# 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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 28$^{OT}$ 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

| School | 2010 conference | 2011 conference |
| Lamar | FCS Independent | Southland |
| Old Dominion | FCS Independent | CAA |
| Savannah State | FCS Independent | MEAC |
| South Alabama | New program$^+$ | FCS Independent |
| UTSA | New program | FCS Independent |
| Texas State | Southland | FCS Independent |
+ "unclassified" for 2009 (partial season) and 2010 (full season)

## Conference standings

2011 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2011 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Montana State $^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 5 Montana† ^  5 –1  6 –2   Portland State  5 –3  7 –4   Eastern Washington  5 –3  6 –5   Weber State  5 –3  5 –6   Northern Arizona  3 –5  4 –7   Sacramento State  3 –5  4 –7   Idaho State*  1 –7  2 –9   Northern Colorado  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant† Montana vacated two conference wins, five total wins, their conference co-championship, and playoff participation (three games, including two of the five total wins) in 2011 * Idaho State ineligible for FCS playoffs due to APR violationsRankings from The Sports Network poll, using Montana's later-diminished W–L record | 2011 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Stony Brook $^  6 –0  9 –4   No. 25 Liberty  5 –1  7 –4   Coastal Carolina  3 –3  7 –4   Presbyterian  3 –3  4 –7   Gardner–Webb  2 –4  4 –7   VMI  2 –4  2 –9   Charleston Southern  0 –6  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Towson $^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 10 Old Dominion ^  6 –2  10 –3   No. 8 Maine ^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 11 New Hampshire ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 17 Delaware  5 –3  7 –4   No. 15 James Madison ^  5 –3  8 –5   William & Mary  3 –5  5 –6   Rhode Island  2 –6  3 –8   Villanova  1 –7  2 –9   Richmond  0 –8  3 –8   UMass *  0 –0  5 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – UMass' conference record was 0–0 because they were transitioning to FBS. Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2011 Great West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 23 North Dakota +  3 –1  8 –3   Cal Poly +  3 –1  6 –5   South Dakota  2 –2  6 –5   Southern Utah  1 –3  6 –5   UC Davis  1 –3  4 –7   + – Conference co-championsRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Harvard $  7 –0  9 –1   Brown  4 –3  7 –3   Dartmouth  4 –3  5 –5   Penn  4 –3  5 –5   Yale  4 –3  5 –5   Cornell  3 –4  5 –5   Columbia  1 –6  1 –9   Princeton  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Norfolk State $^  7 –1  9 –3   Bethune–Cookman  6 –2  8 –3   South Carolina State  6 –2  7 –4   Florida A&M  5 –3  7 –4   Hampton  5 –3  7 –4   Howard  4 –4  5 –6   Morgan State  4 –4  5 –6   North Carolina A&T  4 –4  5 –6   Delaware State  1 –7  3 –8   North Carolina Central  1 –7  2 –9   Savannah State  1 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State +^  7 –1  14 –1   No. 6 Northern Iowa +^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 20 Illinois State  5 –3  7 –4   Indiana State  4 –4  6 –5   Youngstown State  4 –4  6 –5   South Dakota State  4 –4  5 –6   Southern Illinois  2 –6  4 –7   Missouri State  2 –6  2 –9   Western Illinois  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne +  7 –1  9 –2   Albany +^  7 –1  8 –4   Bryant  5 –3  7 –4   Monmouth  4 –4  5 –6   Wagner  4 –4  4 –7   Sacred Heart  3 –5  5 –6   Central Connecticut  3 –5  4 –7   Robert Morris  2 –6  2 –9   Saint Francis (PA)  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant | 2011 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Tennessee Tech +^  6 –2  7 –4   Eastern Kentucky +^  6 –2  7 –5   Jacksonville State +  6 –2  7 –4   Murray State  5 –3  7 –4   Tennessee State  4 –4  5 –6   UT Martin  4 –4  5 –6   Austin Peay  2 –6  3 –8   Southeast Missouri State  2 –6  3 –8   Eastern Illinois  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2011 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Lehigh $^  6 –0  11 –2   Georgetown  4 –2  8 –3   Holy Cross  4 –2  6 –5   Bucknell  3 –3  6 –5   Colgate  2 –4  5 –6   Lafayette  2 –4  4 –7   Fordham  0 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantFordham was ineligible for conference title because they offered football scholarships while other Patriot League members did not.Rankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  San Diego +  7 –1  9 –2   Drake +  7 –1  9 –2   Jacksonville  6 –2  7 –4   Campbell  5 –3  6 –5   Dayton  4 –4  6 –5   Marist  3 –5  4 –7   Butler  3 –5  5 –6   Davidson  2 –6  4 –7   Morehead State  2 –6  3 –8   Valparaiso  1 –7  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions | 2011 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Georgia Southern $^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 12 Wofford ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 9 Appalachian State ^  6 –2  8 –4   Furman  5 –3  6 –5   Samford  4 –4  6 –5   Chattanooga  3 –5  5 –6   Elon  3 –5  5 –6   The Citadel  2 –6  4 –7   Western Carolina  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll |
| 2011 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Sam Houston State $^  7 –0  14 –1   No. 14 Central Arkansas ^  6 –1  9 –4   Stephen F. Austin  5 –2  6 –5   McNeese State  4 –3  6 –5   Northwestern State  3 –4  5 –6   Lamar  2 –5  4 –7   Southeastern Louisiana  1 –6  3 –8   Nicholls State  0 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division No. 21 Jackson State x  7 –2  9 –2   Alabama State x  7 –2  8 –3   Alabama A&M xy  7 –2  8 –4   Alcorn State  1 –8  2 –8   Mississippi Valley State  1 –8  1 –10   West Division Grambling State xy$  6 –3  8 –4   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  5 –4  6 –5   Prairie View A&M  5 –4  5 –6   Southern  4 –5  4 –7   Texas Southern  2 –7  4 –7   Championship: Grambling State 16, Alabama A&M 15 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantJackson State and Southern were ineligible to participate in the SWAC Championship Game due to low APR scores.Rankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2011 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  South Alabama   –  6 –4   Texas State   –  6 –6   UTSA   –  4 –6   Georgia State   –  3 –8 |

