2013 saw a dozen teams move in, out, or within the FCS subdivision while the playoffs expanded by 4 teams.
2013 FCS Over FBS Victories (16)
- Southern Utah @ South Alabama, 22-21
- Towson @ Connecticut, 33-18
- North Dakota State @ Kansas State, 24-21
- Samford @ Georgia State, 31-21
- Eastern Illinois @ San Diego State, 40-19
- Eastern Washington @ Oregon State, 49-46
- McNeese @ South Florida, 53-21
- Northern Iowa @ Iowa State, 28-20
- Chattanooga @ Georgia State, 42-14
- Maine @ Massachusetts, 24-14
- Nicholls @ Western Michigan, 27-23
- Bethune-Cookman @ Florida International, 34-13
- Fordham @ Temple, 30-29
- Jacksonville State @ Georgia State, 32-26 (1 OT)
- Old Dominion @ Idaho, 59-38
- Georgia Southern @ Florida, 26-20
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The 2013 season saw a new FCS Playoff format as the field expanded from 20 to 24 teams. That meant 8 teams would receive a first-round bye and all 8 of those teams were seeded, an increase from five. Once again campus sites were used through the semifinal round. Frisco, Texas was the site of the FCS National Championship for the fourth consecutive season. The title game was held on January 4, 2014.
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. North Dakota State (15-0 Overall, 8-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) won their third straight title with a convincing 35-7 win over Towson (13-3 Overall, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association). It was Towson’s first, and thus far their only, appearance in the FCS National Championship game.
Conference Changes
There were no formal conference changes for the 2013 season, but there were FCS independents after the absence of such teams in 2012.
Team Changes
One team left the FCS while another began preparations to leave. Georgia State left the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) to become a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion started their transition from FCS to FBS as they moved from the CAA to FCS independent status.
Two new programs began in 2013 with Charlotte and Houston Baptist. Both of them were FCS independents for the season. Mercer and Stetson restarted their programs and joined the Pioneer Football League. Two Division II teams from the Lone Star Conference – Abilene Christian and Incarnate World – started their transition to the FCS as independent teams.
Two teams moved into the Colonial Athletic Association. Stony Brook came over from the Big South while Albany moved from the Northeast Conference. Monmouth left the NEC to become an FCS independent.
The two Division II transitioners were not considered fully FCS eligible until 2017 by the NCAA. We consider them as FCS for the 2013 through 2016 seasons since they were transitioning to a higher level.
Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt in March 2013. Both were members of the Southern Conference for the 2013 season but were ineligible for the conference title and FCS Playoffs. However, they both played a full conference schedule. Like Massachusetts and Texas State in 2011 and Georgia State in 2012, we consider both teams FCS for the 2013 season.
Old Dominion played a mixed schedule of FBS (5) and FCS (6) teams in their first season of transition. We considered them as FCS for the 2013 season and only games against FBS teams are present in the database. This decision is consistent with other FCS-to-FBS transitions.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Lone Star (Division II) | FCS Independent |
| Albany | Northeast Conference (FCS) | CAA (FCS) |
| Charlotte | New Program | FCS Independent |
| Georgia State | CAA (FCS) | Sun Belt (FBS) |
| Houston Christian (Houston Baptist) | New Program | FCS Independent |
| Incarnate Word | Lone Star (Division II) | FCS Independent |
| Mercer | Restarted Program | Pioneer Football League (FCS) |
| Monmouth | Northeast Conference (FCS) | FCS Independent |
| Old Dominion | CAA (FCS) | FCS Independent |
| Stetson | Restarted Program | Pioneer Football League (FCS) |
| Stony Brook | Big South (FCS) | CAA (FCS) |
2012 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2014 Season