# 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2015 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 August 29, 2015, and concluded with the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game played on January 9, 2016, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its fifth consecutive title, defeating Jacksonville State, 37–10.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll)
September 4: No. 20 Fordham 37, Army 35 September 5: North Dakota 24, Wyoming 13 September 5: Portland State 24, Washington St 17 September 5: No. 16 South Dakota State 41, Kansas 38 September 19: Furman 16, UCF 15 September 26: No. 9 James Madison 48, SMU 45 October 3: No. 18 Liberty 41, Georgia State 33 October 10: No. 25 Portland State 66, North Texas 7 (NOTE: This was the largest victory margin ever by an FCS team over an FBS team. Portland State also became the first FCS team to defeat two FBS teams in the same season since North Dakota State in 2007). November 21: No. 25 The Citadel 23, South Carolina 22

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2014 conference | 2015 conference |
| Charlotte | FCS Independent | C–USA (FBS) |
| East Tennessee State | Revived program | FCS Independent |
| Kennesaw State | New program | Big South |

## Conference standings

2015 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2015 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Southern Utah $^  7 –1  8 –4   No. 10 Portland State ^  6 –2  9 –3   No. 14 Montana ^  6 –2  8 –5   North Dakota  5 –3  7 –4   Northern Arizona  5 –3  7 –4   Eastern Washington  5 –3  6 –5   Weber State  5 –3  6 –5   Northern Colorado  3 –5  6 –5   Montana State  3 –5  5 –6   Cal Poly  3 –5  4 –7   UC Davis  2 –6  2 –9   Idaho State  1 –7  2 –9   Sacramento State  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Charleston Southern $^  6 –0  10 –3   No. 16 Coastal Carolina ^  4 –2  9 –3   Liberty  3 –3  6 –5   Monmouth  3 –3  5 –6   Kennesaw State  2 –4  6 –5   Gardner–Webb *  2 –4  4 –7   Presbyterian  1 –5  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * Gardner–Webb ineligible for postseason due to APR violations Rankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Richmond +^  6 –2  10 –4   No. 11 James Madison +^  6 –2  9 –3   No. 12 William & Mary +^  6 –2  9 –4   Towson  5 –3  7 –4   New Hampshire ^  5 –3  7 –5   Villanova  5 –3  6 –5   Stony Brook  3 –5  5 –5   Delaware  3 –5  4 –7   Elon  3 –5  4 –7   Maine  3 –5  3 –8   Albany  2 –6  3 –8   Rhode Island  1 –7  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2015 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Harvard +  6 –1  9 –1   No. 23 Dartmouth +  6 –1  9 –1   Penn +  6 –1  7 –3   Yale  3 –4  6 –4   Brown  3 –4  5 –5   Princeton  2 –5  5 –5   Columbia  1 –6  2 –8   Cornell  1 –6  1 –9   + – Conference co-championsRankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 North Carolina A&T +  7 –1  10 –2   Bethune–Cookman +  7 –1  9 –2   North Carolina Central +  7 –1  8 –3   South Carolina State  6 –2  7 –4   Hampton  5 –3  6 –5   Morgan State  4 –4  4 –6   Norfolk State  4 –4  4 –7   Savannah State *  1 –7  1 –9   Delaware State  1 –7  1 –10   Florida A&M *  1 –7  1 –10   Howard  1 –7  1 –10   + – Conference co-championsFlorida A&M and Savannah