2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I FCS season
| year = 2019
| image = NCAA logo.svg
| image_caption =
| number_of_teams = 126
| regular_season = August 24 – November 30
| playoffs = November 30 – December 21
| nc_date = January 11, 2020
| championship = Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
| champions = North Dakota State
| payton = Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
| buchanan = Dante Olson, LB, Montana
}}
The 2019 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 FCS Championship Game was played on January 11, 2020, in Frisco, Texas.{{cite web |title=2019 FCS Playoff Schedule |url=https://fbschedules.com/fcs-playoff-schedule/ |website=FBSchedules.com |access-date=January 9, 2019}} Defending champion North Dakota State completed the regular season undefeated,{{cite web |title=North Dakota State Completes Perfect Season as No. 1 Ranked Team |url=https://fcsinsider.com/news/2019/1/8/football-north-dakota-state-completes-perfect-season-as-no-1-ranked-team.aspx |website=FCS Football Insider |access-date=January 9, 2019 |language=en}} then won their eighth championship in nine seasons, defeating James Madison, 28-20, for the title.{{cite news |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2020-01-11/north-dakota-state-football-beats-james-madison-eighth-fcs |title=North Dakota State football beats James Madison for eighth FCS championship |website=NCAA.com |date=January 11, 2020 |access-date=January 11, 2020}}
All FCS teams were allowed to schedule 12 regular season games in the 2019 season. A standard provision of NCAA bylaws allows for 12 regular season games during years having 14 Saturdays in the period starting with the Labor Day (first Monday in September) weekend and ending with the last Saturday of November. This next occurred in 2024.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D119.pdf |title=Bylaw 17.10.5.1: Number of Contests, Maximum Limitations—Institutional |work=2018–19 NCAA Division I Manual |page=273 |publisher=NCAA |date=July 2018 |access-date=March 14, 2019}}
FCS team wins over FBS teams
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28
September 7: Southern Illinois 45, UMass 20
September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 OT
Conference changes and new programs
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| School | 2018 conference | 2019 conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | ||
| style="text-align:center;"
| Hampton | FCS independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;"
| LIU+ | rowspan="2" | NE-10 (D-II) | rowspan="2" | NEC (FCS) |
| style="text-align:center;" | ||
| style="text-align:center;" | FCS Independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;" | MEAC (FCS) | SIAC (D-II) |
+ Following the 2018–19 academic year, Long Island University merged the athletic programs of its two campuses—the Division I non-football LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and Division II football-sponsoring LIU Post Pioneers—into a single Division I program rebranded as the LIU Sharks. The Sharks inherited LIU Brooklyn's membership in the Northeast Conference, with the former Post football team joining the NEC alongside most of LIU's other sports.
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Big Sky Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Big South Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Colonial Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Ivy League football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Northeast Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Patriot League football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Pioneer Football League standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Southern Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Southland Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2019 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings}} |
Playoff qualifiers
Champions of the following 10 conferences automatically received playoff bids:{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2019-11-12/every-automatic-qualifier-2019-fcs-football-playoffs |title=Every automatic qualifier for the 2019 FCS football playoffs |first=Anthony |last=Chiusano |website=NCAA.com |date=November 16, 2019 |access-date=November 17, 2019}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
- Big Sky (Weber State)
- Big South (Monmouth)
- Colonial Athletic Association (James Madison)
- Missouri Valley Football Conference (North Dakota State)
- Northeast Conference (Central Connecticut)
{{col-break}}
- Ohio Valley Conference (Austin Peay)
- Patriot League (Holy Cross)
- Pioneer Football League (San Diego)
- Southern Conference (Wofford)
- Southland Conference (Nicholls)
{{col-end}}
= Abstentions =
- Ivy League – Yale and Dartmouth (co-champions)
