# 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2014 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 23, 2014, and concluded with the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game played on January 10, 2015, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its fourth consecutive title, defeating Illinois State, 29–27.

## Notable changes

Under a standard provision of NCAA rules, all FCS programs were allowed to play 12 regular-season games (not counting conference title games) in 2014. In years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays, FCS programs may play 12 games instead of the regular 11. After this season, the next season in which 12-game seasons are allowed was 2019.
On May 14, 2014, the NCAA announced its Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions for the 2014–15 school year. The acceptable minimum score was raised significantly for the first time since the APR was introduced, in 2004. A total of 36 programs in 11 sports were declared ineligible for postseason play after failing to meet the required APR benchmark, including the following seven FCS teams: Alabama State, Arkansas–Pine Bluff, Florida A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Saint Francis (PA), and Savannah State.In addition these, the entire athletic program at Southern University, including the football team, was declared ineligible for postseason play for failing to supply usable academic data to the NCAA.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the Sports Network poll; FBS rankings from the AP Poll)
August 30: No. 22 Bethune-Cookman 14, Florida International 12 August 30: No. 2 North Dakota State 34, Iowa State 14 September 6: Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami (OH) 10 September 13: Abilene Christian 38, Troy 35 September 13: Indiana State 27, Ball State 20—The Victory Bell Game September 20: Northwestern State 30, Louisiana Tech 27 September 27: Yale 49, Army 43 $^{OT}$ October 11: Liberty 55, Appalachian State 48 $^{OT}$

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2013 Conference | 2014 Conference |
| Abilene Christian | FCS Independent | Southland |
| Appalachian State | SoCon | Sun Belt (FBS) |
| Elon | SoCon | CAA |
| Georgia Southern | SoCon | Sun Belt (FBS) |
| Houston Baptist | FCS Independent | Southland |
| Incarnate Word | FCS Independent | Southland |
| Mercer | Pioneer | SoCon |
| Monmouth | FCS Independent | Big South |
| Old Dominion | FCS Independent | C-USA (FBS) |
| VMI | Big South | SoCon |

