# 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2024 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 24 and ended in November. The postseason began in November and, aside from any scheduled all-star games, ended on January 6, 2025 with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Due to the structure of the calendar in 2024, FCS teams were allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the normal 11.

## Notable headlines

* April 19 - The NCAA approved numerous technology rules such as teams having the option of using tablets to view in-game video for the 2024 season.
** Numerous conferences such as the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), Big Sky Conference, United Athletic Conference, Patriot League, Southwestern Athletic Conference and the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference partnered with a company called GameStrat for their teams to utilize in-game video technology.
** 7 out of the final 8 playoff teams leveraged GameStrat's in-game video technology.
* April 25 – The NCAA approved an increase in the number of seeded teams in the FCS playoff bracket from 8 to 16, effective for the 2024 season. The number of qualifying teams and the bracket format will remain otherwise unchanged.
* May 29 – Stephen F. Austin announced it would leave the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1 to rejoin the Southland Conference (SLC) after a three-year absence.
* October 9:
** The NCAA Division I Council approved the recommended reduction of the FBS and FCS transfer portal to 30 days, though with a different schedule than recommended. The fall window, which opens on the Monday after the FBS conference championship games, will be open only for 20 days. A 10-day spring portal will open in mid-April.
** The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.
** The Council introduced a proposal that would shorten the transition periods for schools wishing to reclassify from Division II or Division III to Division I. The Council would approve this proposal at its January 2025 meeting, thereby reducing the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools by a year, respectively to three and four years.
* November 7 – Texas A&M University–Commerce announced a name change to East Texas A&M University, effective immediately.
* December 18 - The Ivy League announced starting in the 2025 season, the league champion will participate in the NCAA Division I Championship.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2023 conference | 2024 conference |
| Bryant Bulldogs | Big South–OVC | CAA |
| Kennesaw State Owls | FCS Independent | CUSA (FBS) |
| Mercyhurst Lakers | PSAC (D-II) | NEC |
| Merrimack Warriors | NEC | FCS Independent |
| Robert Morris Colonials | Big South–OVC | NEC |
| Sacred Heart Pioneers | NEC | FCS Independent |
| Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | UAC | Southland |
| West Georgia Wolves | Gulf South (D-II) | UAC |
| Western Illinois Leathernecks | MVFC | Big South–OVC |

