# 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2017 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 6, 2018, in Frisco, Texas. The North Dakota State Bison beat the James Madison Dukes, 17–13, to capture their sixth title in seven years.

## Notable changes

On April 14, the NCAA Division I Council approved a suite of rule changes affecting the recruiting process. The changes most significant to FCS football were to take effect with the 2017–18 school year. A national early signing period for high school players was to be introduced for FBS and FCS, at a time in December to be announced later, and FCS programs would no longer have any restriction on the number of new players that may be signed to letters of intent or financial aid agreements. Previously, FCS teams were limited to signing 30 new players per year.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll)
August 31: Tennessee State 17, Georgia State 10 September 2: Howard 43, UNLV 40 September 2: No. 1 James Madison 34, East Carolina 14 September 2: Liberty 48, Baylor 45 September 9: No. 12 New Hampshire 22, Georgia Southern 12 September 9: South Dakota 35, Bowling Green 27 September 16: Idaho State 30, Nevada 28 September 16: No. 25 North Carolina A&T 35, Charlotte 31 September 23: No. 19 Western Illinois 52, Coastal Carolina 10

## Conference changes and new programs

For the first time since 2012 (and just the second time ever), there were no independent programs in FCS during the 2017 season.
| School | 2016 conference | 2017 conference |
| Coastal Carolina | FCS Independent | Sun Belt (FBS) |

## Conference standings

2017 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2017 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Southern Utah +^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 5 Weber State +^  7 –1  11 –3   Northern Arizona ^  6 –2  7 –5   No. 21 Eastern Washington  6 –2  7 –4   Sacramento State  6 –2  7 –4   Montana  5 –3  7 –4   Montana State  5 –3  5 –6   UC Davis  3 –5  5 –6   Idaho State  2 –6  4 –7   Northern Colorado  2 –6  3 –7   North Dakota  2 –6  3 –8   Cal Poly  1 –7  1 –10   Portland State  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Kennesaw State $^  5 –0  12 –2   Monmouth ^  4 –1  9 –3   Charleston Southern  3 –2  6 –5   Liberty *  2 –3  6 –5   Presbyterian  1 –4  4 –7   Gardner–Webb  0 –5  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * Liberty ineligible for postseason due to FBS transition Rankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 James Madison $^  8 –0  14 –1   No. 11 Stony Brook ^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 20 Elon ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 12 New Hampshire ^  5 –3  9 –5   Delaware  5 –3  7 –4   Richmond  4 –4  6 –5   Towson  3 –5  5 –6   Villanova  3 –5  5 –6   Maine  3 –5  4 –6   Albany  2 –6  4 –7   Rhode Island  2 –6  3 –8   William & Mary  0 –8  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2017 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Yale $  6 –1  9 –1   Columbia  5 –2  8 –2   Dartmouth  5 –2  8 –2   Penn  4 –3  6 –4   Harvard  3 –4  5 –5   Cornell  3 –4  3 –7   Princeton  2 –5  5 –5   Brown  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference championRankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 North Carolina A&T $  8 –0  12 –0   Howard  6 –2  7 –4   Bethune–Cookman  6 –2  7 –4   North Carolina Central  5 –3  7 –4   Hampton  5 –3  6 –5   Norfolk State  4 –4  4 –7   Savannah State *  3 –5  3 –8   South Carolina State  2 –6  3 –7   Florida A&M *  2 –6  3 –8   Delaware State  2 –6  2 –9   Morgan State *  1 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion * Florida A&M, Morgan State and Savannah State ineligible for postseason due to APR violations Rankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State $^  7 –1  14 –1   No. 3 South Dakota State ^  6 –2  11 –3   No. 19 Northern Iowa ^  6 –2  8 –5   No. 13 Western Illinois ^  5 –3  8 –4   No. 15 South Dakota ^  4 –4  8 –5   Illinois State  4 –4  6 –5   Youngstown State  4 –4  6 –5   Southern Illinois  2 –6  4 –7   Missouri State  2 –6  3 –8   Indiana State  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2017 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Central Connecticut $^  6 –0  8 –3   Duquesne  4 –2  7 –4   Bryant  4 –2  6 –5   Saint Francis (PA)  3 –3  5 –6   Sacred Heart  2 –4  4 –7   Wagner  2 –4  4 –7   Robert Morris  0 –6  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant | 2017 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Jacksonville State $^  8 –0  10 –2   Austin Peay  7 –1  8 –4   Eastern Illinois  5 –3  6 –5   UT Martin  4 –4  6 –5   Eastern Kentucky  3 –5  4 –7   Southeast Missouri State  3 –5  3 –8   Tennessee State  2 –5  6 –5   Murray State  2 –5  3 –8   Tennessee Tech  1 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Colgate +  5 –1  7 –4   Lehigh +^  5 –1  5 –7   Holy Cross  3 –3  4 –7   Fordham  3 –3  4 –7   Lafayette  3 –3  3 –8   Bucknell  2 –4  5 –6   Georgetown  0 –6  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant |
| 2017 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 23 San Diego $^  8 –0  10 –3   Drake  6 –2  7 –4   Jacksonville  5 –3  7 –4   Campbell  5 –3  6 –5   Valparaiso  5 –3  6 –5   Butler  4 –4  6 –5   Dayton  4 –4  5 –6   Marist  3 –5  4 –7   Morehead State  3 –5  4 –7   Stetson  1 –7  2 –9   Davidson  0 –8  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Wofford $^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 18 Samford ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 19 Furman ^  6 –2  8 –5   Western Carolina  5 –3  7 –5   Mercer  4 –4  5 –6   The Citadel  3 –5  5 –6   Chattanooga  3 –5  3 –8   East Tennessee State  2 –6  4 –7   VMI  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2017 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Central Arkansas $^  9 –0  10 –2   No. 4 Sam Houston State ^  8 –1  12 –2   No. 25 Nicholls State ^  7 –2  8 –4   No. 22 McNeese State  7 –2  9 –2   Southeastern Louisiana  6 –3  6 –5   Northwestern State  4 –5  4 –7   Stephen F. Austin  4 –5  4 –7   Abilene Christian  2 –7  2 –9   Incarnate Word  1 –7  1 –10   Lamar  1 –8  2 –9   Houston Baptist  0 –9  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS poll |
| 2017 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alcorn State xy  5 –2  7 –5   Alabama State  4 –3  5 –6   Alabama A&M  3 –4  4 –7   Jackson State  3 –4  3 –8   Mississippi Valley State  1 –6  2 –9   West Division No. 16 Grambling State xy$  7 –0  11 –2   Southern  5 –2  7 –4   Prairie View A&M  4 –3  6 –5   Texas Southern  2 –5  2 –9   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –6  2 –9   Championship: Grambling State 40, Alcorn State 32 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from STATS 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 (8–0) | Alcorn State 7–5 (5–2) | 40–32 | Devante Kincade (Grambling State) | De’Arius Christmas (Grambling State) | Broderick Fobbs (Grambling State) |

