2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA FCS Playoff bracket
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I FCS season
| year = 2011
| image = NCAA logo.svg
| image_caption =
| number_of_teams = 126
| regular_season = September – November
| playoffs = November 26 – December 17
| nc_date = January 7, 2012
| championship = Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX
| champions = North Dakota State
| payton = Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington
| buchanan = Matt Evans, New Hampshire
}}
The 2011 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 season began on September 1, 2011, and concluded with the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2012, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won their first FCS championship, defeating Sam Houston State by a final score of 17–6.
FCS team wins over FBS teams
September 3: Richmond 23, Duke 21
September 3: Sacramento State 29, Oregon State 28OT
September 17: Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16
September 24: North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24
September 24: Sam Houston State 48, New Mexico 45 OT
September 24: Southern Utah 41, UNLV 16
Conference changes and new programs
{{main|2010–12 NCAA conference realignment}}
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| School | 2010 conference | 2011 conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;"
| Lamar | rowspan="3" | FCS Independent | Southland |
| style="text-align:center;" | CAA | |
| style="text-align:center;" | MEAC | |
| style="text-align:center;" | New program+ | rowspan="3" | FCS Independent |
| style="text-align:center;"
| UTSA | New program | |
| style="text-align:center;" | Southland |
+ "unclassified" for 2009 (partial season) and 2010 (full season)
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Big Sky Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Big South Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Colonial Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Great West Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Ivy League football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Northeast Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Patriot League football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Pioneer Football League standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Southern Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Southland Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2011 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings}} |
Playoff qualifiers
=Automatic berths for conference champions=
- Big Sky Conference – Montana
- Big South Conference – Stony Brook
- Colonial Athletic Association – Towson
- Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Norfolk State
- Northeast Conference – Albany
- Ohio Valley Conference – Tennessee Tech
- Patriot League – Lehigh
- Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
- Southland Conference – Sam Houston State
=At large qualifiers=
- Big Sky Conference – Montana State
- Colonial Athletic Association – James Madison, Maine, New Hampshire, Old Dominion
- Missouri Valley Football Conference – Northern Iowa
- Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
- Southern Conference – Appalachian State, Wofford
- Southland Conference – Central Arkansas
No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids.
=Abstains=
Postseason
=NCAA Division I playoff bracket=
{{5RoundBracket|compact=y|byes=1
| RD1=First Round
November 26
Campus sites
| RD2=Second Round
December 3
Campus sites
| RD3=Quarterfinals
December 9 and December 10
Campus sites
| RD4=Semifinals
December 16 and December 17
Campus sites
| RD5=National Championship Game
January 7
Pizza Hut Park,
Frisco, Texas
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3= Albany
| RD1-score3= 28
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4= Stony Brook*
| RD1-score4= 31
| RD1-seed11=
| RD1-team11= Central Arkansas
| RD1-score11= 34
| RD1-seed12=
| RD1-team12= Tennessee Tech*
| RD1-score12= 14
| RD1-seed19=
| RD1-team19= James Madison
| RD1-score19= 20
| RD1-seed20=
| RD1-team20= Eastern Kentucky*
| RD1-score20= 17
| RD1-seed27=
| RD1-team27= Norfolk State
| RD1-score27= 18
| RD1-seed28=
| RD1-team28= Old Dominion*
| RD1-score28= 35
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1= Stony Brook
| RD2-score1= 27
| RD2-seed2= 1
| RD2-team2= Sam Houston State*
| RD2-score2= 34
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3= New Hampshire
| RD2-score3= 25
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4= Montana State*
| RD2-score4= 26
| RD2-seed5=
| RD2-team5= Central Arkansas
| RD2-score5= 14
| RD2-seed6= 4
| RD2-team6= Montana*
| RD2-score6= 41
| RD2-seed7=
| RD2-team7= Wofford
| RD2-score7= 21
| RD2-seed8= 5
| RD2-team8= Northern Iowa*
| RD2-score8= 28
| RD2-seed9=
| RD2-team9= James Madison
| RD2-score9= 14
| RD2-seed10= 2
| RD2-team10= North Dakota State*
| RD2-score10= 26
| RD2-seed11=
| RD2-team11= Lehigh
| RD2-score11= 40
| RD2-seed12=
| RD2-team12= Towson*
| RD2-score12= 38
| RD2-seed13=
| RD2-team13= Old Dominion
| RD2-score13= 48
| RD2-seed14= 3
| RD2-team14= Georgia Southern*
| RD2-score14= 55
| RD2-seed15=
| RD2-team15= Maine
| RD2-score15= 34
| RD2-seed16=
| RD2-team16= Appalachian State*
| RD2-score16= 12
| RD3-seed1= 1
| RD3-team1= Sam Houston State*
| RD3-score1= 49
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2= Montana State
| RD3-score2= 13
| RD3-seed3= 4
| RD3-team3= Montana*
| RD3-score3= 48
| RD3-seed4= 5
| RD3-team4= Northern Iowa
| RD3-score4= 10
| RD3-seed5= 2
| RD3-team5= North Dakota State*
| RD3-score5= 24
| RD3-seed6=
| RD3-team6= Lehigh
| RD3-score6= 0
| RD3-seed7= 3
| RD3-team7= Georgia Southern*
| RD3-score7= 35
| RD3-seed8=
| RD3-team8= Maine
| RD3-score8= 23
| RD4-seed1= 1
| RD4-team1= Sam Houston State*
| RD4-score1= 31
| RD4-seed2= 4
| RD4-team2= Montana
| RD4-score2= 28
| RD4-seed3= 2
| RD4-team3= North Dakota State*
| RD4-score3= 35
| RD4-seed4= 3
| RD4-team4= Georgia Southern
| RD4-score4= 7
| RD5-seed1= 1
| RD5-team1= Sam Houston State
| RD5-score1= 6
| RD5-seed2= 2
| RD5-team2= North Dakota State
| RD5-score2= 17
}}
=SWAC Championship Game=
{{main|SWAC Championship Game}}
| class="wikitable"
! Date | Location | Venue | West Div. Champion | East Div. Champion | Result |
| December 10 |