## 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

* Ivy League – Harvard
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 26 Campus sites | First Round November 26 Campus sites | First Round November 26 Campus sites | Second Round December 3 Campus sites | Second Round December 3 Campus sites | Second Round December 3 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | Semifinals December 16 and December 17 Campus sites | Semifinals December 16 and December 17 Campus sites | Semifinals December 16 and December 17 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 |
| | | | | Stony Brook | 27 | | | | | | | | | |
| Albany | Albany | 28 | 1 | Sam Houston State* | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook* | Stony Brook* | 31 | | | | 1 | Sam Houston State* | 49 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Montana State | 13 | | | | | | |
| | | | New Hampshire | New Hampshire | 25 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Montana State* | Montana State* | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Sam Houston State* | 31 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 4 | Montana | 28 | | | |
| | | | | Central Arkansas | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 34 | 4 | Montana* | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee Tech* | Tennessee Tech* | 14 | | | | 4 | Montana* | 48 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Northern Iowa | 10 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Wofford | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Northern Iowa* | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Sam Houston State | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 17 |
| | | | | James Madison | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| James Madison | James Madison | 20 | 2 | North Dakota State* | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky* | Eastern Kentucky* | 17 | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 24 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Lehigh | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | Lehigh | Lehigh | 40 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Towson* | Towson* | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 35 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Georgia Southern | 7 | | | |
| | | | | Old Dominion | 48 | | | | | | | | | |
| Norfolk State | Norfolk State | 18 | 3 | Georgia Southern* | 55 | | | | | | | | | |
| Old Dominion* | Old Dominion* | 35 | | | | 3 | Georgia Southern* | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Maine | 23 | | | | | | |
| | | | Maine | Maine | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 12 | | | | | | | | | |
* Host institution

### SWAC Championship Game

| Date | Location | Venue | West Div. Champion | East Div. Champion | Result |
| December 10 | Birmingham, Alabama | Legion Field | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | GSU 16 – AAMU 15 |