## Conference standings

2014 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2014 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 4 Eastern Washington $^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 13 Montana ^  6 –2  9 –5   No. 20 Montana State ^  6 –2  8 –5   No. 25 Idaho State  6 –2  8 –4   Cal Poly  5 –3  7 –5   Northern Arizona  5 –3  7 –5   Sacramento State  4 –4  7 –5   North Dakota  3 –5  5 –7   Southern Utah  3 –5  3 –9   Northern Colorado  2 –6  3 –8   Portland State  2 –6  3 –9   Weber State  2 –6  2 –10   UC Davis  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2014 Big South Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 5 Coastal Carolina +^  4 –1  12 –2   No. 17 Liberty +^  4 –1  9 –5   Charleston Southern  3 –2  8 –4   Presbyterian  3 –2  6 –5   Monmouth  1 –4  6 –5   Gardner–Webb  0 –5  4 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2014 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 3 New Hampshire $^  8 –0  12 –2   No. 7 Villanova ^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 18 James Madison ^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 16 Richmond ^  5 –3  9 –5   William & Mary  4 –4  7 –5   Delaware  4 –4  6 –6   Maine  4 –4  5 –6   Stony Brook  4 –4  5 –7   Albany  3 –5  7 –5   Towson  2 –6  4 –8   Rhode Island  1 –7  1 –11   Elon  0 –8  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2014 Ivy League football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 15 Harvard $  7 –0  10 –0   Dartmouth  6 –1  8 –2   Yale  5 –2  8 –2   Princeton  4 –3  5 –5   Brown  3 –4  5 –5   Penn  2 –5  2 –8   Cornell  1 –6  1 –9   Columbia  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 23 Bethune–Cookman +  6 –2  9 –3   North Carolina A&T +  6 –2  9 –3   South Carolina State +  6 –2  8 –4   North Carolina Central +  6 –2  7 –5   Morgan State +^  6 –2  7 –6   Norfolk State  4 –4  4 –8   Howard  3 –5  5 –7   Florida A&M *  3 –5  3 –9   Hampton  2 –6  3 –9   Delaware State  2 –6  2 –10   Savannah State *  0 –8  0 –12   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * Florida A&M and Savannah State ineligible for FCS Playoffs due to APR violations Rankings from The Sports Network poll | 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State +^  7 –1  15 –1   No. 2 Illinois State +^  7 –1  13 –2   No. 10 Northern Iowa ^  6 –2  9 –5   No. 12 South Dakota St. ^  5 –3  9 –5   No. 19 Indiana State ^  4 –4  8 –6   No. 22 Youngstown State  4 –4  7 –5   Southern Illinois  3 –5  6 –6   Western Illinois  3 –5  5 –7   Missouri State  1 –7  4 –8   South Dakota  0 –8  2 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2014 Northeast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Sacred Heart +^  5 –1  9 –3   Wagner +  5 –1  7 –4   Bryant  4 –2  8 –3   Saint Francis (PA) *  3 –3  5 –6   Duquesne  2 –4  6 –6   Central Connecticut  1 –5  3 –9   Robert Morris  1 –5  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * – Saint Francis (PA) ineligible for FCS playoffs due to APR violation | 2014 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 9 Jacksonville State $^  8 –0  10 –2   No. 21 Eastern Kentucky ^  6 –2  9 –4   UT Martin  5 –3  6 –6   Eastern Illinois  5 –3  5 –7   Tennessee Tech  4 –4  5 –7   Tennessee State  3 –5  6 –6   SE Missouri State  3 –5  5 –7   Murray State  1 –7  3 –9   Austin Peay  1 –7  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2014 Patriot League football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 11 Fordham $^  6 –0  11 –3   Bucknell  4 –2  8 –3   Lafayette  3 –3  5 –6   Colgate  3 –3  5 –7   Holy Cross  2 –4  4 –8   Lehigh  2 –4  3 –8   Georgetown  1 –5  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2014 Pioneer Football League standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  San Diego $^  7 –1  9 –3   Jacksonville *  7 –1  9 –2   Dayton  6 –2  8 –3   Drake  6 –2  7 –4   Campbell  4 –4  5 –7   Marist  4 –4  4 –7   Stetson  3 –5  5 –7   Morehead State  3 –5  4 –8   Butler  2 –6  4 –7   Valparaiso  2 –6  4 –8   Davidson  0 –8  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant *Jacksonville ineligible for PFL title and FCS playoffs due to matters regarding the PFL's financial aid rules | 2014 Southern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 8 Chattanooga $^  7 –0  10 –4   Samford  5 –2  7 –4   Western Carolina  5 –2  7 –5   Wofford  4 –3  6 –5   The Citadel  3 –4  5 –7   Furman  2 –5  3 –9   Mercer  1 –6  6 –6   VMI  1 –6  2 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2014 Southland Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 6 Sam Houston St +^  7 –1  11 –5   No. 14 SE Louisiana +^  7 –1  9 –4   Lamar  5 –3  8 –4   Stephen F. Austin ^  5 –3  8 –5   Central Arkansas  5 –3  6 –6   McNeese State  4 –4  6 –5   Abilene Christian *  4 –4  6 –6   Northwestern State  4 –4  6 –6   Incarnate Word *  2 –6  2 –9   Houston Baptist  1 –7  2 –9   Nicholls State  0 –8  0 –12   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division Alcorn State x$  7 –2  10 –3   Alabama State *  5 –4  7 –5   Jackson State  3 –6  5 –7   Alabama A&M  3 –6  4 –8   Mississippi Valley State *  1 –8  2 –9   West Division Southern xy  8 –1  9 –4   Grambling State  7 –2  7 –5   Prairie View A&M *  5 –4  5 –5   Texas Southern  3 –6  5 –6   Arkansas–Pine Bluff *  3 –6  4 –7   Championship: Alcorn State 38, Southern 24 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant * – ineligible for postseason due to APR violations | 2014 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Charlotte   –  5 –6   Charlotte ineligible for FCS playoffs as part of FBS transition |