## Conference standings

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2024 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 2 Montana State $^  8 –0  15 –1   No. 5 UC Davis ^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 7 Idaho ^  6 –2  10 –4   No. 22 Northern Arizona ^  6 –2  8 –5   No. 10 Montana ^  5 –3  9 –5   Idaho State  3 –5  5 –7   Eastern Washington  3 –5  4 –8   Weber State  3 –5  4 –8   Portland State  3 –5  3 –8   Cal Poly  2 –6  3 –8   Sacramento State  1 –7  3 –9   Northern Colorado  1 –7  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Big South–OVC football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 16 Southeast Missouri State +^  6 –2  9 –4   Tennessee Tech +  6 –2  7 –5   No. 17 UT Martin +^  6 –2  9 –5   No. 19 Tennessee State +^  6 –2  9 –4   Lindenwood*  4 –4  5 –7   Western Illinois  3 –5  4 –8   Gardner–Webb  3 –5  4 –8   Eastern Illinois  2 –6  3 –9   Charleston Southern  0 –8  1 –11   + – 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 | 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 15 Richmond +^  8 –0  10 –3   No. 9 Rhode Island* +^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 12 Villanova ^  6 –2  10 –4   Delaware*  6 –2  9 –2   No. 23 New Hampshire ^  6 –2  8 –5   Stony Brook  5 –3  8 –4   Towson  5 –3  7 –5   Elon  5 –3  6 –6   William & Mary  4 –4  7 –5   Monmouth  4 –4  6 –6   Maine  3 –5  5 –7   Albany  2 –6  4 –8   Hampton  2 –6  5 –7   Campbell  1 –7  3 –9   Bryant  0 –8  2 –10   North Carolina A&T  0 –8  1 –11   * Delaware ineligible for rankings and 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS. Richmond and Rhode Island named co-champions as Rhode Island's only CAA loss was to Delaware. + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2024 Ivy League football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Dartmouth +  5 –2  8 –2   No. 25 Harvard +  5 –2  8 –2   Columbia +  5 –2  7 –3   Yale  4 –3  7 –3   Cornell  3 –4  4 –6   Penn  2 –5  4 –6   Brown  2 –5  3 –7   Princeton  2 –5  3 –7   + – Conference co-championsRankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 24 South Carolina State $  5 –0  9 –3   North Carolina Central  4 –1  8 –3   Morgan State  3 –2  6 –6   Norfolk State  2 –3  4 –8   Howard  1 –4  4 –8   Delaware State  0 –5  1 –11   $ – Conference championRankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State +^  7 –1  14 –2   No. 3 South Dakota State +^  7 –1  12 –3   No. 4 South Dakota +^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 11 Illinois State ^  6 –2  10 –4   Missouri State *  6 –2  8 –4   Youngstown State  3 –5  4 –8   Indiana State  3 –5  4 –8   North Dakota  2 –6  5 –7   Southern Illinois  2 –6  4 –8   Northern Iowa  1 –7  3 –9   Murray State  0 –8  1 –11   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS Rankings from STATS Poll |
| 2024 Northeast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Central Connecticut +^  5 –1  7 –6   Duquesne +  5 –1  8 –3   Robert Morris  4 –2  7 –5   LIU  3 –3  4 –8   Wagner  2 –4  4 –8   Saint Francis (PA)  2 –4  4 –7   Mercyhurst*  0 –0  4 –7   Stonehill*  0 –6  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Patriot League football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 20 Lehigh +^  5 –1  9 –4   Holy Cross +  5 –1  6 –6   Bucknell  4 –2  6 –6   Lafayette  2 –4  6 –6   Georgetown  2 –4  5 –6   Fordham  2 –4  2 –10   Colgate  1 –5  2 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Pioneer Football League standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Drake $^  7 –1  8 –3   San Diego  6 –2  8 –3   Butler  5 –3  9 –3   Morehead State  5 –3  7 –5   St. Thomas (MN)*  5 –3  6 –6   Dayton  4 –4  6 –5   Davidson  4 –4  6 –5   Presbyterian  4 –4  6 –6   Valparaiso  2 –5  4 –7   Marist  1 –7  1 –10   Stetson  0 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III Rankings from STATS Poll |
| 2024 Southern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 8 Mercer $^  7 –1  11 –3   Western Carolina  6 –2  7 –5   Chattanooga  5 –3  7 –5   East Tennessee State  5 –3  7 –5   Samford  3 –4  4 –7   The Citadel  3 –5  5 –7   Wofford  3 –5  5 –7   Furman  2 –5  3 –8   VMI  1 –7  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Southland Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 6 Incarnate Word $^  7 –0  11 –3   Southeastern Louisiana  6 –1  7 –5   Stephen F. Austin  4 –3  7 –5   Lamar  4 –3  7 –5   McNeese  3 –4  6 –6   Houston Christian  3 –4  5 –7   East Texas A&M*  2 –4  3 –9   Nicholls  2 –5  4 –8   Northwestern State  0 –7  0 –12   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – East Texas A&M is ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll | 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 18 Jackson State x$  9 –0  12 –2   Florida A&M  5 –3  7 –5   Alabama State  5 –3  7 –5   Alabama A&M  4 –4  6 –6   Bethune–Cookman  2 –6  2 –10   Mississippi Valley State  1 –7  1 –11   West Division Southern x  7 –2  8 –5   Alcorn State  5 –3  6 –6   Texas Southern  4 –4  5 –6   Prairie View A&M  3 –5  5 –7   Grambling State  2 –6  5 –7   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  2 –6  3 –9   Championship: Jackson State 41, Southern 13 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2024 United Athletic Conference standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 14 Abilene Christian $^  7 –1  9 –5   No. 13 Tarleton State ^  6 –2  10 –4   No. 21 Eastern Kentucky ^  6 –2  8 –5   Southern Utah  6 –2  7 –5   Central Arkansas  3 –5  6 –6   Austin Peay  3 –5  4 –8   North Alabama  3 –5  3 –9   West Georgia*  1 –7  4 –7   Utah Tech  1 –7  1 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantNote: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.Rankings from STATS Poll | 2024 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Sacred Heart   –  5 –6   Merrimack   –  5 –6 |

