# 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season

NOTE: Prior to the 2006 season, NCAA Division I-A was renamed NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and NCAA Division I-AA was renamed NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
The 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2006 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began on August 26, 2006 and concluded on December 15, 2006, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the 2006 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game where the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the UMass Minutemen, 28–17.

## Rule changes

There are several rules that have changed for the 2006 season. Following are some highlights:
* Players may only wear clear eyeshields. Previously, both tinted and orange were also allowed.
* The kicking tee has been lowered from two inches tall to only one inch.
* Halftime lasts twenty minutes. Previously, it was only fifteen minutes.
* On a kickoff, the game clock starts when the ball is kicked rather than when the receiving team touches it.
** This rule change has resulted in controversy, highlighted by the matchup between Wisconsin and Penn State on November 4, 2006, in which Wisconsin deliberately went off-sides on two consecutive kickoffs to run extra time off the clock at the close of the first half.
* On a change of possession, the clock starts when the referee marks the ball ready for play, instead of on the snap.
* The referee may no longer stop the game due to excessive crowd noise.
* When a live-ball penalty such as an illegal formation occurs on a kick, the receiving team may choose either to add the penalty yardage to the end of the return or require the kick to be attempted again with the spot moved back. Previously, only the latter option was available.
* If a team scores at the end of the game, they will not kick the extra point unless it would affect the outcome of the game.
* Instant replay is now officially sanctioned and standardized. All plays are reviewed by the replay officials as the play occurs. They may call down to the on-field officials to stop play if they need extra time to make a review. Each coach may also make one challenge per game. In the case of a coach's challenge, the coach must have at least one time-out remaining. If the challenge is upheld the coach gets the time-out back but the challenge is spent. If the challenge is rejected, both the challenge and the time-out are spent.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2005 Conference | 2006 Conference |
| Austin Peay | Pioneer | FCS Independent |
| Central Arkansas | Gulf South (D-II) | FCS Independent |
| Northern Colorado | Great West | Big Sky |
| Winston-Salem State | CIAA (D-II) | FCS Independent |

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

* September 2 – Montana State 19, Colorado 10
* September 2 – Portland State 17 New Mexico 7
* September 2 – Richmond 13, Duke 0
* September 9 – New Hampshire 34, Northwestern 17
* September 16 – Southern Illinois 35, Indiana 28
* September 23 – North Dakota State 29, Ball State 24
* October 28 - Cal Poly SLO 16, San Diego State 14

