The 2024 FCS season is entering the playoffs so let’s provide a recap of all 121 FCS versus FBS matchups this year. The 121 FCS-FBS matchups in 2024 were a record and the 2025 season already has over 110 FCS-FBS games scheduled (yes, we’re already looking ahead).
FCS Wins (6)
There were six FCS over FBS wins in 2024, which is two higher than in 2023 but below the 8 recorded in 2022 and half of 2021’s 12 FCS wins.
- Montana State @ New Mexico, 35-31
- Saint Francis (PA) @ Kent State, 23-17
- Idaho @ Wyoming, 17-13
- Southern Utah @ UTEP, 27-24 (1 OT)
- Monmouth @ Florida International, 45-42
- UT Martin @ Kennesaw State, 24-13
Records and Firsts
2024 features numerous records set specific to FCS versus FBS matchups although not all were good records as noted below.
- 121: The number of FCS-FBS matchups in 2024 (the previous record high was 120 set in 2022).
- 115: The number of FCS losses against the FBS in 2024 (the previous record was 114 set in 2023).
- 87: The number of points given up by Northwestern State against South Alabama on Thursday, September 12. The 87 points were the most scored by an FBS team in the history of the FCS-FBS matchup, surpassing the previous record set by Houston in 1990 versus Eastern Washington (84-21) and Oklahoma State in 2012 versus Savannah State (84-0).
- 59: The number of FCS-FBS games played in Week 1, besting the old mark of 46 set in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
- 19: The number of FCS-FBS games played on Thursday in Week 1, topping the old record of 11 set in 2010.
- 4: The Mountain West lost to the FCS for the 4th straight season for the first time since its inception in 1999.
- 3: The number of C-USA teams to lose to FCS teams in 2024, which is the most in a single season for C-USA.
- 1: Monmouth, Saint Francis (PA), the Big South-OVC Football Association, and the United Athletic Conference posted their first wins against the FBS in 2024.
Stats Nuggets and Annual Trends
Two stats nearly set records in 2024 but neither was a positive sign. The average margin of defeat for the FCS in 2024 was 31.09 points per game, which is the second worst behind 2018’s average margin of 31.13. The other stat was the number of games in which FCS teams were shut out by their FBS opponents. In 2024, it happened 17 times, which is one less than the record of 18 set in 2022. Those two are worth keeping an eye on to see if things improve following roster limit implementations under the House settlement.
There was not much change in the year-over-year stats with a few exceptions. The first is turnovers were noticeably down in 2024 for both the FBS and FCS. The FBS went from 1.13 per game in 2023 down to 0.97 in 2024. The average FCS turnovers per game were 1.58 in 2023 but that dropped to 1.36 in 2024. FBS yards per carry were 5.7 in 2024, which is an improvement over the 5.5 YPC in 2023. The FCS put the 3 in the “three years and a cloud of dust” by averaging exactly 3 yards per carry in 2024 (down from 3.2 in 2023).
In 2023, it was noted that FCS teams have given up 60 or more points at a higher rate since 2010. While that was and still is true, it doesn’t paint the entire picture because when it’s made as a percentage of games each season, the results show a plateau. Below is a table showing the percentage of games in which the FBS team scores 40+, 50+, 60+, or 70+ points for every season since 1978.
2024 FCS Versus FBS Per Game Stats
Below is a bar chart showing the averages of most statistical categories across all 121 FCS versus FBS games in 2024. The bar chart below is normalized to 100% and the numbers on each bar represent the FCS and FBS averages for all matchups in 2024. FBS is shown in blue and FCS is in orange.
FCS Annual and Weekly Conference Records
The table below shows how each FCS conference performed against the FBS with the annual and weekly records provided.
| Conference | Games | 2024 Record | Week 0 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 12 | Week 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | 14 | 0-14 | 1-0 | 0-6 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Big South-OVC | 13 | 1-12 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| CAA | 13 | 1-12 | 0-0 | 0-7 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Independents | 2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Ivy League | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| MEAC | 6 | 0-6 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| MVFC | 13 | 0-13 | 0-0 | 0-7 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| NEC | 10 | 1-9 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Patriot League | 6 | 0-6 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Pioneer | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| SoCon | 10 | 0-10 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Southland | 12 | 0-12 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| SWAC | 12 | 0-12 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| United Athletic | 10 | 1-9 | 0-0 | 0-7 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Totals | 121 | 6-115 | 1-1 | 0-59 | 3-26 | 0-11 | 1-9 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 |
Charts
Below is a chart for each of the following statistical categories: points, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, completion percentage, yards per carry, turnovers, first downs, penalty yards, and third down conversion percentage. The graphic below will show only one category at a time and is sorted by the highest total for the FCS with each matchup (week) shown on the left. In addition, you can choose to select only the FBS teams, FCS teams, or both with FBS teams in blue and FCS teams in orange. Hovering over a bar will give more info, which can be useful if the FBS or FCS data series is selected by itself. Finally, any bar that is missing represents a zero value, which is present in the points, turnovers, and penalty yardage charts.
Photo Credit to Montana State University Athletics
