The 1993 season saw a huge influx of teams and conferences due to a rule change by the NCAA mandating programs to keep all their athletic teams within the same division. Nearly thirty teams were added to the I-AA level due to the creation of new conferences and the addition of teams.
1993 I-AA (FCS) Over I-A (FBS) Victories (7)
- Youngstown State @ Western Michigan, 17-13
- Idaho @ Utah, 28-17
- Cal State Northridge @ UNLV, 24-18
- Weber State @ Nevada, 47-30
- Louisiana-Monroe @ Arkansas State, 42-10
- Central Florida @ Louisiana Tech, 38-16
- Youngstown State @ Akron, 19-0
There were no ties between I-A and I-AA teams in the 1993 season.
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The I-AA Playoffs maintained the same format for the eighth straight season despite the large increase in teams. 16 teams, the top four teams were seeded, and campus sites were used through the semifinals. The title game was played on December 18 at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia for the second straight season.
The home team is listed on the bottom of each matchup in the bracket below while an asterisk (*) denotes the number of overtime periods played if a game went to overtime. The 1993 I-AA National Championship featured a third consecutive matchup between Youngstown State (13-2 Overall as I-AA Independent) and Marshall (11-4 Overall, 6-2 Southern Conference). The Penguins claimed their second I-AA/FCS title with a 17-5 win on Marshall’s home field.
Conference Changes
Three new football conferences were started or joined I-AA due to the NCAA rule changes: the American West Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and the Pioneer Football League.
In addition, the Yankee Conference expanded from 9 to 12 teams, which led to the addition of two divisions: New England and Mid-Atlantic.
Team Changes
The following changes occurred:
Division II Independent to I-AA Independent (2) – Central Connecticut State and Saint Mary’s (CA).
Division II Gulf South Conference to I-AA Independent (1) – Jacksonville State (they started a transition to I-AA, but were not eligible until 1996).
Division II Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference to Pioneer Football League (2) – Butler and Valparaiso.
Division II Western Football Conference to American West Conference (4) – Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, and Southern Utah.
Division III Independent to I-AA Independent (6) – Buffalo, Charleston Southern, Davidson, Duquesne, Saint Francis (PA), and UAB.
Division III Liberty Conference to I-AA Independent (2) – Marist and Wagner
Division III Liberty Conference to MAAC (2) – Iona and Saint John’s (NY)
Division III Independent to MAAC (4) – Canisius, Georgetown, Saint Peter’s, and Siena.
Division III Independent to Pioneer Football League (4) – Dayton, Drake, Evansville, and San Diego.
I-AA Independent to Yankee Conference (3) – James Madison, Northeastern, and William & Mary.
I-AA Independent to Southern Conference (1) – Georgia Southern.
New Program (1) – Monmouth became an I-AA independent.
UC Davis was a member of the newly formed American West Conference, but they participated in the Division II playoffs in 1993 and were not counted as an FCS team until 2007 when they officially joined the level.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Butler | MIFC (Division II) | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Cal Poly | Western Football (Division II) | American West (I-AA) |
| Cal State Northridge | Western Football (Division II) | American West (I-AA) |
| Canisius | Division III Independent | MAAC (I-AA) |
| Central Connecticut State | Division II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Charleston Southern | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Davidson | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Dayton | Division III Independent | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Drake | Division III Independent | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Duquesne | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Evansville | Division III Independent | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Georgetown | Division III Independent | MAAC (I-AA) |
| Georgia Southern | I-AA Independent | Southern (I-AA) |
| Iona | Liberty Conference (Division III) | MAAC (I-AA) |
| Jacksonville State | Gulf South (Division II) | I-AA Independent |
| James Madison | I-AA Independent | Yankee Conference (I-AA) |
| Marist | Liberty Conference (Division III) | I-AA Independent |
| Monmouth | New Program | I-AA Independent |
| Northeastern | I-AA Independent | Yankee Conference (I-AA) |
| Sacramento State | Western Football (Division II) | American West (I-AA) |
| Saint Francis (PA) | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Saint John’s (NY) | Liberty Conference (Division III) | MAAC (I-AA) |
| Saint Mary’s (CA) | Division II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Saint Peter’s | Division III Independent | MAAC (I-AA) |
| San Diego | Division III Independent | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Seina | Division III Independent | MAAC (I-AA) |
| Southern Utah | Western Football (Division II) | American West (I-AA) |
| UAB | Division III Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Valparaiso | MIFC (Division II) | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) |
| Wagner | Liberty Conference (Division III) | I-AA Independent |
| William & Mary | I-AA Independent | Yankee Conference (I-AA) |
1992 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 1994 Season