# 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2010 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began in September 2010 and concluded with the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2011. In the title game, Eastern Washington defeated Delaware, 20–19, to claim their first Division I national title in any team sport.
For the first time since 1997, the final game was played at a new location—Pizza Hut Park in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas. Every title game since 1997 had been held at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but the NCAA opened the hosting rights for the 2010–2012 championship games for bids during the 2009 season, as the hosting contract between the NCAA and the Chattanooga organizers was set to expire. In addition to Frisco and Chattanooga, three other cities submitted bids:
* Little Rock, Arkansas — War Memorial Stadium
* Missoula, Montana — Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Spokane, Washington — Joe Albi Stadium
The field of bidders was eventually cut to Chattanooga and Frisco, with Frisco being announced as the winner on February 26, 2010.
The January finish to the season was the result of an expanded playoff schedule. The championship tournament expanded from 16 teams to 20, with the Big South and Northeast Conference earning automatic bids for the first time. Eight teams played first-round games, with the remaining participants receiving byes into the second round. The playoffs began at their normal time on Thanksgiving weekend, specifically on November 27. According to early reports, the championship game would be played sometime between December 29 and January 7, with the latter date ultimately chosen.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 4 – Jacksonville State 49, Ole Miss 48 $^{2OT}$ September 4 – North Dakota State 6, Kansas 3 September 11 – James Madison 21, No. 13 Virginia Tech 16 (NOTE: This was only the second win by an FCS school over a ranked FBS team, after Appalachian State's historic win over Michigan in 2007). September 11 – Gardner–Webb 38, Akron 37 $^{OT}$ September 11 – Liberty 27, Ball State 23 September 11 – South Dakota 41, Minnesota 38 October 2 – UC Davis 14, San Jose State 13

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2009 conference | 2010 conference |
| Georgia State | New program | FCS Independent |
| Hofstra | CAA | Dropped program |
| Lamar | Revived program | FCS Independent |
| North Carolina Central | FCS Independent | MEAC |
| Northeastern | CAA | Dropped program |
| Savannah State | FCS independent | MEAC |
| Winston-Salem State | FCS independent | CIAA (D-II) |