State ineligible for postseason due to APR violationsRankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State +^  7 –1  13 –2   No. 5 Illinois State +^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 8 Northern Iowa ^  5 –3  9 –5   No. 15 South Dakota State ^  5 –3  8 –4   Western Illinois ^  5 –3  7 –6   Indiana State  3 –5  5 –6   Youngstown State  3 –5  5 –6   South Dakota  3 –5  5 –6   Southern Illinois  2 –6  3 –8   Missouri State  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2015 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne $^  5 –1  8 –4   Saint Francis (PA)  4 –2  6 –4   Sacred Heart  3 –3  6 –5   Bryant  3 –3  5 –6   Central Connecticut  3 –3  4 –7   Robert Morris  2 –4  4 –7   Wagner  1 –5  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant | 2015 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Jacksonville State $^  8 –0  13 –2   No. 25 Eastern Illinois ^  7 –1  7 –5   UT Martin  6 –2  7 –4   Eastern Kentucky  5 –3  6 –5   SE Missouri State  3 –4  4 –7   Tennessee Tech  3 –5  4 –7   Murray State  2 –6  3 –8   Tennessee State  1 –6  4 –6   Austin Peay  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Colgate $^  6 –0  9 –5   No. 19 Fordham ^  5 –1  9 –3   Lehigh  4 –2  6 –5   Holy Cross  3 –3  6 –5   Georgetown  2 –4  4 –7   Bucknell  1 –5  4 –7   Lafayette  0 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2015 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Dayton +^  7 –1  10 –2   San Diego +  7 –1  9 –2   Jacksonville *  6 –2  9 –2   Morehead State  6 –2  7 –4   Butler  4 –4  6 –5   Drake  4 –4  5 –6   Marist  4 –4  5 –6   Campbell  3 –5  5 –6   Stetson  1 –7  3 –8   Valparaiso  1 –7  2 –9   Davidson  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * Jacksonville ineligible for PFL title and FCS playoffs due to matters regarding the PFL's financial aid rules | 2015 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Chattanooga +^  6 –1  9 –4   No. 13 The Citadel +^  6 –1  9 –4   Western Carolina  5 –2  7 –4   Samford  3 –4  6 –5   Wofford  3 –4  5 –6   Mercer  2 –5  5 –6   Furman  2 –5  4 –7   VMI  1 –6  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2015 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 McNeese State $^  9 –0  10 –1   No. 3 Sam Houston State ^  7 –2  11 –4   Central Arkansas  7 –2  7 –4   Incarnate Word *  5 –4  6 –5   Lamar  4 –5  5 –6   Northwestern State  4 –5  4 –7   Stephen F. Austin  4 –5  4 –7   SE Louisiana  3 –6  4 –7   Abilene Christian *  3 –6  3 –8   Nicholls State  3 –6  3 –8   Houston Baptist  0 –8  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll |
| 2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alcorn State xy$  7 –2  9 –4   Alabama State *  5 –4  6 –5   Alabama A&M  3 –6  3 –8   Jackson State  3 –6  3 –8   Mississippi Valley State  1 –8  1 –10   West Division No. 24 Grambling State xy  9 –0  9 –3   Prairie View A&M  8 –1  8 –2   Southern  6 –3  6 –5   Texas Southern  2 –7  3 –7   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –8  2 –9   Championship: Alcorn State 49, Grambling State 21 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason due to APR violations Rankings from STATS Poll | 2015 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Tennessee State   –  2 –9 |