## 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 | Southern | 38–24 | Malcolm Cyrus (RB, Alabama State) John Gibbs, Jr. (QB, Alcorn State) | Jerome Howard (LB, Prairie View A&M) | 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 | Eastern Washington | 10–2 (7–1) | Vernon Adams (QB, Eastern Washington) | Zack Wagenmann (DE, Montana) | Mike Kramer (Idaho State) |
| Big South | Coastal Carolina Liberty | 11–1 (4–1) 8–4 (4–1) | Alex Ross (QB, Coastal Carolina) | Quinn Backus (LB, Coastal Carolina) | Joe Moglia (Coastal Carolina) Harold Nichols (Presbyterian) |
| CAA | New Hampshire | 10–1 (8–0) | John Robertson (QB, Villanova) | Mike Reilly (DL, William & Mary) | Sean McDonnell (New Hampshire) |
| Ivy | Harvard | 10–0 (7–0) | Tyler Varga (RB, Yale) | Zack Hodges (DE, Harvard) Mike Zeuli (LB, Princeton) | Tim Murphy (Harvard) |
| MEAC | Bethune-Cookman Morgan State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central South Carolina State | 9–3 (6–2) 7–5 (6–2) 9–3 (6–2) 7–5 (6–2) 8–4 (6–2) | Tarik Cohen (RB, North Carolina A&T) Greg McGhee (QB, Howard) | Javon Hargrave (DT, South Carolina State) | Lee Hull (Morgan State) |
| MVFC | Illinois State North Dakota State | 10–1 (7–1) 11–1 (7–1) | Marshaun Coprich (RB, Illinois State) | Kyle Emanuel (DE, North Dakota State) | Brock Spack (Illinois State) |
| NEC | Sacred Heart Wagner | 9–2 (5–1) 7–4 (5–1) | Khairi Dickson (RB, Saint Francis (PA)) | Jeff Covitz (DE, Bryant) | Mark Nofri (Sacred Heart) |
| OVC | Jacksonville State | 10–1 (8–0) | Dy'Shawn Mobley (RB, Eastern Kentucky) | Devaunte Sigler (DT, Jacksonville State) | John Grass (Jacksonville State) |
| Patriot | Fordham | 10–2 (6–0) | Mike Nebrich (QB, Fordham) | Evan Byers (LB, Bucknell) | Joe Susan (Bucknell) |
| Pioneer | San Diego | 9–1 (7–1) | Connor Kacsor (RB, Dayton) | Donald Payne (S, Stetson) | Dale Lindsey (San Diego) |
| Southern | Chattanooga | 9–3 (7–0) | Jacob Huesman (QB, Chattanooga) | Davis Tull (DL, Chattanooga) | Russ Huesman (Chattanooga) |
| Southland | Sam Houston State Southeastern Louisiana | 8–4 (7–1) 9–3 (7–1) | Bryan Bennett (QB, Southeastern Louisiana) Gus Johnson (RB, Stephen F. Austin) | Jonathan Woodard (DE, Central Arkansas) | Clint Conque (Stephen F. Austin) |

## FCS results by conference against FBS opponents

| FCS Conference | GP | Record | Win % | PF | PA | PD |
| Ivy League | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 49 | 43 | +6 |
| MVFC | 12 | 2–10 | .167 | 212 | 384 | –172 |
| Southland | 13 | 2–11 | .154 | 235 | 656 | –421 |
| Big South | 8 | 1–7 | .125 | 123 | 348 | –225 |
| OVC | 11 | 1–10 | .091 | 159 | 495 | –336 |
| MEAC | 14 | 1–13 | .071 | 146 | 673 | –527 |
| Pioneer | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 0 | 66 | –66 |
| Patriot | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 41 | 72 | –31 |
| NEC | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 31 | 72 | –41 |
| SWAC | 5 | 0–5 | .000 | 40 | 224 | –184 |
| Southern | 11 | 0–11 | .000 | 154 | 443 | –289 |
| CAA | 11 | 0–11 | .000 | 121 | 487 | –366 |
| Big Sky | 17 | 0–17 | .000 | 266 | 696 | –430 |
| FCS Independents | 0 | 0–0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 108 | 8–100 | .074 | 1577 | 4659 | –3082 |
| FBS Conference | GP | Record | Win % | PF | PA | PD |
| SEC | 14 | 14–0 | 1.000 | 685 | 131 | +554 |
| ACC | 14 | 14–0 | 1.000 | 636 | 173 | +463 |
| Big Ten | 11 | 11–0 | 1.000 | 391 | 156 | +235 |
| MWC | 10 | 10–0 | 1.000 | 354 | 157 | +197 |
| American | 8 | 8–0 | 1.000 | 352 | 81 | +271 |
| Pac-12 | 8 | 8–0 | 1.000 | 410 | 142 | +268 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 7–1 | .875 | 357 | 156 | +201 |
| MAC | 13 | 11–2 | .846 | 462 | 196 | +266 |
| Sun Belt | 9 | 7–2 | .778 | 445 | 165 | +280 |
| C-USA | 9 | 7–2 | .778 | 367 | 126 | +241 |
| FBS Independents | 4 | 3–1 | .750 | 200 | 94 | +106 |
| TOTAL | 108 | 100–8 | .926 | 4659 | 1577 | +3082 |

