2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2016 NCAA Division I FCS season
Duration August 27 – November 26, 2016
Playoff
Championship site Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Division I FCS football season
 

The 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:[1]

The committee, once again, took no action on changing the ineligible receiver downfield rule from three yards to one yard; however it will once again be a "point of emphasis" and will adjust officiating mechanics to better officiate those plays.

In addition to the above changes, the NCAA approved an experimental rule on kickoffs and touchbacks to be used this season by the Ivy League in conference games only. In those games, kickoffs will be taken from the 40-yard line instead of the 35, and touchbacks will be brought back to the 20-yard line instead of the 25. The Ivies proposed the experiment in the interest of player safety, believing that increasing the frequency of touchbacks would reduce injury risk from kick returns. The Ivies will report the results of the experiment to the NCAA in February 2017.[2]

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes

School Former conference New conference
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Big South FCS independent
East Tennessee State Buccaneers FCS independent SoCon
Note
Coastal Carolina began a two-year transition to FBS in 2016, playing as an FCS independent while housing most of its other sports in the FBS Sun Belt Conference. The Chanticleers will join Sun Belt football in 2017.[3]

Other headlines

Updated stadiums

Two teams are playing their final season in their current venues:

FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll)

Conference standings

2016 Big Sky football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#3 Eastern Washington +^   8 0         11 1  
#8 North Dakota +^   8 0         9 3  
#25 Weber State ^   6 2         7 5  
#21 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 co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 Big South football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#14 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 FCS Poll
2016 CAA football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#5 James Madison $^   8 0         11 1  
#9 Villanova ^   6 2         9 4  
#22 New Hampshire ^   6 2         8 5  
#12 Richmond ^   5 3         10 3  
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 FCS Poll
2016 Ivy League football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#25 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
  • The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS Playoffs
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 MEAC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#20 North Carolina Central $   8 0         9 2  
#17 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 FCS Poll
2016 MVFC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#4 North Dakota State +^   7 1         11 1  
#7 South Dakota State +^   7 1         9 3  
#13 Youngstown State ^   6 2         10 3  
Illinois State ^   4 4         6 6  
Northern Iowa   4 4         5 6  
Western Illinois   3 5         6 5  
South Dakota   3 5         4 7  
Missouri State   2 6         4 7  
Indiana State   2 6         4 7  
Southern Illinois   2 6         4 7  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 NEC football standings
Conf     Overall
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
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 OVC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#2 Jacksonville State $^   7 0         10 1  
UT Martin   6 2         7 5  
Tennessee Tech   5 3         5 6  
Eastern Illinois   4 4         6 5  
Murray State   4 4         4 7  
Tennessee State   4 3         7 4  
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 FCS Poll
2016 Patriot League football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#19 Lehigh $^   6 0         9 2  
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 FCS Poll
2016 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
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 FCS Poll
2016 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#6 The Citadel $^   8 0         10 2  
#11 Chattanooga ^   6 2         9 4  
#19 Wofford ^   6 2         10 3  
#23 Samford ^   5 3         7 5  
Mercer   4 4         6 5  
Furman   3 5         3 8  
East Tennessee State   2 6         5 6  
VMI   1 7         3 8  
Western Carolina   1 7         2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 Southland Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#1 Sam Houston State $^   9 0         12 0  
#11 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
  • *Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word ineligible for FCS Playoffs due to transition from Division II
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 SWAC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
East
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
#16 Grambling State xy$   9 0         11 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
  • *Southern ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2016 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#15 Coastal Carolina           10 2  
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

Conference summaries

Championship games

Conference Champion Runner-up Score Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year
SWAC Grambling State
11–1 (9–0)
Alcorn State
5–6 (5–4)
27–20

Other conference winners

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

Conference Champion Record Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach 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)
Bob Surace
(Princeton)
MEAC North Carolina Central 9–2 (8–0)
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)
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)
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

    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    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 Second Round (L – Colgate)
    Missouri Valley Football Conference South Dakota State 6th 2015 First Round (L – Montana)
    Northeast Conference Saint Francis (PA) 1st
    Ohio Valley Conference Jacksonville State 7th 2015 Championship Game (L – North Dakota State)
    Patriot League Lehigh 10th 2011 Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Pioneer Football League San Diego 2nd 2014 First Round (L – Montana)
    Southern Conference The Citadel 5th 2015 Second Round (L – Charleston Southern)
    Southland Conference Sam Houston State 10th 2015 Semifinals (L – Jacksonville State)

    At large qualifiers

    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    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 National Champions (W – Jacksonville State)
    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

    NC Central and Grambling, as the winners of the MEAC and SWAC, will face off in the 2016 Celebration Bowl on December 17 for the unofficial HBCU national championship.