## Conference standings

2010 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2010 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Eastern Washington +^  7 –1  13 –2   No. 11 Montana State +^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 20 Montana  5 –3  7 –4   Weber State  5 –3  6 –5   Sacramento State  5 –3  6 –5   Northern Arizona  4 –4  6 –5   Northern Colorado  2 –6  3 –8   Portland State  1 –7  2 –9   Idaho State  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Liberty +  5 –1  8 –3   Stony Brook +  5 –1  6 –5   Coastal Carolina +^  5 –1  6 –6   Gardner–Webb  2 –4  4 –7   VMI  2 –4  3 –8   Charleston Southern  1 –5  3 –8   Presbyterian  1 –5  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Delaware +^  6 –2  12 –3   No. 10 William & Mary +^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 3 Villanova ^  5 –3  9 –5   No. 7 New Hampshire ^  5 –3  8 –5   UMass  4 –4  6 –5   Richmond  4 –4  6 –5   Rhode Island  4 –4  5 –6   James Madison  3 –5  6 –5   Maine  3 –5  4 –7   Towson  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2010 Great West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Southern Utah $  4 –0  6 –5   UC Davis  3 –1  6 –5   No. 24 Cal Poly  2 –2  7 –4   South Dakota  1 –3  4 –7   North Dakota  0 –4  3 –8   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Penn $  7 –0  9 –1   Harvard  5 –2  7 –3   Yale  5 –2  7 –3   Brown  5 –2  6 –4   Dartmouth  3 –4  6 –4   Columbia  2 –5  4 –6   Cornell  1 –6  2 –8   Princeton  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Bethune–Cookman +^  7 –1  10 –2   No. 16 South Carolina State +^  7 –1  9 –3   Florida A&M +  7 –1  8 –3   Hampton  5 –3  6 –5   Norfolk State  4 –4  6 –5   Morgan State  3 –5  4 –7   Delaware State  2 –6  3 –8   North Carolina A&T  1 –7  1 –10   Howard  0 –8  1 –10   North Carolina Central *  0 –0  3 –8   Savannah State *  0 –0  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * Not eligible for conference championship Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Northern Iowa $^  6 –2  7 –5   No. 17 Western Illinois ^  5 –3  8 –5   No. 9 North Dakota State ^  4 –4  9 –5   Indiana State  4 –4  6 –5   Illinois State  4 –4  6 –5   South Dakota State  4 –4  5 –6   Missouri State  4 –4  5 –6   Southern Illinois  4 –4  5 –6   Youngstown State  1 –7  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Robert Morris +^  7 –1  8 –3   Central Connecticut State +  7 –1  8 –3   Duquesne  5 –3  7 –4   Bryant  4 –4  7 –4   Albany  4 –4  6 –5   Wagner  3 –5  5 –6   Monmouth  3 –5  3 –8   Sacred Heart  2 –6  4 –7   Saint Francis (PA)  1 –7  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant | 2010 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Southeast Missouri State $^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 12 Jacksonville State ^  6 –2  9 –3   Eastern Kentucky  5 –2  6 –5   Murray State  5 –3  6 –5   UT Martin  5 –3  6 –5   Tennessee Tech  4 –4  5 –6   Eastern Illinois  2 –6  2 –9   Austin Peay  1 –7  2 –9   Tennessee State  0 –7  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2010 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Lehigh $^  5 –0  10 –3   Colgate  3 –2  7 –4   Holy Cross  3 –2  6 –5   Georgetown  2 –3  4 –7   Lafayette  1 –4  2 –9   Bucknell  1 –4  1 –10   Fordham  0 –0  5 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Jacksonville +  8 –0  10 –1   No. 25 Dayton +  8 –0  10 –1   Drake  6 –2  7 –4   San Diego  5 –3  5 –6   Morehead State  4 –4  5 –6   Davidson  3 –5  3 –8   Butler  2 –6  4 –7   Marist  2 –6  3 –8   Campbell  2 –6  3 –8   Valparaiso  0 –8  0 –11   + – Conference co-championsRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Appalachian State +^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 6 Wofford +^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 5 Georgia Southern ^  5 –3  10 –5   Chattanooga  5 –3  6 –5   Elon  5 –3  6 –5   Furman  3 –5  5 –6   Samford  2 –6  4 –7   The Citadel  1 –7  3 –8   Western Carolina  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll |
| 2010 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Stephen F. Austin $^  6 –1  9 –3   McNeese State  5 –2  6 –5   Central Arkansas  4 –3  7 –4   Sam Houston State  4 –3  6 –5   Northwestern State  4 –3  5 –6   Nicholls State  3 –4  4 –7   Texas State  1 –6  4 –7   Southeastern Louisiana  1 –6  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alabama State xy  6 –3  7 –5   Jackson State x  6 –3  8 –3   Alcorn State  4 –5  5 –6   Alabama A&M  2 –7  3 –8   Mississippi Valley State  0 –9  0 –10   West Division Texas Southern xy$  8 –1  9 –3   No. 23 Grambling State x  8 –1  9 –2   Prairie View A&M  6 –3  7 –4   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  4 –5  5 –6   Southern  1 –8  2 –9   Championship: Texas Southern 11, Alabama State 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2010 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Old Dominion   –  8 –3   Georgia State   –  6 –5   Lamar   –  5 –6 |

## Playoff qualifiers
### Automatic berths for conference champions

* Big Sky Conference – Montana State
* Big South Conference – Coastal Carolina
* Colonial Athletic Association – William & Mary
* Missouri Valley Football Conference – Northern Iowa
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune–Cookman
* Northeast Conference – Robert Morris
* Ohio Valley Conference – Southeast Missouri State
* Patriot League – Lehigh
* Southern Conference – Appalachian State
* Southland Conference – Stephen F. Austin

### At large qualifiers

* Big Sky Conference – Eastern Washington
* Colonial Athletic Association – Delaware
* Colonial Athletic Association – New Hampshire
* Colonial Athletic Association – Villanova
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State
* Missouri Valley Football Conference – Western Illinois
* Ohio Valley Conference – Jacksonville State
* Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
* Southern Conference – Wofford
No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids. In order for a team from a conference without an automatic bid to be eligible for the playoffs, it must have a minimum of seven Division I wins, with at least two against teams in automatic bid conferences. The team in question also must be ranked an average of 16 or better in the national rankings.

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Pennsylvania
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Texas Southern
(Overall Record, Conference Record)

## Postseason

After 24 seasons with a playoff field of sixteen teams, the FCS bracket was expanded to twenty this postseason, with the five seeded teams and seven others receiving first-round byes. The championship game was moved to January, three weeks after the mid-December semifinals.
The FCS playoff field was twenty for three seasons, then expanded to 24 in 2013.

