There was an increase in changes at the FCS level for the 2018 season compared to the previous year.
2018 FCS Over FBS Victories (7)
- UC Davis @ San Jose State, 44-38
- Nicholls @ Kansas, 26-23 (1 OT)
- Northern Arizona @ UTEP, 30-10
- Villanova @ Temple, 19-17
- North Carolina A&T @ East Carolina, 28-23
- Maine @ Western Kentucky, 31-28
- Illinois State @ Colorado State, 35-19
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The 2018 FCS Playoffs retained the same format for the sixth 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 ninth straight season. The title game was held on January 5, 2019.
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 second straight FCS Championship and seventh in the previous 8 seasons. The Bison defeated Eastern Washington (12-3 Overall, 7-1 Big Sky Conference) 38-24 who were in their second FCS title game.
Conference Changes
There were no official conference changes in effect for the 2018 season, but FCS independents did return due to teams changing conferences or changes.
Team Changes
Liberty left the Big South Conference after the 2018 season to become an FBS independent. Idaho dropped from the FBS Sun Belt Conference to rejoin the FCS and the Big Sky Conference. Idaho was previously in the Big Sky prior to the 1996 season.
Campbell moved from the Pioneer Football League to the Big South. Hampton left the MEAC and North Dakota left the Big Sky to become FCS independents. North Dakota was moving into the Missouri Valley Conference in a two-year process, but their Big Sky games counted for their opponents.
North Alabama began its transition from Division to FCS with a mixed schedule of FCS and Division II foes. The NCAA does not list the Lions as they are not fully eligible until the 2022 season.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Campbell | Pioneer Football League (FCS) | Big South (FCS) |
| Hampton | MEAC (FCS) | FCS Independent |
| Idaho | Sun Belt (FBS) | Big Sky (FCS) |
| Liberty | Big South (FCS) | FBS Independent |
| North Alabama | Gulf South (Division II) | FCS Independent |
| North Dakota | Big Sky (FCS) | FCS Independent |
2017 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2019 Season