## Conference summaries
### Championship games

| Conference | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| SWAC | Alcorn State | Grambling State | 49–21 | Johnathan Williams (Grambling) | Kourtney Berry (Alabama State) | Broderick Fobbs (Grambling) |

### 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 | 8–3 (7–1) | Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington) | James Cowser (Southern Utah) | Bruce Barnum (Portland State) |
| Big South | Charleston Southern | 9–2 (6–0) | De'Angelo Henderson (Coastal Carolina) | Chima Uzowihe (Liberty) | Jamey Chadwell (Charleston Southern) |
| CAA | James Madison Richmond William & Mary | 9–2 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) | Vad Lee (James Madison) | DeAndre Houston-Carson (William & Mary) Victor Ochi (Stony Brook) | Danny Rocco (Richmond) |
| Ivy | Dartmouth Harvard Penn | 9–1 (6–1) 9–1 (6–1) 7–3 (6–1) | Scott Hosch (Harvard) | Tyler Drake (Yale) | Ray Priore (Penn) |
| MEAC | Bethune-Cookman North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central | 9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) 8–3 (7–1) | Tarik Cohen (North Carolina A&T) | Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State) | Terry Sims (Bethune-Cookman) |
| MVFC | Illinois State North Dakota State | 9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) | Marshaun Coprich (Illinois State) | Deiondre' Hall (Northern Iowa) | Bob Nielson (Western Illinois) |
| NEC | Duquesne | 8–3 (5–1) | Ricardo McCray (Bryant) | Christian Kuntz (Duquesne) | Chris Villarrial (Saint Francis) |
| OVC | Jacksonville State | 10–1 (8–0) | Eli Jenkins (Jacksonville State) | Dino Fanti (Eastern Illinois) Noah Spence (Eastern Kentucky) | John Grass (Jacksonville State) |
| Patriot | Colgate | 7–4 (6–0) | Chase Edmonds (Fordham) | Clayton Ewell (Bucknell) | Dan Hunt (Colgate) |
| Pioneer | Dayton San Diego | 10–1 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) | Austin Gahafer (Morehead State) | Donald Payne (Stetson) | Rick Chamberlin (Dayton) |
| Southern | Chattanooga The Citadel | 8–3 (6–1) 8–3 (6–1) | Jacob Huesman (Chattanooga) | Mitchell Jeter (The Citadel) | Mike Houston (The Citadel) |
| Southland | McNeese State | 10–0 (9–0) | Kade Harrington (Lamar) | Wallace Scott (McNeese State) | Matt Viator (McNeese State) |

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

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Southern Utah | 2nd | 2013 | First Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Big South Conference | Charleston Southern | 1st | – | – |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Richmond | 10th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Coastal Carolina) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 6th | 2014 | National Champions (W – Illinois State) |
| Northeast Conference | Duquesne | 1st | – | – |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Jacksonville State | 6th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Patriot League | Colgate | 10th | 2012 | First Round (L – Wagner) |
| Pioneer Football League | Dayton | 1st | – | – |
| Southern Conference | Chattanooga | 3rd | 2014 | Quarterfinals (L – New Hampshire) |
| Southland Conference | McNeese State | 16th | 2013 | Second Round (L – Jacksonville State) |

### At large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 24th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Big Sky Conference | Portland State | 2nd | 2000 | First Round (L – Delaware) |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina | 6th | 2014 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | 11th | 2014 | First Round (L – Liberty) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | New Hampshire | 14th | 2014 | Semifinals (L – Illinois State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | William & Mary | 10th | 2010 | Second Round (L – Georgia Southern) |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | None | None | None | None |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Illinois State | 6th | 2014 | Championship Game (L – North Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Northern Iowa | 18th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Illinois State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 5th | 2014 | Second Round (L – North Dakota State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Western Illinois | 10th | 2010 | Second Round (L – Appalachian State) |
| Northeast Conference | None | None | None | None |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Illinois | 16th | 2013 | Quarterfinals (L – Towson) |
| Patriot League | Fordham | 5th | 2014 | Second Round (L – New Hampshire) |
| Pioneer Football League | None | None | None | None |
| Southern Conference | The Citadel | 4th | 1992 | Quarterfinals (L – Youngstown State) |
| Southland Conference | Sam Houston State | 9th | 2014 | Semifinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | None | None | None | None |

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State

## Postseason
### Bowl game

| Game | Date/TV | Location | Winning Team | Losing Team | Score | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP |
| Celebration Bowl | December 19 ABC | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia | North Carolina A&T 10–2 (7–1) | Alcorn State Braves 9–4 (7–2) | 41–34 | Tarik Cohen (RB, North Carolina A&T) | Denzel Jones (LB, North Carolina A&T) |

