# 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2023 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 regular season began on August 26 and ended in November. The postseason began in November and ended on January 7, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. South Dakota State repeated as champions, defeating Montana, 23–3.

## Notable headlines

* October 4 – The NCAA announced several major changes to Division I football recruiting and governance rules:
** The window for athletes to enter the transfer portal was reduced. For FCS players, the portal now opens on the Monday after the selection of the playoff field, and stays open for 30 days. For players participating in the FCS playoffs or the Celebration Bowl, there will be an additional 5-day window after the players' final game.
** The limit on "initial counters"—i.e., players who are receiving athletically-related financial aid for the first time—was permanently eliminated. The previous FCS limit of 30 had been suspended due to COVID-19 impacts.
** The application fee for transitioning from FCS to FBS increased from $5,000 to $5 million, effective immediately.
* October 12 – Northwestern State junior safety Ronnie Caldwell died after being shot multiple times near the school's Natchitoches, Louisiana campus. Two weeks after the shooting, Northwestern State canceled the remainder of its season, and head coach Brad Laird resigned.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 11 September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37 September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6 September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23

## Conference changes and new programs

* The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference, which had created the WAC-ASUN Challenge in 2021, merged their football leagues effective in 2023. In April 2023, the partnership was formally rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC), a football-only league separate from the two conferences. The NCAA denied the UAC's request to be classified as a single-sport FCS football conference, but continued to recognize the organization as an extension of the WAC-ASUN Challenge.
* The Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference also merged their football leagues effective in 2023, but without attempting to create a new independent league, instead adopting the name Big South–OVC Football Association. Like the ASUN and WAC, both conferences were in danger of falling below the minimum six members required to remain an automatic qualifier (AQ) for the FCS postseason.
* The Colonial Athletic Association, along with its (technically-separate) FCS football league, adopted the name Coastal Athletic Association, a change that did not affect the CAA branding.
| School | 2022 conference | 2023 conference |
| Abilene Christian | WAC | United |
| Austin Peay | ASUN | United |
| Campbell | Big South | CAA |
| Central Arkansas | ASUN | United |
| Eastern Kentucky | ASUN | United |
| Jacksonville State | ASUN (FCS) | C-USA (FBS) |
| Kennesaw State | ASUN | FCS Independent |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley | MVFC |
| North Alabama | ASUN | United |
| North Carolina A&T | Big South | CAA |
| Sam Houston State | WAC (FCS) | C-USA (FBS) |
| Southern Utah | WAC | United |
| Tarleton State | WAC | United |
| Stephen F. Austin | WAC | United |
| Utah Tech | WAC | United |

