	Retired [38]	Brandon Moore	Colorado Mines head coach (2022)

Rule changes

The following rule changes were recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2022 season: ^[39]

• When players are disqualified for a targeting call in the second half or in overtime (which requires a carryover penalty of sitting out the first half of the next scheduled game), an appeals process will be available to allow the National Coordinator of Officials (currently Steve Shaw) to review tapes of the targeting penalty for consideration of not requiring the player to sit out the first half of the following game.
• Injury timeouts awarded due to "deceptive actions" during a game will also be able to reviewed by the National Coordinator of Officials to determine what sanctions, if any, against teams who use this tactic, enforced at the conference or school level.
• Blocking below the waist will only be permitted inside the tackle box by linemen and stationary backs. Blocks below the waist outside of the tackle box are not allowed.
• Defensive holding will remain a 10-yard penalty but will always carry an automatic first down.
• Codifying the rule change made shortly after the 2021 ACC Championship Game, ball carriers who simulate a feet-first slide will be declared down at that spot.
• Uniform rules would require the sock/leg covering to go from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, similar to the NFL rule.

Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:

#	College football team	Average attendance [40]
1	Jackson State Tigers	42,049
2	Montana Grizzlies	25,298
3	Montana State Bobcats	21,275
4	Southern Jaguars	19,844
5	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	18,161
6	Alabama State Hornets	18,069
7	North Dakota State Bison	17,309
8	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens	16,902
9	Alcorn State Braves	16,527
10	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	15,561
11	Sacramento State Hornets	15,502
12	Harvard Crimson	14,689
13	Florida A&M Rattlers	14,418
14	North Carolina A&T Aggies	12,781
15	Eastern Kentucky Colonels	12,609
16	Tarleton State Texans	12,020
17	Holy Cross Crusaders	11,897
18	New Hampshire Wildcats	10,758
19	Texas Southern Tigers	10,677
20	Youngstown State Penguins	10,065
21	William & Mary Tribe	10,026
22	Western Carolina Catamounts	9,876
23	The Citadel Bulldogs	9,865
24	Tennessee State Tigers	9,811
25	Grambling State Tigers	9,788
26	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	9,780
27	South Carolina State Bulldogs	9,766
28	Furman Paladins	9,646
29	Norfolk State Spartans	9,571
30	UC Davis Aggies	9,472

See also

• 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2022 NCAA Division II football season
• 2022 NCAA Division III football season
• 2022 NAIA football season
• 2022 U Sports football season
• 2022 junior college football season

References

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39. "Appeals Process Proposed for Football Players called for targeting" (Press release). NCAA. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
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