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

| Conference | Team | Record | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana State | 12–0 (8–0) | 14th | 2023 | Lost to North Dakota State in second round |
| Big South–OVC | Southeast Missouri State | 9–3 (6–2) | 5th | 2022 | Lost to Montana in first round |
| CAA Football | Richmond | 10–2 (8–0) | 14th | 2023 | Lost to Albany in second round |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 10–2 (7–1) | 14th | 2023 | Won National Championship against Montana |
| Northeast Conference | Central Connecticut | 7–5 (5–1) | 3rd | 2019 | Lost to Albany in first round |
| Patriot League | Lehigh | 8–3 (5–1) | 12th | 2017 | Lost to Stony Brook in first round |
| Pioneer Football League | Drake | 8–2 (7–1) | 2nd | 2023 | Lost to North Dakota State in first round |
| Southern Conference | Mercer | 10–2 (7–1) | 2nd | 2023 | Lost to South Dakota State in second round |
| Southland Conference | Incarnate Word | 10–2 (7–0) | 4th | 2022 | Lost to North Dakota State in semifinal |
| United Athletic Conference | Abilene Christian | 8–4 (7–1) | 1st | N/A | N/A |

### At-large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Record | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Idaho | 9–3 (6–2) | 14th | 2023 | Lost to Albany in quarterfinals |
| Big Sky Conference | UC Davis | 10–2 (7–1) | 3rd | 2021 | Lost to South Dakota State in first round |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 8–4 (5–3) | 29th | 2023 | Lost to South Dakota State in National Championship |
| Big Sky Conference | Northern Arizona | 8–4 (6–2) | 7th | 2017 | Lost to San Diego in first round |
| Big South–OVC | UT Martin | 8–4 (6–2) | 3rd | 2021 | Lost to Montana State in second round |
| Big South–OVC | Tennessee State | 9–3 (6–2) | 7th | 2013 | Lost to Eastern Illinois in second round |
| CAA Football | New Hampshire | 8–4 (6–2) | 18th | 2022 | Lost to Holy Cross in second round |
| CAA Football | Villanova | 9–3 (6–2) | 16th | 2023 | Lost to South Dakota State in quarterfinals |
| CAA Football | Rhode Island | 10–2 (7–1) | 4th | 1985 | Lost to Furman in quarterfinals |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 10–2 (7–1) | 15th | 2023 | Lost to Montana in semifinal |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota | 9–2 (7–1) | 4th | 2023 | Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Illinois State | 9–3 (6–2) | 9th | 2019 | Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals |
| United Athletic Conference | Tarleton State | 9–3 (6–2) | 1st | N/A | N/A |
| United Athletic Conference | Eastern Kentucky | 8–4 (6–2) | 22nd | 2022 | Lost to Gardner–Webb in second round |

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Harvard
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State

## Postseason

The FCS again features a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). Where previously the top eight teams were seeded, the top 16 teams were seeded this year, a change from the 2023 season.