## Conference standings

2023 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2023 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Montana $^  7 –1  13 –2   No. 8 Idaho ^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 9 Montana State ^  6 –2  8 –4   Northern Arizona  5 –3  5 –6   No. 24 UC Davis  5 –3  7 –4   No. 13 Sacramento State ^  4 –4  8 –5   Portland State  4 –4  5 –6   Weber State  4 –4  6 –5   Eastern Washington  3 –5  4 –7   Idaho State  3 –5  3 –8   Cal Poly  1 –7  3 –8   Northern Colorado  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Big South–OVC football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Gardner–Webb +^  5 –1  7 –5   No. 25 UT Martin +  5 –1  8 –3   Eastern Illinois  4 –2  8 –3   Bryant  4 –2  6 –5   Southeast Missouri State  3 –3  4 –7   Tennessee Tech  2 –4  4 –7   Robert Morris  2 –4  4 –7   Charleston Southern  2 –4  4 –7   Tennessee State  2 –4  6 –5   Lindenwood *  1 –5  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantNote: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.Rankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Albany +^  7 –1  11 –4   No. 6 Villanova +^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 15 Richmond +^  7 –1  9 –4   No. 10 Delaware ^  6 –2  9 –4   Elon  6 –2  6 –5   New Hampshire  4 –4  6 –5   Rhode Island  4 –4  6 –5   William & Mary  4 –4  6 –5   Campbell  4 –4  5 –6   Towson  4 –4  5 –6   Hampton  3 –5  5 –6   Monmouth  3 –5  4 –7   Maine  1 –7  2 –9   North Carolina A&T  0 –8  1 –10   Stony Brook  0 –8  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2023 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Harvard +  5 –2  8 –2   Yale +  5 –2  7 –3   Dartmouth +  5 –2  6 –4   Princeton  4 –3  5 –5   Brown  3 –4  5 –5   Penn  3 –4  6 –4   Cornell  2 –5  3 –7   Columbia  1 –6  3 –7   + – Conference co-championsRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Howard +  4 –1  6 –6   No. 20 North Carolina Central +^  4 –1  9 –3   South Carolina State  3 –2  5 –6   Morgan State  3 –2  4 –6   Norfolk State  1 –4  3 –8   Delaware State  0 –5  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 South Dakota State $^  8 –0  15 –0   No. 4 South Dakota ^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 3 North Dakota State ^  5 –3  11 –4   No. 19 Youngstown State ^  5 –3  8 –5   No. 16 North Dakota ^  5 –3  7 –5   Northern Iowa  5 –3  6 –5   No. 12 Southern Illinois ^  4 –4  8 –5   Illinois State  4 –4  6 –5   Missouri State  3 –5  4 –7   Murray State  1 –7  2 –9   Indiana State  1 –7  1 –10   Western Illinois  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantAs of January 5, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll |
| 2023 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne $^  6 –1  7 –5   Saint Francis (PA)  4 –3  4 –6   Merrimack  4 –3  5 –6   Stonehill *  4 –3  5 –5   LIU  4 –3  4 –7   Wagner  3 –4  4 –7   Sacred Heart  2 –5  2 –9   Central Connecticut  1 –6  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantNote: Stonehill ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division IIRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Lafayette +^  5 –1  9 –3   Holy Cross +  5 –1  7 –4   Colgate  4 –2  6 –5   Georgetown  3 –3  5 –6   Fordham  2 –4  6 –5   Lehigh  1 –5  2 –9   Bucknell  1 –5  4 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Drake $^  8 –0  8 –4   St. Thomas (MN) *  7 –1  8 –3   Davidson  6 –2  7 –4   Butler  5 –3  7 –4   Marist  4 –4  4 –7   San Diego  4 –4  4 –7   Morehead State  3 –5  4 –7   Presbyterian  2 –6  4 –7   Valparaiso  2 –6  3 –8   Dayton  2 –6  4 –7   Stetson  1 –7  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III Rankings from STATS Poll |
| 2023 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Furman $^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 14 Chattanooga ^  6 –2  8 –5   No. 17 Mercer ^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 23 Western Carolina  5 –3  7 –4   Samford  4 –4  6 –5   VMI  4 –4  5 –6   East Tennessee State  2 –6  3 –8   Wofford  2 –6  2 –9   The Citadel  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Nicholls $^  7 –0  6 –5   No. 22 Incarnate Word  6 –1  8 –2   Lamar  5 –2  6 –5   Houston Christian  4 –3  5 –5   Southeastern Louisiana  3 –4  3 –8   Texas A&M–Commerce *  2 –5  1 –9   McNeese  1 –6  0 –10   Northwestern State **  0 –2  0 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – Texas A&M–Commerce ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. ** – Northwestern State canceled its season on October 26. Rankings from STATS Poll | 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division No. 11 Florida A&M xy$  8 –0  12 –1   Alabama State  5 –3  7 –4   Jackson State  5 –3  7 –4   Alabama A&M  3 –5  5 –6   Bethune–Cookman  2 –6  3 –8   Mississippi Valley State  1 –7  1 –10   West Division Prairie View A&M xy  6 –2  6 –6   Alcorn State x  6 –2  7 –4   Southern  5 –3  6 –5   Grambling State  4 –4  5 –6   Texas Southern  2 –6  3 –8   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –7  2 –9   Championship: Florida A&M 35, Prairie View A&M 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2023 United Athletic Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Austin Peay $^  6 –0  9 –3   Central Arkansas  4 –2  7 –4   Southern Utah  4 –2  6 –5   Eastern Kentucky  4 –2  5 –6   Tarleton State*  4 –2  8 –3   Abilene Christian  3 –3  5 –6   North Alabama  1 –5  3 –8   Utah Tech*  1 –5  2 –9   Stephen F. Austin  0 –6  3 –8   $ – Conference championNote: Tarleton State and Utah Tech are ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transitions from NCAA Division II.Rankings from STATS Poll | 2023 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Kennesaw State*   –  3 –6   * Note: Kennesaw State ineligible for FCS postseason play due to start of transition to FBS. Rankings from AP Poll |