## Conference standings

2006 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings :
| 2006 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division No. 2 UMass x$^  8 –0  13 –2   No. 6 New Hampshire ^  5 –3  9 –4   Maine  5 –3  6 –5   Northeastern  4 –4  5 –6   Rhode Island  2 –6  4 –7   Hofstra  1 –7  2 –9   South Division No. 9 James Madison x^  7 –1  9 –3   Villanova  5 –3  6 –5   Towson  4 –4  7 –4   Richmond  3 –5  6 –5   Delaware  3 –5  5 –6   William & Mary  1 –7  3 –8   $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Montana $^  8 –0  12 –2   No. 10 Montana State ^  6 –2  8 –5   No. 19 Portland State  6 –2  7 –4   Northern Arizona  5 –3  6 –5   Sacramento State  4 –4  4 –7   Weber State  4 –4  5 –6   Eastern Washington  3 –5  3 –8   Idaho State  1 –7  2 –9   Northern Colorado  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Coastal Carolina $^  4 –0  9 –3   Charleston Southern  2 –2  9 –2   Gardner–Webb  2 –2  6 –5   Liberty  2 –2  6 –5   VMI  0 –4  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2006 Gateway Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Youngstown State $^  6 –1  11 –3   No. 8 Illinois State ^  5 –2  9 –4   No. 17 Northern Iowa  5 –2  7 –4   No. 7 Southern Illinois ^  4 –3  9 –4   Western Kentucky  4 –3  6 –5   Western Illinois  2 –5  5 –6   Missouri State  1 –6  2 –9   Indiana State  1 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Great West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 North Dakota State $  4 –0  10 –1   No. 22 South Dakota State  3 –1  7 –4   No. 16 Cal Poly  2 –2  7 –4   UC Davis  1 –3  6 –5   Southern Utah  0 –4  3 –8   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Princeton +  6 –1  9 –1   No. 25 Yale +  6 –1  8 –2   Harvard  4 –3  7 –3   Penn  3 –4  5 –5   Cornell  3 –4  5 –5   Dartmouth  2 –5  2 –8   Columbia  2 –5  5 –5   Brown  2 –5  3 –7   + – Conference co-championsRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2006 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne +  3 –1  7 –3   Marist +  3 –1  4 –7   Iona  2 –2  3 –7   La Salle  1 –3  3 –7   Saint Peter's  1 –3  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions | 2006 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Hampton $^  7 –1  10 –2   Delaware State  6 –2  8 –3   South Carolina State  6 –2  7 –4   Florida A&M  5 –3  7 –4   Howard  4 –4  5 –6   Morgan State  4 –4  5 –6   Bethune–Cookman  3 –5  5 –6   Norfolk State  1 –7  4 –7   North Carolina A&T  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Monmouth $  6 –1  10 –2   Albany  5 –2  7 –4   Robert Morris  5 –2  7 –4   Stony Brook  5 –2  5 –6   Central Connecticut State  4 –3  8 –3   Saint Francis (PA)  2 –5  3 –8   Sacred Heart  1 –6  2 –9   Wagner  0 –7  4 –7   $ – Conference champion |
| 2006 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Eastern Illinois +^  7 –1  8 –5   No. 13 Tennessee–Martin +^  6 –1  9 –3   Tennessee State  5 –2  6 –5   Jacksonville State  5 –3  6 –5   Eastern Kentucky  5 –3  6 –5   Tennessee Tech  4 –4  4 –7   Southeast Missouri State  2 –6  4 –7   Samford  1 –7  3 –8   Murray State  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lafayette +^  5 –1  6 –6   Lehigh +  5 –1  6 –5   Holy Cross  4 –2  7 –4   Bucknell  3 –3  6 –5   Colgate  3 –3  4 –7   Fordham  1 –5  3 –8   Georgetown  0 –6  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 San Diego $  7 –0  11 –1   Drake  6 –1  9 –2   Davidson  5 –2  6 –4   Jacksonville  4 –3  4 –6   Butler  2 –5  3 –8   Morehead State  2 –5  2 –9   Dayton  1 –6  4 –6   Valparaiso  1 –6  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2006 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Appalachian State $^  7 –0  14 –1   No. 12 Furman ^  6 –1  8 –4   No. 23 Wofford  5 –2  7 –4   The Citadel  4 –3  5 –6   Elon  2 –5  5 –6   Chattanooga  2 –5  3 –8   Georgia Southern  2 –5  3 –8   Western Carolina  0 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll | 2006 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 McNeese State $^  5 –1  7 –5   Sam Houston State  4 –2  6 –5   Stephen F. Austin  4 –2  4 –7   Texas State  3 –3  5 –6   Nicholls State  2 –4  4 –7   Northwestern State  2 –4  4 –7   Southeastern Louisiana  1 –5  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2006 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alabama A&M xy$  6 –3  9 –3   Jackson State  5 –4  6 –5   Alcorn State  5 –4  6 –5   Mississippi Valley State  5 –4  6 –5   Alabama State  5 –4  5 –6   West Division Arkansas–Pine Bluff xy  7 –2  8 –4   Southern  4 –5  5 –6   Grambling State  3 –6  3 –8   Texas Southern  3 –6  3 –8   Prairie View A&M  2 –7  3 –7   Championship: Alabama A&M 22, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 13 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant |
| 2006 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Central Arkansas*   –  8 –3   Winston-Salem State   –  4 –7   Austin Peay   –  3 –8   Savannah State   –  2 –9   * – Ineligible for postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division IIRankings from The Sports Network poll |