    Postseason

    NCAA FCS 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 35         1  North Dakota State* December 10
    noon
     
        8  South Dakota State ESPN    
          8  South Dakota State* 10    
       Villanova* 31      Villanova 7  
       Saint Francis (PA) 21               
                  
          4  James Madison* 55  
       New Hampshire* 64      New Hampshire 22    
       Lehigh 21         4  James Madison* December 9
    7:00 pm
     
        5  Sam Houston State ESPN2  
          5  Sam Houston State* 41    
       Chattanooga* 45      Chattanooga 36  
       Weber State 14             
              
          2  Eastern Washington* 31  
       Central Arkansas* 31      Central Arkansas 14    
       Illinois State 24         2  Eastern Washington* December 10
    4:00 pm
     
           Richmond ESPN3    
          7  North Dakota* 24    
       Richmond* 39      Richmond 27  
       North Carolina A&T 10               
                
          3  Jacksonville State* 24  
       Youngstown State* 38      Youngstown State 40    
       Samford 24          Youngstown State* December 10
    2:00 pm
     
           Wofford ESPN3  
          6  The Citadel* 3    
       Wofford* 15      Wofford 17  
       Charleston Southern 14  

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

    Bowl games

    Game Date Location Team
    (Record)
    Team
    (Record)
    Score Offensive MVP Defensive MVP
    Celebration Bowl December 17
    ESPN
    Georgia Dome
    Atlanta, Georgia
    North Carolina Central
    9–2 (8–0)
    Grambling State
    11–1 (9–0)

    Coaching changes

    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.

    School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
    Delaware Dave Brock October 16, 2016 Fired[12] Dennis Dottin-Carter (interim)
    Abilene Christian Ken Collums November 20, 2016 Fired Mark Ribaudo (Interim)
    Howard Gary Harrell November 20, 2016 Contract was not renewed TBA
    Presbyterian Harold Nichols November 20, 2016 Resigned Tommy Spangler
    UC Davis Ron Gould November 20, 2016 Fired Dan Hawkins
    Lamar Ray Woodard November 21, 2016 Fired TBA
    Furman Bruce Fowler December 2, 2016 Resign TBD
    Lafayette Frank Tavani December 1, 2016 Fired TBD

    See also

    References

    1. "Football Rules Committee Approves Proposals to Enhance Player Safety". NCAA. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
    2. "Ivy League to move kickoffs to 40-yard line" (Press release). NCAA. July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
    3. "Coastal Carolina Announces 2016 Football Schedule" (Press release). Coastal Carolina Athletics. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016. "This is an important year for our program as we start our transition to the FBS," said fifth-year head coach Joe Moglia. "However, we are still an FCS independent this year and have put together a nationally-competitive schedule to reflect that.
    4. "ETSU, WCU to Play at Bristol Motor Speedway" (Press release). Southern Conference. January 29, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
    5. "Sun Belt Football to Be 10 Teams in 2018" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
    6. "UI Moving Football to Big Sky Conference" (Press release). University of Idaho Office of the President. April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
    7. Dodd, Dennis (April 27, 2016). "Idaho will become first team to drop from FBS to FCS in 2018". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
    8. "Joe Thomas Sr., 55, becomes oldest D-I football player ever to take field". Sports Illustrated. November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
    9. "New Stadium, Pair of FBS Opponents Highlight 2016 Football Schedule". Prairie View A&M University Athletics. February 4, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
    10. "The New Look Panther Stadium". Prairie View A&M University Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
    11. "2016 College Football Rankings - Week 4". ESPN.com. September 18, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
    12. "University of Delaware Athletics Announces Changes in Coaching Staff". Delaware Athletics. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
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