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | Second Round December 4 Campus sites | Second Round December 4 Campus sites | Second Round December 4 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10 and 11 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10 and 11 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10 and 11 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17 and 18 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17 and 18 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17 and 18 Campus sites | National Championship Game January 7 Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas | National Championship Game January 7 Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas | National Championship Game January 7 Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas |
| | | | | Western Illinois | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Western Illinois | Western Illinois | 17 | 1 | Appalachian State* | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coastal Carolina* | Coastal Carolina* | 10 | | | | 1 | Appalachian State* | 24 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Villanova | 42 | | | | | | |
| | | | Villanova | Villanova | 54 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Stephen F. Austin* | Stephen F. Austin* | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Villanova | 31 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Eastern Washington* | 41 | | | |
| | | | | North Dakota State | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Robert Morris | Robert Morris | 17 | 4 | Montana State* | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| North Dakota State* | North Dakota State* | 43 | | | | | North Dakota State | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Eastern Washington* | 38 | | | | | | |
| | | | | SE Missouri State | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Eastern Washington* | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Eastern Washington | 20 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Delaware | 19 |
| | | | | Georgia Southern | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Carolina State | South Carolina State | 16 | 2 | William & Mary* | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Georgia Southern* | Georgia Southern* | 41 | | | | Georgia Southern | Georgia Southern | 23 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wofford* | Wofford* | 20 | | | | | | |
| | | | Wofford | Wofford | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Jacksonville State* | Jacksonville State* | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Georgia Southern | 10 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Delaware* | 27 | | | |
| | | | | Lehigh | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lehigh | Lehigh | 14 | 3 | Delaware* | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 7 | | | | 3 | Delaware* | 16 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | New Hampshire | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | New Hampshire | New Hampshire | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Bethune–Cookman* | Bethune–Cookman* | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
    * Home team

### SWAC Championship Game

| Date | Location | Venue | West Div. Champion | East Div. Champion | Result |
| December 11 | Birmingham, Alabama | Legion Field | Texas Southern | Alabama State | TSU 11 – ASU 6 |

### Global Kilimanjaro Bowl

On September 1, 2010, Drake University announced it would participate in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American football game played on the continent of Africa. The game featured the Drake Bulldogs versus Mexican All-Star team CONADEIP. Due to the seasonal difference in Africa, the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl was played on May 21, 2011.
| Date | Location | Venue | Mexican Team | USA Team | Result |
| May 21, 2011 | Arusha, Tanzania | Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium | CONADEIP Stars | Drake Bulldogs | Drake 17 – CONADEIP 7 |

## Final poll standings

| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Eastern Washington Eagles | 13–2 |
| 2 | Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens | 12–3 |
| 3 | Villanova Wildcats | 9–5 |
| 4 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 10–3 |
| 5 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 10–5 |
| 6 | Wofford Terriers | 10–3 |
| 7 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 8–5 |
| 8 | Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 9–3 |
| 9 | North Dakota State Bison | 9–5 |
| 10 | William & Mary Tribe | 8–4 |
| 11 | Montana State Bobcats | 9–3 |
| 12 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 9–3 |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri State Redhawks | 9–3 |
| 14 | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 10–3 |
| 15 | Bethune–Cookman Wildcats | 10–2 |
| 16 | South Carolina State Bulldogs | 9–3 |
| 17 | Western Illinois Leathernecks | 8–5 |
| 18 | Penn Quakers | 9–1 |
| 19 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 7–5 |
| 20 | Montana Grizzlies | 7–4 |
| 21 | Liberty Flames | 8–3 |
| 22 | Jacksonville Dolphins | 10–1 |
| 23 | Grambling State Tigers | 9–2 |
| 24 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 7–4 |
| 25 | Dayton Flyers | 10–1 |
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Eastern Washington Eagles | 13–2 |
| 2 | Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens | 12–3 |
| 3 | Villanova Wildcats | 9–5 |
| 4 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 10–3 |
| 5 | Wofford Terriers | 10–3 |
| 6 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 10–5 |
| 7 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 8–5 |
| 8 | William & Mary Tribe | 8–4 |
| 9 | North Dakota State Bison | 9–5 |
| 10 | Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 9–3 |
| 11 | Montana State Bobcats | 9–3 |
| 12 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 9–3 |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri State Redhawks | 9–3 |
| 14 | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 10–3 |
| 15 | Bethune–Cookman Wildcats | 10–2 |
| 16 | Penn Quakers | 9–1 |
| 17 | South Carolina State Bulldogs | 9–3 |
| 18 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 7–5 |
| 19 | Liberty Flames | 8–3 |
| 20 | Western Illinois Leathernecks | 8–5 |
| 21 | Montana Grizzlies | 7–4 |
| 22 | Jacksonville Dolphins | 10–1 |
| 23 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 7–4 |
| 24 | Grambling State Tigers | 9–2 |
| 25 | Dayton Flyers | 10–1 |