### 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 | Southern Utah Weber State | 9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) | Keelan Doss (UC Davis) | Taron Johnson (Weber State) | Demario Warren (Southern Utah) |
| Big South | Kennesaw State | 10–1 (5–0) | Chandler Burks (Kennesaw State) | Anthony Ellis (Charleston Southern) | Brian Bohannon (Kennesaw State) |
| CAA | James Madison | 11–0 (8–0) | Kyle Lauletta (Richmond) | Andrew Ankrah (James Madison) | Curt Cignetti (Elon) |
| Ivy | Yale | 9–1 (6–1) | Chad Kanoff (Princeton) | Matthew Oplinger (Yale) | Al Bagnoli (Columbia) |
| MEAC | North Carolina A&T | 11–0 (8–0) | Lamar Raynard (North Carolina A&T) | Shaquille Leonard (South Carolina State) | Rod Broadway (North Carolina A&T) |
| MVFC | North Dakota State | 10–1 (7–1) | Chris Streveler (South Dakota) | Brett Taylor (Western Illinois) | Chris Klieman (North Dakota State) |
| NEC | Central Connecticut | 8–3 (6–0) | Tommy Stuart (Duquesne) | Tom Costigan (Bryant) | Peter Rossomando (Central Connecticut) |
| OVC | Jacksonville State | 10–1 (8–0) | Roc Thomas (Jacksonville State) | Darius Jackson (Jacksonville State) | Will Healy (Austin Peay) |
| Patriot | Colgate Lehigh | 7–4 (5–1) 5–6 (5–1) | Dom Bragalone (Lehigh) | Abdullah Anderson (Bucknell) | Dan Hunt (Colgate) |
| Pioneer | San Diego | 9–2 (8–0) | Anthony Lawrence (San Diego) | Jonathan Petersen (San Diego) | Dave Cecchini (Valparaiso) |
| Southern | Wofford | 9–2 (7–1) | Devlin Hodges (Samford) | Ahmad Gooden (Samford) | Clay Hendrix (Furman) |
| Southland | Central Arkansas | 10–1 (9–0) | Hayden Hildebrand (Central Arkansas) | George Odum (Central Arkansas) | Steve Campbell (Central Arkansas) |