### Bowl game

| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
| Dec 14 | Noon | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia | USA: ABC Canada: TSN1/4 | Jackson State Tigers South Carolina State Bulldogs | SWAC MEAC | Jackson State 28 South Carolina State 7 |

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 30 Campus sites USA: ESPN+, ESPN2 Canada: TSN+ | First Round November 30 Campus sites USA: ESPN+, ESPN2 Canada: TSN+ | First Round November 30 Campus sites USA: ESPN+, ESPN2 Canada: TSN+ | Second Round December 7 Campus sites ESPN+ | Second Round December 7 Campus sites ESPN+ | Second Round December 7 Campus sites ESPN+ | Quarterfinals December 13/14 Campus sites USA: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | Quarterfinals December 13/14 Campus sites USA: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | Quarterfinals December 13/14 Campus sites USA: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | Semifinals December 21 Campus sites USA: ABC/ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | Semifinals December 21 Campus sites USA: ABC/ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | Semifinals December 21 Campus sites USA: ABC/ESPN+ Canada: TSN+ | National Championship January 6 7 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas USA: ESPN/ESPN+ Canada: TSN2/TSN+ | National Championship January 6 7 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas USA: ESPN/ESPN+ Canada: TSN2/TSN+ | National Championship January 6 7 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas USA: ESPN/ESPN+ Canada: TSN2/TSN+ |
| | | | 1 | Montana State | 49 | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 10 | | UT Martin | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| | UT Martin | 41 | | | | 1 | Montana State | 52 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Idaho | 19 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Idaho | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Richmond | 16 | | Lehigh | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Lehigh | 20 | | | | | | | 1 | Montana State | 31 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 4 | South Dakota | 17 | | | |
| | | | 5 | UC Davis | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Illinois State | 35 | 12 | Illinois State | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Southeast Missouri State* | 27 | | | | 4 | South Dakota | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | UC Davis | 21 | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | South Dakota | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Tarleton State | 43 | 13 | Tarleton State | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Drake | 29 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Montana State | 32 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 35 |
| | | | 3 | South Dakota State | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Montana | 41 | 14 | Montana | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Tennessee State | 27 | | | | 3 | South Dakota State | 55 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Incarnate Word | 14 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Incarnate Word | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Villanova | 22 | 11 | Villanova | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Eastern Kentucky | 17 | | | | | | | 3 | South Dakota State | 21 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 28 | | | |
| | | | 7 | Mercer | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Rhode Island | 21 | 10 | Rhode Island | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Central Connecticut | 17 | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Mercer | 7 | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 51 | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Abilene Christian | 24 | 15 | Abilene Christian | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Arizona | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Hosted despite being the unseeded team (Illinois State unable to host due to facilities conflicts)
    Source:

## Rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

Stats Perform :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | South Dakota State (52) |
| 2 | North Dakota State (3) |
| 3 | Montana |
| 4 | Montana State (1) |
| 5 | South Dakota |
| 6 | Villanova |
| 7 | Idaho |
| 8 | Sacramento State |
| 9 | Chattanooga |
| 10 | Southern Illinois |
| 11 | Central Arkansas |
| 12 | Furman |
| 13 | Richmond |
| 14 | Incarnate Word |
| 15 | William & Mary |
| 16 | Albany |
| 17 | Lafayette |
| 18 | UC Davis |
| 19 | Illinois State |
| 20 | Western Carolina |
| 21 | Tarleton State |
| 22 | Weber State |
| 23 | Nicholls |
| 24 | North Dakota |
| 25 | Youngstown State |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | South Dakota State (25) |
| 2 | North Dakota State |
| 3 | Montana |
| 4 | Montana State |
| 5 | South Dakota |
| 6 | Villanova |
| 7 | Idaho |
| 8 | Chattanooga |
| 9 | Furman |
| 10 | Sacramento State |
| 11 | Southern Illinois |
| 12 | Richmond |
| 13 | Central Arkansas |
| 14 | Albany |
| 15 | Incarnate Word |
| 16 | William & Mary |
| 17 | UC Davis |
| 18 | Lafayette |
| 19 | Western Carolina |
| 20 | Illinois State |
| 21 | Tarleton State |
| 22 | North Dakota |
| 23 | Youngstown State |
| 24 | Nicholls |
| 25 | Florida A&M (1) |
STATS source: AFCA source:

### Final rankings
## Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 24 with four games in Week 0:
* FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Southeast Missouri State 37, North Alabama 15
* Hawaii 35, Delaware State 14
* No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
* MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Florida A&M 24, Norfolk State 23

## Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.
* Week 6
** No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 7 North Dakota, 41–17 (Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
* Week 7
** No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 7 Idaho, 38–7 (Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)
* Week 8
** No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 1 South Dakota State, 13–9 (Dakota Marker – Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
* Week 9
** No. 3 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 20–17$^{OT}$ (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
* Week 11
** No. 4 UC Davis defeated No. 7 Montana, 30–14 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana)
* Week 12
** No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 4 UC Davis, 30–28 (UC Davis Health Stadium, Davis, California)
* Week 13
** No. 4 South Dakota defeated No. 1 North Dakota State, 29–28 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, South Dakota)
** No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 9 Montana, 34–11 (Brawl of the Wild – Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)

## Upsets

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

### Regular season

During the regular season, thirty-four unranked teams defeated ranked teams.
* September 7, 2024
** Wofford 26, No. 14 Richmond 19
** Charleston Southern 24, No. 15 Furman 20
** Campbell 24, No. 17 Western Carolina 16
* September 14, 2024
** Lamar 17, No. 20 Weber State 16
** Duquesne 28, No. 21 Youngstown State 25
** Western Carolina 24, No. 22 Elon 17
* September 21, 2024
** Columbia 31, No. 18 Lafayette 20
* September 28, 2024
** Northern Arizona 34, No. 10 Sacramento State 16
** Maine 34, No. 21 Albany 20
** McNeese 28, No. 25 Weber State 26
* October 4, 2024
** Harvard 28, No. 21 New Hampshire 23
* October 5, 2024
** Weber State, 55, No. 8 Montana 48$^{OT}$
** Towson 34, No. 12 William & Mary 27
** Houston Christian 43, No. 22 McNeese 22
** Chattanooga 17, No. 23 East Tennessee State 10
* October 12, 2024
** North Alabama 47, No. 10 Abilene Christian 34
** Missouri State 41, No. 16 Illinois State 7
** Eastern Washington 35, No. 18 Sacramento State 28
** Northern Colorado 21, No. 20 Weber State 17
** Stephen F. Austin 27, No. 22 Lamar 20
* October 19, 2024
** Maine 35, No. 5 Villanova 7
** Samford 55, No. 7 Mercer 35
** Jackson State 35, No. 25т Florida A&M 21
* October 26, 2024
** Youngstown State 41, No. 7 North Dakota 40$^{OT}$
** Stony Brook 35, No. 16 William & Mary 13
* October 31, 2024
** South Carolina State 24, No. 19 North Carolina Central 21
* November 2, 2024
** Utah Tech 34, No. 11 Central Arkansas 21
** Eastern Kentucky 17, No. 13 Tarleton State 13
** Indiana State 35, No. 15 North Dakota 31
** Western Carolina 38, No. 18 Chattanooga 34
** Harvard 31, No. 22 Dartmouth 27
** UT Martin 28, No. 25 Tennessee State 21
* November 9, 2024
** Lindenwood 24, No. 6 Southeast Missouri State 12
** Delaware 24, No. 11 Rhode Island 21
** Eastern Kentucky 31, No. 16 Central Arkansas 24
** Elon 40, No. 20 William & Mary 36
** East Tennessee State 24, No. 22 Western Carolina 21
* November 16, 2024
** Monmouth 40, No. 9 Villanova 33
** New Hampshire 31, No. 16 Stony Brook 30
** Tennessee Tech 10, No. 18 UT Martin 9
** Samford 36, No. 19 Chattanooga 13
** Furman 24, No. 21 East Tennessee State 21
** Southern Utah 38, No. 24 Central Arkansas 31
* November 23, 2024
** Stephen F. Austin 32, No. 11 Abilene Christian 19
** Tennessee State 28, No. 12 Southeast Missouri State 21
** Yale 34, No. 17 Harvard 29
** Monmouth 55, No. 18 Stony Brook 47
** Central Connecticut 21, No. 19 Duquesne 14