## Conference champions
### Automatic berths

| Conference | Champion |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Massachusetts |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana |
| Gateway Football Conference | Youngstown State |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Hampton |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Illinois and UT Martin |
| Patriot League | Colgate, Lafayette, and Lehigh |
| Southern Conference | Appalachian State |
| Southland Conference | McNeese State |

### Invitation

| Conference | Champion |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina |
| Great West Football Conference | North Dakota State |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Duquesne and Marist |
| Northeast Conference | Monmouth |
| Pioneer Football League | San Diego |

### Abstains

| Conference | Champion |
| Ivy League | Princeton and Yale |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Alabama A&M |

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 25 Campus sites | First Round November 25 Campus sites | First Round November 25 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 and December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 and December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 and December 9 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 15 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 15 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 15 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| | Coastal Carolina | 28 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Appalachian State* | 45 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Appalachian State* | 45 | 1 | Appalachian State* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Montana State | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Furman | Furman | 13 | | Montana State | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Montana State* | Montana State* | 31 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana State* | Montana State* | 31 | | | | 1 | Appalachian State* | 49 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Youngstown State | 24 | | | | |
| | James Madison | 31 | | | | | | | 4 | Youngstown State | 24 | | | | |
| 4 | Youngstown State* | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Youngstown State* | 35 | 4 | Youngstown State* | 28 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Illinois State | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Illinois State | Illinois State | 24 | | Illinois State | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois* | Eastern Illinois* | 13 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois* | Eastern Illinois* | 13 | | | | | | | | 1 | Appalachian State | 28 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Massachusetts | 17 |
| | McNeese State | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Massachusetts | 17 |
| 2 | Montana* | 31 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Montana* | 31 | 2 | Montana* | 20 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Southern Illinois | 3 | | | | | | | |
| UT Martin | UT Martin | 30 | | Southern Illinois | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Southern Illinois* | Southern Illinois* | 36 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Southern Illinois* | Southern Illinois* | 36 | | | | 2 | Montana* | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Massachusetts | 19 | | | | |
| | Lafayette | 14 | | | | | | | 3 | Massachusetts | 19 | | | | |
| 3 | Massachusetts* | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Massachusetts* | 35 | 3 | Massachusetts* | 24 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | New Hampshire | 17 | | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire | 41 | | New Hampshire | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Hampton* | Hampton* | 38 | | | | | | | | | | |
* Host institution

### SWAC Championship Game

| Date | Location | Venue | West Div. Champion | East Div. Champion | Result |
| December 16 | Birmingham, Alabama | Legion Field | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Alabama A&M | Alabama A&M, 22–13 |

### Gridiron Classic

The Gridiron Classic is an annual game between the champions of the Northeast Conference and the Pioneer Football League that has been held since December 2006.
| Date | Location | Venue | NEC Champion | PFL Champion | Result |
| December 2 | West Long Branch, New Jersey | Kessler Field | Monmouth | San Diego | San Diego, 27–7 |

## Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2006 poll.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 14–1 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Minutemen | 13–2 |
| 3 | Montana Grizzlies | 12–2 |
| 4 | Youngstown State Penguins | 11–3 |
| 5 | North Dakota State Bison | 10–1 |
| 6 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 9–4 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois Salukis | 9–4 |
| 8 | Illinois State Redbirds | 9–4 |
| 9 | James Madison Dukes | 9–3 |
| 10 | Montana State Bobcats | 8–5 |
| 11 | Hampton Pirates | 10–2 |
| 12 | Furman Paladins | 8–4 |
| 13 | UT Martin Skyhawks | 9–3 |
| 14 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 9–3 |
| 15 | Eastern Illinois Panthers | 8–5 |
| 16 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 7–4 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 7–4 |
| 18 | Princeton Tigers | 9–1 |
| 19 | Portland State Vikings | 7–4 |
| 20 | San Diego Toreros | 11–1 |
| 21 | McNeese State Cowboys | 7–5 |
| 22 | South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 7–4 |
| 23 | Wofford Terriers | 7–4 |
| 24 | Central Arkansas Bears | 8–3 |
| 25 | Yale Bulldogs | 8–2 |