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

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Southern Utah | 3rd | 2015 | First Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Big South Conference | Kennesaw State | 1st | – | |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | 14th | 2016 | National Champions (W – Youngstown State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 8th | 2016 | Semifinals (L – James Madison) |
| Northeast Conference | Central Connecticut | 1st | – | |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Jacksonville State | 8th | 2016 | Second Round (L – Youngstown State) |
| Patriot League | Lehigh | 11th | 2016 | First Round (L – New Hampshire) |
| Pioneer Football League | San Diego | 3rd | 2016 | Second Round (L – North Dakota State) |
| Southern Conference | Wofford | 8th | 2016 | Quarterfinals (L – Youngstown State) |
| Southland Conference | Central Arkansas | 4th | 2016 | Second Round (L – Eastern Washington) |

### At large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Northern Arizona | 6th | 2013 | First Round (L – South Dakota State) |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | 6th | 2016 | First Round (L – Chattanooga) |
| Big South Conference | Monmouth | 1st | – | |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Elon | 2nd | 2009 | First Round (L – Richmond) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | New Hampshire | 16th | 2016 | Second Round (L – James Madison) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Stony Brook | 3rd | 2012 | Second Round (L – Montana State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Northern Iowa | 19th | 2015 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota | 1st | – | |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 7th | 2016 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Western Illinois | 11th | 2015 | Second Round (L – Illinois State) |
| Southern Conference | Furman | 17th | 2013 | Second Round (L – North Dakota State) |
| Southern Conference | Samford | 5th | 2016 | First Round (L – Youngstown State) |
| Southland Conference | Nicholls State | 4th | 2005 | First Round (L – Furman) |
| Southland Conference | Sam Houston State | 11th | 2016 | Quarterfinals (L – James Madison) |

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Yale
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

## Postseason
### Bowl game

| Game | Date/TV | Location | Home team | Away team | Score | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP |
| Celebration Bowl | December 16 ABC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia | North Carolina A&T | Grambling State | 21–14 | Marquell Cartwright (RB, North Carolina A&T) | Franklin McCain III (DB, North Carolina A&T) |

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First round November 25 Campus sites ESPN3 | First round November 25 Campus sites ESPN3 | First round November 25 Campus sites ESPN3 | Second round December 2 Campus sites ESPN3 | Second round December 2 Campus sites ESPN3 | Second round December 2 Campus sites ESPN3 | Quarterfinals December 8 and 9 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPN3 | Quarterfinals December 8 and 9 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPN3 | Quarterfinals December 8 and 9 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPN3 | Semifinals December 15 and 16 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 | Semifinals December 15 and 16 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 | Semifinals December 15 and 16 Campus sites ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 | National Championship January 6 12:00 pm Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 | National Championship January 6 12:00 pm Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 | National Championship January 6 12:00 pm Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 |
| | | | 1 | James Madison* | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook* | Stony Brook* | 59 | | Stony Brook | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lehigh | Lehigh | 29 | | | | 1 | James Madison* | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Weber State | 28 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Southern Utah* | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Weber State* | Weber State* | 21 | | Weber State | 30 | | | | | | | | | |
| Western Illinois | Western Illinois | 19 | | | | | | | 1 | James Madison* | 51 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | South Dakota State | 16 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Central Arkansas* | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire* | New Hampshire* | 14 | | New Hampshire | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Central Connecticut | Central Connecticut | 0 | | | | | New Hampshire | 14 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | South Dakota State* | 56 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | South Dakota State* | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 46 | | Northern Iowa | 22 | | | | | | | | | |
| Monmouth | Monmouth | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | James Madison | 13 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 17 |
| | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Arizona* | Northern Arizona* | 10 | | San Diego | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego | San Diego | 41 | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 42 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Wofford | 10 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Wofford* | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Elon* | Elon* | 27 | | Furman | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| Furman | Furman | 28 | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 55 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 6 | Sam Houston State | 13 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Jacksonville State* | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Kennesaw State* | Kennesaw State* | 28 | | Kennesaw State | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Samford | Samford | 17 | | | | | Kennesaw State | 27 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Sam Houston State* | 34 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Sam Houston State* | 54 | | | | | | | | | |
| Nicholls State* | Nicholls State* | 31 | | South Dakota | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota | South Dakota | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Home team Winner All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)