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 28 Campus sites | First Round November 28 Campus sites | First Round November 28 Campus sites | Second Round December 5 Campus sites | Second Round December 5 Campus sites | Second Round December 5 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 11 and 12 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 11 and 12 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 11 and 12 Campus sites | Semifinals December 18 and 19 Campus sites | Semifinals December 18 and 19 Campus sites | Semifinals December 18 and 19 Campus sites | National Championship January 9 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 9 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 9 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
| | | | 1 | Jacksonville State* | 41† | | | | | | | | | |
| Chattanooga* | Chattanooga* | 50 | | Chattanooga | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| Fordham | Fordham | 20 | | | | 1 | Jacksonville State* | 58 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Charleston Southern | 38 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Charleston Southern* | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coastal Carolina* | Coastal Carolina* | 38 | | The Citadel | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| The Citadel | The Citadel | 41 | | | | | | | 1 | Jacksonville State* | 62 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Sam Houston State | 10 | | | |
| | | | 4 | McNeese State* | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sam Houston State* | Sam Houston State* | 42 | | Sam Houston State | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Southern Utah | Southern Utah | 39 | | | | Sam Houston State* | Sam Houston State* | 48 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Colgate | Colgate | 21 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | James Madison* | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire* | New Hampshire* | 20 | | Colgate | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Colgate | Colgate | 27 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Jacksonville State | 10 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | North Dakota State | 37 |
| | | | 2 | Illinois State* | 36 | | | | | | | | | |
| Dayton* | Dayton* | 7 | | Western Illinois | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| Western Illinois | Western Illinois | 24 | | | | 2 | Illinois State* | 27 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Richmond | 39 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Richmond* | 48 | | | | | | | | | |
| William & Mary* | William & Mary* | 52 | | William & Mary | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Duquesne | Duquesne | 49 | | | | | | | 7 | Richmond | 7 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | North Dakota State* | 33 | | | |
| | | | 3 | North Dakota State* | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana* | Montana* | 24 | | Montana | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | South Dakota State | 17 | | | | 3 | North Dakota State* | 23 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Northern Iowa | 13 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Portland State* | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 53 | | Northern Iowa | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois | Eastern Illinois | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Home team † Overtime Winner

## Updated stadiums

Home facilities for the two new FCS programs in the 2015 season:
* East Tennessee State played at Kermit Tipton Stadium, located on the campus of Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee.
* Kennesaw State played on campus at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, capacity 8,318 (planned expansion to over 10,000).

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

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2015. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2015, see 2014 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Jackson State | Harold Jackson | October 7 | Fired | Derrick McCall (interim) Tony Hughes |

### End of season

| School | Outgoing coach | Date announced | Reason | Replacement |
| South Dakota | Joe Glenn | November 22 | Retired | Bob Nielson |
| Austin Peay | Kirby Cannon | November 23 | Fired | Will Healy |
| Montana State | Rob Ash | November 23 | Fired | Jeff Choate |
| Eastern Kentucky | Dean Hood | November 23 | Fired | Mark Elder |
| Maine | Jack Cosgrove | November 24 | Transferred to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for UMaine | Joe Harasymiak |
| Texas Southern | Darrell Asberry | November 29 | Resigned | Michael Haywood |
| Southern Illinois | Dale Lennon | November 30 | Fired | Nick Hill |
| Tennessee Tech | Watson Brown | December 2 | Retired | Marcus Satterfield |
| Jacksonville | Kerwin Bell | December 3 | Fired | Ian Shields |
| Fordham | Joe Moorhead | December 12 | Hired as offensive coordinator by Penn State | Andrew Breiner |
| McNeese State | Matt Viator | December 14 | Hired as head coach by Louisiana–Monroe | Lance Guidry |
| Western Illinois | Bob Nielson | December 16 | Hired as head coach by South Dakota | Charlie Fisher |
| Southern Utah | Ed Lamb | December 26 | Hired as assistant head coach by BYU | Demario Warren |
| James Madison | Everett Withers | January 7 | Hired as head coach by Texas State | Mike Houston |
| The Citadel | Mike Houston | January 18 | Hired as head coach by James Madison | Brent Thompson |
| Morgan State | Lee Hull | February 8, 2016 | Resigned | Fred Farrier (interim) |