There was only a single change for the FCS season in 2017.
2017 FCS Over FBS Victories (9)
- Tennessee State @ Georgia State, 17-10
- Howard @ UNLV, 43-40
- James Madison @ East Carolina, 34-14
- Liberty @ Baylor, 48-45
- New Hampshire vs. Georgia Southern, 22-12
- South Dakota @ Bowling Green, 35-27
- Idaho State @ Nevada, 30-28
- North Carolina A&T @ Charlotte, 35-31
- Western Illinois @ Coastal Carolina, 52-10
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The 2017 FCS Playoffs retained the same format for the fifth 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 eighth straight season. The title game was held on January 6, 2018.
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 (14-1 Overall, 7-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) recaptured the FCS throne after defeating James Madison (14-1 Overall, 8-0 Colonial Athletic Association) 17-13 in a defensive struggle. It was the first FCS Championship game meeting between the two schools and a rematch of the 2016 season when JMU upset the Bison. It was the sixth FCS title for NDSU in seven seasons.
Conference Changes
There were no official conference changes for the 2017 season but it is worth noting that there were no FCS independents for the first time since 2012.
Team Changes
The only change for 2017 was Coastal Carolina leaving the FCS level for the Sun Belt Conference. Liberty began the two-year process to move up from the FCS to FBS. The Flames were ineligible for the Big South title and FCS Playoffs but still maintained a full FCS schedule.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | FCS Independent | Sun Belt (FBS) |
2016 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2018 Season