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

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 27th | 2022 | Second round - (L - North Dakota State) |
| Big South–OVC | Gardner–Webb | 2nd | 2022 | Second round - (L - William & Mary) |
| CAA Football | Villanova | 15th | 2021 | Quarterfinal - (L - South Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 13th | 2022 | National Champions (W - North Dakota State) |
| Northeast Conference | Duquesne | 3rd | 2018 | Second round - (L - South Dakota State) |
| Patriot League | Lafayette | 5th | 2013 | First round - (L - New Hampshire) |
| Pioneer Football League | Drake | 1st | None | None |
| Southern Conference | Furman | 20th | 2022 | Second round - (L - Incarnate Word) |
| Southland Conference | Nicholls | 7th | 2019 | Second round - (L - North Dakota State) |
| United Athletic Conference | Austin Peay | 2nd | 2019 | Quarterfinals - (L - Montana State) |

### At large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Idaho | 13th | 2022 | First round (L - Southeastern Louisiana) |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana State | 13th | 2022 | Semifinal (L - South Dakota State) |
| Big Sky Conference | Sacramento State | 4th | 2022 | Quarterfinal (L - Incarnate Word) |
| CAA Football | Albany | 3rd | 2019 | Second round (L - Montana State) |
| CAA Football | Delaware | 19th | 2022 | Second round (L - South Dakota State) |
| CAA Football | Richmond | 13th | 2022 | Second round (L - Sacramento State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota | 5th | 2022 | First round (L - Weber State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 14th | 2022 | National Runner-up (L - South Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota | 3rd | 2021 | First round (L - Southern Illinois) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Southern Illinois | 11th | 2021 | Second round (L - North Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Youngstown State | 13th | 2016 | National Runner-up (L - James Madison) |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North Carolina Central | 1st | None | None |
| Southern Conference | Chattanooga | 5th | 2016 | Second round (L - Sam Houston State) |
| Southern Conference | Mercer | 1st | None | None |

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Harvard, Yale
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Howard
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Florida A&M

## Postseason

The FCS again featured a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). The top eight teams were seeded and received a bye to the second round.

### Bowl game

| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec. 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia | USA: ABC Canada: TSN2 | Florida A&M (11–1) Howard (6–5) | SWAC MEAC | Florida A&M 30 Howard 26 |

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 25 Campus sites ESPN+ | First Round November 25 Campus sites ESPN+ | First Round November 25 Campus sites ESPN+ | Second Round December 2 Campus sites ESPN+ | Second Round December 2 Campus sites ESPN+ | Second Round December 2 Campus sites ESPN+ | Quarterfinals December 8/9 Campus sites ABC, ESPN Networks | Quarterfinals December 8/9 Campus sites ABC, ESPN Networks | Quarterfinals December 8/9 Campus sites ABC, ESPN Networks | Semifinals December 15/16 Campus sites ESPN2 | Semifinals December 15/16 Campus sites ESPN2 | Semifinals December 15/16 Campus sites ESPN2 | National Championship January 7 2 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ABC, ESPN+ | National Championship January 7 2 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ABC, ESPN+ | National Championship January 7 2 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas ABC, ESPN+ |
| | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| Gardner–Webb | Gardner–Webb | 7 | | Mercer | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mercer | Mercer | 17 | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 23 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Villanova | 12 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Villanova | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Duquesne | Duquesne | 7 | | Youngstown State | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Youngstown State | Youngstown State | 40 | | | | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 59 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Albany | 0 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Albany | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina Central | North Carolina Central | 27 | | Richmond | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | 49 | | | | 5 | Albany | 30 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Idaho | 22 | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Idaho | 20$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | | |
| Nicholls | Nicholls | 0 | | Southern Illinois | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Southern Illinois | Southern Illinois | 35 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 23 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Montana | 3 |
| | | | 3 | South Dakota | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sacramento State | Sacramento State | 42 | | Sacramento State | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| North Dakota | North Dakota | 35 | | | | 3 | South Dakota | 17 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | North Dakota State | 45 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Montana State | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Drake | Drake | 3 | | North Dakota State | 35$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | | |
| North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 66 | | | | | | | | North Dakota State | 29 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Montana | 31$^{2OT}$ | | | |
| | | | 7 | Furman | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| Chattanooga | Chattanooga | 24 | | Chattanooga | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Austin Peay | Austin Peay | 21 | | | | 7 | Furman | 28 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Montana | 35$^{OT}$ | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | Montana | 49 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lafayette | Lafayette | 34 | | Delaware | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| Delaware | Delaware | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Source:

## Rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

Stats Perform :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | South Dakota State (56) |
| 2 | North Dakota State |
| 3 | Montana State |
| 4 | William & Mary |
| 5 | Holy Cross |
| 6 | Furman |
| 7 | Incarnate Word |
| 8 | Idaho |
| 9 | Samford |
| 10 | Sacramento State |
| 11 | New Hampshire |
| 12 | Southeast Missouri State |
| 13 | Weber State |
| 14 | Montana |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana |
| 16 | UC Davis |
| 17 | North Dakota |
| 18 | Richmond |
| 19 | North Carolina Central |
| 20 | Mercer |
| 21 | Rhode Island |
| 22 | Delaware |
| 23 | Northern Iowa |
| 24 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 25 | Gardner–Webb |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | South Dakota State (24) |
| 2 | North Dakota State (1) |
| 3 | Montana State |
| 4 | William & Mary |
| 5 | Holy Cross |
| 6 | Furman |
| 7 | Incarnate Word |
| 8 | Sacramento State |
| 9 | Samford |
| 10 | Weber State |
| 11 | Southeast Missouri State |
| 12 | New Hampshire |
| 13 | Idaho |
| 14 | Montana |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana |
| 16 | Richmond |
| 17 | UC Davis |
| 18 | North Dakota |
| 19 | North Carolina Central |
| 20 | Northern Iowa |
| 21 | Delaware |
| 22 | Mercer |
| 23 | Rhode Island |
| 24 | Gardner–Webb |
| 25 | Florida A&M |

## Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 26 with three games in Week 0:
* FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): No. 20 Mercer 17, North Alabama 7
* Albany 34, Fordham 13
* MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Jackson State 37, South Carolina State 7

## Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.
* Week 2
** No. 1 South Dakota State defeated No. 3 Montana State, 20–16 (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD)
* Week 4
** No. 7 Idaho defeated No. 4 Sacramento State, 36–27 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
** No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 10 Weber State, 40–0 (Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT)
* Week 7
** No. 10 Montana defeated No. 3 Idaho, 23–21 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
* Week 8
** No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 3 Sacramento State, 42–30 (Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA)
** No. 4 Furman defeated No. 8 Western Carolina, 29–17 (Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC)
* Week 9
** No. 1 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 37–3 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD)
** No. 9 Idaho defeated No. 2 Montana State, 24–21 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
* Week 10
** No. 4 Montana defeated No. 7 Sacramento State, 34–7 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT)
** No. 9 South Dakota defeated No. 10 Southern Illinois, 14–7 (Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, IL)
* Week 11
** No. 6 South Dakota defeated No. 10 North Dakota, 14–10 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD)
* Week 12
** No. 3 Montana defeated No. 4 Montana State, 37–7 (Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT)
** No. 10 Villanova defeated No. 7 Delaware, 35–7 (Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE)

## Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

### Regular season

During the regular season, 33 unranked teams defeated ranked teams.
* September 2, 2023
** Morgan State 17, No. 18 Richmond 10
* September 9, 2023
** Western Carolina 30, No. 8 Samford 7
* September 16, 2023
** Eastern Washington 40, No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana 29
* September 23, 2023
** Northern Arizona 28, No. 13 Montana 14
** Eastern Kentucky 41, No. 16 Southeast Missouri State 38
** Chattanooga 47, No. 20 Samford 24
** Eastern Washington 27, No. 15 UC Davis 24
* September 30, 2023
** South Dakota 24, No. 2 North Dakota State 19
** Elon 14, No. 5 William & Mary 6
** Harvard 38, No. 6 Holy Cross 28
** Towson 54, No. 14 New Hampshire 51
** Albany 31, No. 16 Villanova 10
** Northern Iowa 44, No. 23 Youngstown State 41
* October 7, 2023
** Northern Arizona 27, No. 13 Weber State 10
** Youngstown State 31, No. 6 Southern Illinois 3
* October 14, 2023
** Idaho State 42, No. 21 Eastern Washington 41
** UC Davis 17, No. 22 Weber State 16
** New Hampshire 38, No. 24 Albany 31
* October 21, 2023
** Towson 34, No. 13 William & Mary 24
** Princeton 21, No. 18 Harvard 14
** Northern Iowa 27, No. 11 North Dakota 0
** Lafayette 38, No. 15 Holy Cross 35
* October 28, 2023
** Mercer 45, No. 10 Western Carolina 38
** Gardner–Webb 38, No. 14 UT Martin 34
** Tarleton State 25, No, 18 Central Arkansas 23
** Northern Arizona 38, No. 25 UC Davis 21
* November 4, 2023
** Elon 33, No. 5 Delaware 27
** Colgate 37, No. 20 Lafayette 34 $^{OT}$
** Nicholls 45, No. 8 Incarnate Word 32
* November 11, 2023
** Weber State 31, No. 4 Idaho 29
** Howard 50, No. 7 North Carolina Central 20
** Missouri State 35, No. 15 Northern Iowa 16
* November 18, 2023
** UC Davis 31, No. 8 Sacramento State 21
** Samford 27, No. 19 UT Martin 17
** Yale 23, No. 23 Harvard 18
** Wofford 19, No. 2 Furman 13
** VMI 27, No. 14 Western Carolina 24

## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2023, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2023, see 2022 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Columbia | Al Bagnoli | August 4, 2023 | Retired | Mark Fabish (interim) |
| Dartmouth | Buddy Teevens | September 19, 2023 | Died | Sammy McCorkle (named full time on October 19) |
| Northwestern State | Brad Laird | October 26, 2023 | Resigned | Weston Glaser (interim) |
| Southern | Eric Dooley | November 14, 2023 | Fired | Terrence Graves (named full time on December 12) |