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

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Eastern Washington | 11th | 2013 | Semifinals (L – Towson) |
| Big South Conference | Liberty | 1st | – | – |
| Colonial Athletic Association | New Hampshire | 13th | 2013 | Semifinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Morgan State | 1st | – | – |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 5th | 2013 | National Champions (W – Towson) |
| Northeast Conference | Sacred Heart | 2nd | 2013 | First Round (L – Fordham) |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Jacksonville State | 5th | 2013 | Quarterfinals (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Patriot League | Fordham | 4th | 2013 | Second Round (L – Towson) |
| Pioneer Football League | San Diego | 1st | – | – |
| Southern Conference | Chattanooga | 2nd | 1984 | First Round (L – Arkansas State) |
| Southland Conference | Sam Houston State | 8th | 2013 | Second Round (L – Southeastern Louisiana) |

### At large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 23rd | 2013 | Second Round (L – Coastal Carolina) |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana State | 8th | 2012 | Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina | 5th | 2013 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | 10th | 2011 | Second Round (L – North Dakota State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Richmond | 9th | 2009 | Quarterfinals (L – Appalachian State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Villanova | 11th | 2012 | First Round (L – Stony Brook) |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | None | None | None | None |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Illinois State | 5th | 2012 | Quarterfinals (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Indiana State | 3rd | 1984 | Quarterfinals (L – Middle Tennessee State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Northern Iowa | 17th | 2011 | Quarterfinals (L – Montana) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 4th | 2013 | Second Round (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Northeast Conference | None | None | None | None |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Kentucky | 21st | 2011 | First Round (L – James Madison) |
| Patriot League | None |
| Pioneer Football League | None |
| Southern Conference | None |
| Southland Conference | Southeastern Louisiana | 2nd | 2013 | Quarterfinals (L – New Hampshire) |
| Southland Conference | Stephen F. Austin | 6th | 2010 | Second Round (L – Villanova) |

### Abstentions

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

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 29 Campus sites | First Round November 29 Campus sites | First Round November 29 Campus sites | Second Round December 6 Campus sites | Second Round December 6 Campus sites | Second Round December 6 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 12 and 13 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 12 and 13 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 12 and 13 Campus sites | Semifinals December 19 and 20 Campus sites | Semifinals December 19 and 20 Campus sites | Semifinals December 19 and 20 Campus sites | National Championship January 10 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 10 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 10 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
| | | | | Fordham | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sacred Heart | Sacred Heart | 22 | 1 | New Hampshire* | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Fordham* | Fordham* | 44 | | | | 1 | New Hampshire* | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Chattanooga | 30 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Indiana State | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana State | Indiana State | 36 | 8 | Chattanooga* | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky* | Eastern Kentucky* | 16 | | | | | | | 1 | New Hampshire* | 18 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Illinois State | 21 | | | |
| | | | | Montana | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego | San Diego | 14 | 4 | Eastern Washington* | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana* | Montana* | 52 | | | | 4 | Eastern Washington* | 46 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Illinois State | 59 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Northern Iowa | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 10 | 5 | Illinois State* | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 44 | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Illinois State | 27 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 29 |
| | | | | South Dakota State | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | South Dakota State | 47 | 2 | North Dakota State* | 27 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana State* | Montana State* | 40 | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 39 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Coastal Carolina | 32 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Richmond | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Morgan State | Morgan State | 24 | 7 | Coastal Carolina* | 36 | | | | | | | | | |
| Richmond* | Richmond* | 46 | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State* | 35 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Sam Houston State | 3 | | | |
| | | | | Sam Houston State | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Southeastern Louisiana | 17 | 3 | Jacksonville State* | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sam Houston State* | Sam Houston State* | 21 | | | | | Sam Houston State | 34 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Villanova* | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Liberty | 22 | | | | | | | | | |
| Liberty | Liberty | 26 | 6 | Villanova* | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| James Madison* | James Madison* | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Home team Winner All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)

## Preseason bowl game

| Game | Date/TV | Location | Winning Team | Losing Team | Score | MVP |
| Legacy Bowl | March 21, 2015 | KINCHO Stadium Osaka, Japan | Princeton 5–5 (4–3) | Kwansei Gakuin (JAFA) 9–1 (7–0) | 36–7 | Chad Kanoff (QB, Princeton) |

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

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2014. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2014, see 2013 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Nicholls State | Charlie Stubbs | September 14 | Resigned | Steve Axman (interim) |
| Florida A&M | Earl Holmes | October 29 | Fired | Corey Fuller (interim) |

### End of season

| School | Outgoing coach | Date announced | Reason | Replacement |
| Nicholls State | Steve Axman | November 20 | Resigned | Tim Rebowe |
| VMI | Sparky Woods | November 24 | Fired | Scott Wachenheim |
| Bethune-Cookman | Brian Jenkins | December 16 | Hired by Alabama State | Terry Sims |
| Florida A&M | Corey Fuller | December 23 | Permanent Replacement | Alex Wood |