There were only a handful of changes in effect for the 2015 season, a sharp reduction after the spillover from conference realignment at the FBS level.
2015 FCS Over FBS Victories (9)
- Fordham @ Army, 37-35
- North Dakota @ Wyoming, 24-13
- Portland State @ Washington State, 24-17
- South Dakota State @ Kansas, 41-38
- Furman @ UCF, 16-15
- James Madison @ SMU, 48-45
- Liberty @ Georgia State, 41-33
- Portland State @ North Texas, 66-7
- The Citadel @ South Carolina, 23-22
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The 2015 FCS Playoffs retained the same format for the third straight season with a field of 24 teams. In addition, the 8 seeded teams all received a first-round bye while campus sites were used through the semifinal round. Frisco, Texas was the site of the FCS National Championship for the sixth consecutive season. The title game was held on January 9, 2016.
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. It was a familiar scene in Frisco as North Dakota State (13-2 Overall, 7-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) won their fifth straight FCS National Champion with a 37-10 win over Jacksonville State (13-2 Overall, 8-0 Ohio Valley Conference). It was the first title game appearance for Jacksonville State.
Conference Changes
There were no conference changes in effect at the FCS level for the 2015 season.
Team Changes
Charlotte finished their two-year transition period to the FBS and began competing in Conference USA. The 49ers were previously classified as an FCS independent. Kennesaw State started a new program and immediately joined the Big South. East Tennessee State restarted its program after a decade without a team. They were classified as an FCS independent for the 2015 season.
Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word 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 in a transition to a higher level.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | FCS Independent | C-USA (FBS) |
| East Tennessee State | Restarted Program | FCS Independent |
| Kennesaw State | New Program | Big South (FCS) |
2014 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2016 Season