Broken clock time: movement did not end for I-AA in the 1998 season though there was slightly less than the previous season.
1998 I-AA (FCS) Over I-A (FBS) Victories (6)
- Northern Iowa @ Eastern Michigan, 13-10
- Northwestern State @ Louisiana, 24-22
- Youngstown State @ Kent State, 24-10
- Eastern Illinois @ Northern Illinois, 24-10
- Appalachian State @ Wake Forest, 30-27
- William & Mary @ Temple, 45-38
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The I-AA playoffs remained the same for the fourth straight season. The NCAA seeded all 16 teams in the playoffs and they also kept campus sites through the semifinals. The National Championship was played on December 19 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the second year in a row.
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. Massachusetts (12-3 Overall, 6-2 Atlantic 10 Conference) claimed their first I-AA/FCS National Championship by defeating the top-seeded Georgia Southern Eagles (14-1 Overall, 8-0 Southern Conference) 55-43.
Conference Changes
There were no conference changes in effect for the 1998 season.
Team Changes
Arkansas-Pine Bluff moved up from NAIA into the SWAC per the NCAA Handbook. Sacred Heart moved up from the Division II Eastern Football Conference (EFC) to become a member of the Northeast Conference.
Jacksonville started a new football program and became an I-AA independent although they shuttered the football program in December 2019. Two schools decided to drop football completely: Boston University from the Atlantic 10 Conference and Evansville from the Pioneer Football League. Norfolk State moved into the MEAC from I-AA independent status.
The NCAA has both Alabama A&M and Elon starting I-AA/FCS with the 1999 season. However, a closer inspection of both the Bulldogs and Phoenix showed they had I-AA heavy schedules. As with other teams, neither faced I-A teams in 1998 and did not impact the number of games or upsets.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | Division II Independent | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Boston Univeristy | Atlantic 10 (I-AA) | Dropped Football |
| Evansville | Pioneer Football League (I-AA) | Dropped Football |
| Jacksonville | New Program | I-AA Independent |
| Norfolk State | I-AA Independent | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Sacred Heart | Eastern Football (Division II) | Northeast Conference (I-AA) |
1997 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 1999 Season