## Kickoff games

* Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (aka Montgomery Kickoff Classic)
** Jacksonville State defeated Chattanooga 27–13 at the Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) on August 26.
* Other Week Zero games:
** FBS opponent BYU defeated Portland State 20–6 at home on August 26.
** Colgate traveled to Cal Poly August 26, coming away as 20–14 winners.
** Florida A&M hosted Texas Southern on August 26, winning 29–7.

## Awards and honors
### Walter Payton Award

* The Walter Payton Award is given to the year's most outstanding offensive player. Finalists:
** Jeremiah Briscoe (QB), Sam Houston State
** Keelan Doss (WR), UC Davis
** Chris Streveler (QB), South Dakota

### Buck Buchanan Award

* The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the year's most outstanding defensive player. Finalists:
** Andrew Ankrah (DE), James Madison
** Darius Jackson (DE), Jacksonville State
** Brett Taylor (LB), Western Illinois

### Jerry Rice Award

* The Jerry Rice Award is given to the year's most outstanding freshman.
** Winner: Bryson Armstrong (LB), Kennesaw State

### Coaches

* AFCA Coach of the Year: Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
* Eddie Robinson Award: Will Healy, Austin Peay

## New stadiums

* East Tennessee State defeated Division II Limestone 31–10 in the opener for William B. Greene Jr. Stadium on September 2. The team had played its first two seasons since reinstating football at local high school venue Kermit Tipton Stadium.
* Abilene Christian opened Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium on September 16 with a 24–3 win over Houston Baptist, following 57 seasons at Shotwell Stadium.

## Coaching changes
### In-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2017. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2017, see 2016 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Alabama State | Brian Jenkins | October 6 | Fired | Donald Hill-Eley |
| Holy Cross | Tom Gilmore | October 15 | Fired | Brian Rock (interim) |
* ↑ Interim for remainder of season; interim tag removed on December 7, 2017.

### End of season

| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Alabama A&M | James Spady | November 19 | Fired | Connell Maynor |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Monte Coleman | November 19 | Resigned | Cedric Thomas |
| Central Arkansas | Steve Campbell | December 7 | Hired as head coach by South Alabama | Nathan Brown |
| Davidson | Paul Nichols | November 27 | Contract not renewed | Scott Abell |
| Delaware State | Kenny Carter | November 20 | Fired | Rod Milstead |
| East Tennessee State | Carl Torbush | December 8 | Retired | Randy Sanders |
| Florida A&M | Alex Wood | November 21 | Contract not renewed | Willie Simmons |
| Fordham | Andrew Breiner | December 5 | Hired as OC at Mississippi State | Joe Conlin |
| Hampton | Connell Maynor | November 20 | Fired | Robert Prunty |
| Holy Cross | Brian Rock | December 20 | Permanent replacement | Bob Chesney |
| Incarnate Word | Larry Kennan | November 27 | Fired | Eric Morris |
| Mississippi Valley State | Rick Comegy | November 20 | Contract not renewed | Vincent Dancy |
| Montana | Bob Stitt | November 20 | Contract not renewed | Bobby Hauck |
| Morgan State | Fred Farrier | December 18 | Fired | Ernest T. Jones (interim) |
| North Carolina A&T | Rod Broadway | January 8 | Retired | Sam Washington |
| North Carolina Central | Jerry Mack | December 8 | Hired as OC at Rice | Granville Eastman (interim) |
| Northwestern State | Jay Thomas | December 2 | Resigned | Brad Laird |
| Prairie View A&M | Willie Simmons | December 8 | Hired as head coach by Florida A&M | Eric Dooley |
| Robert Morris | John Banaszak | November 19 | Retired | Bernard Clark |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Ron Roberts | January 19 | Hired as DC by Louisiana | Frank Scelfo |
| Tennessee Tech | Marcus Satterfield | November 19 | Fired | Dewayne Alexander |
| Western Illinois | Charlie Fisher | January 4 | Hired as WR coach by Arizona State | Jared Elliott |
| Wofford | Mike Ayers | December 13 | Retired | Josh Conklin |