### Postseason
## FCS team wins over FBS teams

* August 24:
** No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
* September 7:
** Saint Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
** No. 7 Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
** Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24$^{OT}$
* September 21:
** Monmouth 45, FIU 42
* September 28:
** UT Martin 24, Kennesaw State 13

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

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2024, 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 2024, see 2023 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |

### 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 |
| Northern Iowa | Mark Farley | November 10, 2024 | Retired | Todd Stepsis | Drake head coach (2019–2024) |
| Valparaiso | Landon Fox | November 24, 2024 | Contract not renewed | Andy Waddle | Marietta head coach (2013–2024) |
| Prairie View A&M | Bubba McDowell | November 24, 2024 | Fired | Tremaine Jackson | Valdosta State head coach (2022–2024) |
| McNeese | Gary Goff | November 25, 2024 | Contract not renewed | Matt Viator | Louisiana senior defensive analyst (2021–2024) |
| Davidson | Scott Abell | November 26, 2024 | Hired by Rice | Saj Thakkar | Bentley head coach (2023–2024) |
| Norfolk State | Dawson Odums | November 26, 2024 | Fired | Michael Vick | Atlanta Legends advisor (2019) |
| North Dakota | Bubba Schweigert | November 30, 2024 | Resigned | Eric Schmidt | San Diego State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2024) |
| Nicholls | Tim Rebowe | December 1, 2024 | Retired | Tommy Rybacki | Nicholls defensive coordinator (2015–2024) |
| Colgate | Stan Dakosty | December 2, 2024 | Fired | Curt Fitzpatrick | Cortland head coach (2020–2024) |
| Alabama A&M | Connell Maynor | December 2, 2024 | Fired | Sam Shade | Miles head coach (2022–2024) |
| Drake | Todd Stepsis | December 3, 2024 | Hired by Northern Iowa | Joe Woodley | Grand View head coach (2019–2024) |
| Delaware State | Lee Hull | December 3, 2024 | Fired | DeSean Jackson | Woodrow Wilson (HS) (CA) offensive coordinator (2024) |
| Stetson | Brian Young | December 3, 2024 | Resigned | Michael Jasper | Bethel (TN) head coach (2019–2024) |
| Butler | Mike Uremovich | December 4, 2024 | Hired by Ball State | Kevin Lynch | Ball State assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach (2021–2024) |
| North Carolina A&T | Vincent Brown | December 4, 2024 | Fired | Shawn Gibbs | Fort Valley State head coach (2022–2024) |
| Mississippi Valley State | Kendrick Wade | December 4, 2024 | Fired | Terrell Buckley | Orlando Guardians head coach (2023) |
| Sacramento State | Andy Thompson | December 6, 2024 | Resigned | Brennan Marion | UNLV offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023–2024) |
| East Tennessee State | Tre Lamb | December 8, 2024 | Hired by Tulsa | Will Healy | Georgia State running backs coach (2024) |
| Idaho | Jason Eck | December 14, 2024 | Hired by New Mexico | Thomas Ford | Oregon State running backs coach (2024) |
| South Dakota State | Jimmy Rogers | December 28, 2024 | Hired by Washington State | Dan Jackson | Idaho defensive coordinator (2024) |
| South Dakota | Bob Nielson | January 16, 2025 | Retired | Travis Johansen | South Dakota associate head coach and defensive coordinator (2022–2024) |
| Albany | Greg Gattuso | February 5, 2025 | Hired as assistant coach by Penn State | Jared Ambrose (interim) | Albany assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach (2022–2024) |
| Tennessee State | Eddie George | March 9, 2025 | Hired by Bowling Green | TBA | |