:2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season

{{for|the 2025 FBS season|2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season}}

{{Infobox NCAA Division I FCS season

| year = 2025

| image = NCAA logo.svg

| image_caption =

| number_of_teams = 128

| preseason_stats =

| regular_season =

| playoffs =

| nc_date =

| championship = FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

| champions =

| payton =

| buchanan =

| stats_poll =

| coaches_poll =

}}

The 2025 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. The regular season will begin on August and end in November. The postseason will begin in November and end in January 2026 with the 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.{{cite web|title=FCS Championship: Future dates and sites|url=https://www.ncaa.com/championships/football/fcs/future-info|website=NCAA.com|access-date=January 24, 2024}}

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2025, FCS teams will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the normal 11.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D124.pdf |title=Bylaw 17.11.6.1: Number of Contests (FBS/FCS): Maximum Limitations – Institutional |work=2023–24 NCAA Division I Manual |publisher=NCAA |page=263 |date=August 5, 2023 |access-date=August 2, 2024 |quote=In championship subdivision football . . . Twelve football contests shall be permissible during those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November (e.g., 2024, 2025).}}

Notable headlines

December 12, 2024 – The Ivy League announced that starting with the 2025 football season; the Ivy League champion will compete in the FCS playoffs. This will be the first time that conference has participated in post season play, since the conference was founded in 1954.{{Cite web |title=Play by Play: How Student-Athletes Ended Ivy League Football’s 80-Year Ban on Postseason Games {{!}} News {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/12/24/saac-campaign-ncaa-football-playoffs/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=www.thecrimson.com}}
March 25, 2025 – Saint Francis announced that it would reclassify to NCAA Division III starting in 2026–27, when it will leave the Northeast Conference for the Presidents' Athletic Conference.{{cite press release |url=https://pacathletics.org/news/2025/3/25/general-saint-francis-university-to-reclassify-to-ncaa-division-iii-join-presidents-athletic-conference.aspx |title=Saint Francis University to Reclassify to NCAA Division III, Join Presidents’ Athletic Conference |publisher=Presidents’ Athletic Conference |date=March 25, 2025 |access-date=March 25, 2025}}

Conference changes and new programs

School	2024 conference	2025 conference	class="unsortable" \| {{abbr\|Ref\|References}}
class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center;" \| Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens	CAA	CUSA (FBS)	{{Cite web \|date=2023-11-28 \|title=CUSA Adds Delaware, Blue Hens to Join in 2025 \|url=http://conferenceusa.com/news/2023/11/28/general-cusa-adds-delaware-blue-hens-to-join-in-2025.aspx \|access-date=2023-11-28 \|website=conferenceusa.com \|language=en}}{{Cite web \|title=Delaware Accepts Invitation to Join Conference USA as Full Member \|url=https://bluehens.com/news/2023/11/28/delaware-athletics-delaware-accepts-invitation-to-join-conference-usa-as-full-member \|access-date=2023-11-28 \|website=University of Delaware Athletics \|language=en}}
style="text-align:center;" \| Missouri State Bears	MVFC	CUSA (FBS)	{{Cite web \|date=2024-05-10 \|title=CUSA Adds Missouri State, Bears to Join in 2025 \|url=https://conferenceusa.com/news/2024/5/9/general-cusa-adds-missouri-state.aspx \|access-date=2024-05-10 \|website=conferenceusa.com \|language=en}}{{Cite web \|date=2024-05-10 \|title=Missouri State Accepts Invitation to Join Conference USA \|url=https://missouristatebears.com/news/2024/5/10/general-missouri-state-accepts-invitation-to-join-conference-usa.aspx \|access-date=2024-05-10 \|website=Missouri State University Athletics \|language=en}}
style="text-align:center;" \| Richmond Spiders	CAA	Patriot	{{cite press release\|url=https://richmondspiders.com/news/2024/5/14/richmond-football-to-move-to-patriot-league-following-2024-season.aspx \|title=Richmond Football to Move to Patriot League Following 2024 Season\|publisher=Richmond Spiders Athletics \|date=May 14, 2024 \|access-date=May 14, 2024}}
style="text-align:center;" \| UTRGV Vaqueros	Exhibition Team	Southland	{{cite press release\|url=https://goutrgv.com/news/2022/11/18/football-utrgv-announces-approval-of-football-womens-aquatics-band-spirit-programs.aspx \|title=UTRGV announces approval of football, women's aquatics, band, spirit programs \|publisher=UTRGV Vaqueros \|date=November 18, 2022 \|access-date=March 11, 2023}}{{cite press release\|url=https://goutrgv.com/news/2024/3/25/general-utrgv-athletics-accepts-invitation-to-join-southland-conference-in-2024-25.aspx \|title=UTRGV Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25 \|publisher=UTRGV Vaqueros Athletics \|date=March 25, 2024 \|access-date=March 25, 2024}}

Conference standings

cellpadding="5"

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Big Sky Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Ivy League football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Northeast Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 OVC–Big South football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Patriot League football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Pioneer Football League standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Southern Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Southland Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 United Athletic Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2025 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings}}

Playoff qualifiers

Postseason

Kickoff games

The regular season begins on Saturday, August 23 in Week 0:

FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Mercer vs. UC Davis
MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): North Carolina Central vs. Southern