### End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
| South Carolina State | Oliver Pough | August 24, 2023 | Retired (effective at season's end) | Chennis Berry | Benedict head coach (2020–2023) |
| Stony Brook | Chuck Priore | November 13, 2023 | Fired | Billy Cosh | Western Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023) |
| East Tennessee State | George Quarles | November 19, 2023 | Fired | Tre Lamb | Gardner–Webb head coach (2020–2023) |
| Cornell | David Archer | November 19, 2023 | Fired | Dan Swanstrom | Penn offensive coordinator (2022–2023) |
| Western Illinois | Myers Hendrickson | November 19, 2023 | Fired | Joe Davis | Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2022–2023) |
| Northern Arizona | Chris Ball | November 20, 2023 | Fired | Brian Wright | Pittsburg State head coach (2020–2023) |
| Morehead State | Rob Tenyer | November 20, 2023 | Contract not renewed | Jason Woodman | Fairmont State head coach (2013–2023) |
| Texas Southern | Clarence McKinney | November 20, 2023 | Contract not renewed | Cris Dishman | Vegas Vipers defensive coordinator (2023) |
| Utah Tech | Paul Peterson | November 20, 2023 | Fired | Lance Anderson | Boise State senior analyst (2023) |
| Tennessee Tech | Dewayne Alexander | November 21, 2023 | Fired | Bobby Wilder | Old Dominion head coach (2009–2019) |
| Gardner–Webb | Tre Lamb | November 27, 2023 | Hired by East Tennessee State | Cris Reisert | Tiffin head coach (2019–2023) |
| Grambling State | Hue Jackson | November 28, 2023 | Fired | Mickey Joseph | Nebraska interim head coach (2022) |
| UC Davis | Dan Hawkins | November 28, 2023 | Resigned | Tim Plough | California tight ends coach (2023) |
| Northwestern State | Weston Glaser (interim) | November 28, 2023 | Permanent replacement | Blaine McCorkle | Belhaven head coach (2018–2023) |
| Marist | Jim Parady | November 29, 2023 | Retired | Mike Willis | Princeton assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach (2020–2023) |
| Columbia | Mark Fabish (interim) | December 2, 2023 | Permanent replacement | Jon Poppe | Union (NY) head coach (2023) |
| Austin Peay | Scotty Walden | December 4, 2023 | Hired by UTEP | Jeff Faris | UCLA tight ends coach (2022–2023) |
| Holy Cross | Bob Chesney | December 7, 2023 | Hired by James Madison | Dan Curran | Merrimack head coach (2013–2023) |
| North Dakota State | Matt Entz | December 10, 2023 | Hired as linebackers coach by USC | Tim Polasek | Wyoming offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2021–2023) |
| Merrimack | Dan Curran | December 15, 2023 | Hired by Holy Cross | Mike Gennetti | Merrimack assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (2011–2023) |
| Campbell | Mike Minter | December 18, 2023 | Resigned | Braxton Harris | Houston Christian head coach (2023) |
| Alcorn State | Fred McNair | December 19, 2023 | Contract not renewed | Cedric Thomas | Alcorn State defensive coordinator (2022–2023) |
| Florida A&M | Willie Simmons | January 1, 2024 | Hired as running backs coach by Duke | James Colzie III | Florida A&M assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach (2023) |
| Murray State | Dean Hood | January 1, 2024 | Retired | Jody Wright | South Carolina tight ends coach (2022–2023) |
| Houston Christian | Braxton Harris | January 2, 2024 | Hired by Campbell | Jason Bachtel | Houston Christian offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023) |
| Mercer | Drew Cronic | January 9, 2024 | Hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by Navy | Mike Jacobs | Lenoir–Rhyne head coach (2020–2023) |
| Harvard | Tim Murphy | January 17, 2024 | Retired | Andrew Aurich | Rutgers tight ends coach (2023) |
| Hampton | Robert Prunty | April 30, 2024 | Fired | Trenton Boykin (initially full-season interim, name full time on October 16) | Hampton special teams coordinator and running backs coach (2020–2023) |

## Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:
| # | College football team | Average attendance |
| 1 | Jackson State Tigers | 30,060 |
| 2 | Montana Grizzlies | 26,269 |
| 3 | Montana State Bobcats | 21,610 |
| 4 | Alabama State Hornets | 19,690 |
| 5 | Tarleton State Texans | 18,697 |
| 6 | South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 18,208 |
| 7 | Florida A&M Rattlers | 17,616 |
| 8 | Southern Jaguars | 17,465 |
| 9 | Norfolk State Spartans | 15,656 |
| 10 | Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens | 15,564 |
| 11 | North Dakota State Bison | 15,121 |
| 12 | Sacramento State Hornets | 13,348 |
| 13 | Alabama A&M Bulldogs | 12,934 |
| 14 | Alcorn State Braves | 12,018 |
| 15 | Western Carolina Catamounts | 11,935 |
| 16 | Idaho Vandals | 11,737 |
| 17 | Eastern Kentucky Colonels | 11,655 |
| 18 | Yale Bulldogs | 11,581 |
| 19 | Harvard Crimson | 11,555 |
| 20 | The Citadel Bulldogs | 11,005 |
| 21 | South Carolina State Bulldogs | 10,661 |
| 22 | UC Davis Aggies | 10,562 |
| 23 | Furman Paladins | 10,467 |
| 24 | North Dakota Fighting Hawks | 10,288 |
| 25 | William & Mary Tribe | 10,268 |
| 26 | Youngstown State Penguins | 10,065 |
| 27 | Mercer Bears | 9,741 |
| 28 | Murray State Racers | 9,645 |
| 29 | North Carolina A&T Aggies | 9,582 |
| 30 | North Alabama Lions | 9,494 |