The beginning of a new decade saw more of the same: conference and team changes across the subdivision.
2010 FCS Over FBS Victories (7)
- Jacksonville State @ Mississippi, 49-48 (2 OT)
- North Dakota State @ Kansas, 6-3
- Gardner-Webb @ Akron, 38-37 (1 OT)
- James Madison @ Virginia Tech, 21-16
- Liberty @ Ball State, 27-23
- South Dakota @ Minnesota, 41-38
- UC Davis @ San Jose State, 14-13
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The FCS playoff format changed in 2010 with an expansion from 16 to 20 twenty teams. This led to 12 teams receiving a first-round bye as well as the top 5 teams being seeded. Campus sites were still used through the semifinal round as previously done. Another change was the location of the FCS National Championship. The NCAA decided to change the neutral site to Frisco, Texas where it has been played since. Furthermore, the NCAA decided to have the FCS season end in January with the title game. For 2010, the FCS National Championship game was played on January 7, 2011.
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. Eastern Washington (13-2 Overall, 7-1 Big Sky Conference) played in their first National Championship game and won against Delaware (12-3 Overall, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) in a thrilling contest. EWU rallied from a 19-0 deficit to stun Delaware 20-19.
Conference Changes
The Colonial Athletic Association scrapped their North and South divisions after the departure of two programs.
Team Changes
The two CAA programs that left the conference – Hofstra and Northeastern – decided to end their programs completely. Another team that left the FCS was Winston-Salem State, who decided to end their transition to the MEAC and return to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Both North Carolina Central and Savannah State joined the MEAC after previously being FCS independents.
Three programs joined the FCS level. Georgia State and South Alabama both became FCS independents after starting new programs. Lamar decided to bring back their football after a two-decade absence. The Cardinals were also an FCS independent for the 2010 season.
The NCAA did not list Bryant (2012), North Carolina Central (2011), North Dakota (2012), Presbyterian (2011), or South Dakota (2012) as eligible FCS teams in 2010. We count those programs as FCS teams for the 2010 season keeping a consistent standard of including teams that were transitioning into the subdivision.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia State | New Program | FCS Independent |
| Hofstra | CAA (FCS) | Dropped Football |
| Lamar | Restarted Program | FCS Independent |
| North Carolina Central | FCS Independent | MEAC (FCS) |
| Northeastern | CAA (FCS) | Dropped Football |
| Savannah State | FCS Independent | MEAC (FCS) |
| South Alabama | New Program | FCS Independent |
| Winston-Salem State | MEAC (FCS) | CIAA (Division II) |
2009 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2011 Season