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
- Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State
Postseason
A 24-team single-elimination tournament bracket culminated in the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
Teams were announced in a selection show on November 24, with the top eight teams seeded and receiving first-round byes.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2019-11-24/fcs-bracket-revealed-2019-division-i-football-championship |title=FCS bracket revealed for 2019 Division I football championship |website=ncaa.com |date=November 24, 2019 |access-date=November 24, 2019}}
=Bowl game=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;" |
| Date
!Game !Site !Television !Participants !Affiliations !Results |
|---|
| Dec. 21
|Mercedes-Benz Stadium |ABC |North Carolina A&T Aggies (8–3) |North Carolina A&T 64 |
=NCAA Division I playoff bracket=
{{24TeamBracket-Info|compact=y|nowrap=y
| RD1=First Round
November 30
Campus sites
| RD2=Second Round
December 7
Campus sites
| RD3=Quarterfinals
December 13/14{{efn|North Dakota State vs. Illinois State on December 14; other games on December 13}}
Campus sites
| RD4=Semifinals
December 21
Campus sites
| RD5=National Championship
| RD1-team1 =Nicholls
| RD1-score1=24
| RD1-team2 =North Dakota
| RD1-score2=6
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team3 ={{nowrap|Southeast Missouri State}}
| RD1-score3=6
| RD1-team4 =Illinois State
| RD1-score4=24
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team5 =Austin Peay
| RD1-score5= 42
| RD1-team6 =Furman
| RD1-score6=6
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team7 =Albany
| RD1-score7=42
| RD1-team8 =Central Connecticut
| RD1-score8=14
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team9 =Monmouth
| RD1-score9 =44
| RD1-team10 =Holy Cross
| RD1-score10=27
| RD1-seed9=
| RD1-seed10=
| RD1-team11 =Northern Iowa
| RD1-score11= 17
| RD1-team12 =San Diego
| RD1-score12=3
| RD1-seed11=
| RD1-seed12=
| RD1-team13 =Wofford
| RD1-score13=21
| RD1-team14 =Kennesaw State
| RD1-score14=28
| RD1-seed13=
| RD1-seed14=
| RD1-team15 ={{nowrap|Southeastern Louisiana}}
| RD1-score15= 45
| RD1-team16 =Villanova
| RD1-score16= 44
| RD1-seed15=
| RD1-seed16=
| RD2-seed1 = 1
| RD2-team1 = North Dakota State
| RD2-score1= 37
| RD2-team2 = Nicholls
| RD2-score2= 13
| RD2-seed3 = 8
| RD2-team3 = Central Arkansas
| RD2-score3= 14
| RD2-team4 =Illinois State
| RD2-score4= 24
| RD2-seed5 = 4
| RD2-team5 = Sacramento State
| RD2-score5= 28
| RD2-team6 = Austin Peay
| RD2-score6= 42
| RD2-seed7 = 5
| RD2-team7 = Montana State
| RD2-score7= 47
| RD2-team8 = Albany
| RD2-score8= 21
| RD2-seed9 = 2
| RD2-team9 = James Madison
| RD2-score9 = 66
| RD2-team10 = Monmouth
| RD2-score10= 21
| RD2-seed11 = 7
| RD2-team11 = South Dakota State
| RD2-score11= 10
| RD2-team12 = Northern Iowa
| RD2-score12= 13
| RD2-seed13 = 3
| RD2-team13 = Weber State
| RD2-score13= 26
| RD2-team14 = Kennesaw State
| RD2-score14= 20
| RD2-seed15 = 6
| RD2-team15 = Montana
| RD2-score15= 73
| RD2-team16 = {{nowrap|Southeastern Louisiana}}
| RD2-score16= 28
| RD3-seed1 =1
| RD3-team1 = North Dakota State
| RD3-score1=9
| RD3-team2 = Illinois State
| RD3-score2=3
| RD3-team3 = Austin Peay
| RD3-score3= 10
| RD3-seed4 =5
| RD3-team4 = Montana State
| RD3-score4=24
| RD3-seed5 = 2
| RD3-team5 = James Madison
| RD3-score5= 17
| RD3-team6 = Northern Iowa
| RD3-score6= 0
| RD3-seed7 = 3
| RD3-team7 = Weber State
| RD3-score7= 17
| RD3-seed8 = 6
| RD3-team8 = Montana
| RD3-score8= 10
| RD4-seed1 = 1
| RD4-team1 = North Dakota State
| RD4-score1= 42
| RD4-seed2 = 5
| RD4-team2 = Montana State
| RD4-score2= 14
| RD4-seed3 = 2
| RD4-team3 = James Madison
| RD4-score3= 30
| RD4-seed4 = 3
| RD4-team4 = Weber State
| RD4-score4= 14
| RD5-text1 = January 11 – Toyota Stadium
| RD5-seed1 = 1
| RD5-team1 = North Dakota State
| RD5-score1= 28
| RD5-seed2 = 2
| RD5-team2 = James Madison
| RD5-score2= 20
}}
Kickoff game
- Saturday, August 24 FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Youngstown State def. Samford, 45–22
Coaching changes
=Preseason and in-season=
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2019. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2019, see 2018 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| School
!Outgoing coach !Date !Reason !Replacement |
|---|
| Howard
| November 6 | Placed on administrative leave{{dagger}} |Aaron Kelton (interim) |
{{dagger}} Prince was placed on administrative leave by the university, "after allegations of verbal abuse and intimidation of players."{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/28025125/howard-places-coach-ron-prince-leave-amid-ongoing-investigation |title=Howard places coach Ron Prince on leave amid ongoing investigation |first=Tom |last=VanHaaren |website=ESPN |date=November 6, 2019 |access-date=November 12, 2019}}
=End of season=
See also
Notes
{{notelist}}