2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2015 NCAA Division I FCS season
Duration August 29 – November 21, 2015
Playoff
Duration November 28, 2015 –
January 9, 2016
Championship site Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Champion North Dakota State
Payton Award Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Buchanan Award Deon King, LB, Norfolk State
Division I FCS football season

The 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.

Conference changes and new programs

One team left the FCS to transition to FBS while two schools added football at the FCS level, all moves officially taking effect on July 1, 2015.

School 2014 conference 2015 conference
Charlotte Independent C–USA (FBS)
East Tennessee State No program Independent
Kennesaw State No program Big South

Updated stadiums

No FCS schools opened new stadiums for the 2015 season, however two new programs debuted in the season:

FCS team wins over FBS teams

(FCS rankings from the STATS poll)

Conference standings

2015 Big Sky football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#18 Southern Utah $^   7 1         8 4  
#10 Portland State ^   6 2         9 3  
#14 Montana ^   6 2         8 5  
North Dakota   5 3         7 4  
Northern Arizona   5 3         7 4  
Eastern Washington   5 3         6 5  
Weber State   5 3         6 5  
Northern Colorado   3 5         6 5  
Montana State   3 5         5 6  
Cal Poly   3 5         4 7  
UC Davis   2 6         2 9  
Idaho State   1 7         2 9  
Sacramento State   1 7         2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Big South football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#6 Charleston Southern $^   6 0         10 3  
#16 Coastal Carolina ^   4 2         9 3  
Liberty   3 3         6 5  
Monmouth   3 3         5 6  
Kennesaw State   2 4         6 5  
Gardner–Webb*   2 4         4 7  
Presbyterian   1 5         2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
  • *Gardner-Webb ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 CAA football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#4 Richmond +^   6 2         10 4  
#11 James Madison +^   6 2         9 3  
#12 William & Mary +^   6 2         9 4  
Towson   5 3         7 4  
New Hampshire ^   5 3         7 5  
Villanova   5 3         6 5  
Stony Brook   3 5         5 5  
Delaware   3 5         4 7  
Elon   3 5         4 7  
Maine   3 5         3 8  
Albany   2 6         3 8  
Rhode Island   1 7         1 10  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Ivy League football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#20 Harvard +   6 1         9 1  
#23 Dartmouth +   6 1         9 1  
Penn +   6 1         7 3  
Yale   3 4         6 4  
Brown   3 4         5 5  
Princeton   2 5         5 5  
Columbia   1 6         2 8  
Cornell   1 6         1 9  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS Playoffs
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 MEAC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#21 North Carolina A&T +   7 1         10 2  
Bethune-Cookman +   7 1         9 2  
North Carolina Central +   7 1         8 3  
South Carolina State   6 2         7 4  
Hampton   5 3         6 5  
Morgan State   4 4         4 6  
Norfolk State   4 4         4 7  
Savannah State*   1 7         1 9  
Florida A&M*   1 7         1 10  
Delaware State   1 7         1 10  
Howard   1 7         1 10  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • Florida A&M and Savannah State ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 MVFC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#1 North Dakota State +^   7 1         13 2  
#5 Illinois State +^   7 1         10 3  
#8 Northern Iowa ^   5 3         9 5  
#15 South Dakota State ^   5 3         8 4  
Western Illinois ^   5 3         7 6  
Indiana State   3 5         5 6  
Youngstown State   3 5         5 6  
South Dakota   3 5         5 6  
Southern Illinois   2 6         3 8  
Missouri State   0 8         1 10  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 NEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Duquesne $^   5 1         8 4  
Saint Francis (PA)   4 2         6 4  
Sacred Heart   3 3         6 5  
Bryant   3 3         5 6  
Central Connecticut   3 3         4 7  
Robert Morris   2 4         4 7  
Wagner   1 5         1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 OVC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#2 Jacksonville State $^   8 0         13 2  
#25 Eastern Illinois ^   7 1         7 5  
Tennessee–Martin   6 2         7 4  
Eastern Kentucky   5 3         6 5  
SE Missouri State   3 4         4 7  
Tennessee Tech   3 5         4 7  
Murray State   2 6         3 8  
Tennessee State   1 6         4 6  
Austin Peay   0 8         0 11  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Patriot League football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#17 Colgate $^   6 0         9 5  
#19 Fordham ^   5 1         9 3  
Lehigh   4 2         6 5  
Holy Cross   3 3         6 5  
Georgetown   2 4         4 7  
Bucknell   1 5         4 7  
Lafayette   0 6         1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Dayton +^   7 1         10 2  
San Diego +   7 1         9 2  
Jacksonville*   6 2         9 2  
Morehead State   6 2         7 4  
Butler   4 4         6 5  
Drake   4 4         5 6  
Marist   4 4         5 6  
Campbell   3 5         5 6  
Stetson   1 7         3 8  
Valparaiso   1 7         2 9  
Davidson   1 7         2 9  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
  • *Jacksonville ineligible for PFL title and FCS Playoffs due to matters regarding the PFL’s financial aid rules
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#9 Chattanooga +^   6 1         9 4  
#13 The Citadel +^   6 1         9 4  
Western Carolina   5 2         7 4  
Samford   3 4         6 5  
Wofford   3 4         5 6  
Mercer   2 5         5 6  
Furman   2 5         4 7  
VMI   1 6         2 9  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 Southland Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#7 McNeese State $^   9 0         10 1  
#3 Sam Houston State ^   7 2         11 4  
Central Arkansas   7 2         7 4  
Incarnate Word*   5 4         6 5  
Northwestern State   4 5         4 7  
Lamar   4 5         5 6  
Stephen F. Austin   4 5         4 7  
Nicholls State   3 6         3 8  
Abilene Christian*   3 6         3 8  
SE Louisiana   3 6         4 7  
Houston Baptist   0 8         2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
  • Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word ineligible for FCS Playoffs due to transition from Division II
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 SWAC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
East
Alcorn State xy$   7 2         9 4  
Alabama State*   5 4         6 5  
Alabama A&M   3 6         3 8  
Jackson State   3 6         3 8  
Mississippi Valley State   1 8         1 10  
West
#24 Grambling State xy   9 0         9 3  
Prairie View A&M   8 1         8 2  
Southern   6 3         6 5  
Texas Southern   2 7         3 7  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   1 8         2 9  
Championship: Alcorn State 49 vs. Grambling State 21 (December 5)
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
  • Alabama State ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll
2015 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
East Tennessee State           2 9  
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

Conference summaries

Championship games

Conference Champion Runner-up Score Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year
SWAC Alcorn State Grambling State 49–21 Johnathan Williams
(Grambling)
Kourtney Berry
(Alabama State)
Broderick Fobbs
(Grambling)

Other conference winners

Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.

Conference Champion Record Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year
Big Sky Southern Utah 8–3 (7–1) Cooper Kupp
(Eastern Washington)
James Cowser
(Southern Utah)
Bruce Barnum
(Portland State)
Big South Charleston Southern 9–2 (6–0) De'Angelo Henderson
(Coastal Carolina)
Chima Uzowihe
(Liberty)
Jamey Chadwell
(Charleston Southern)
CAA James Madison
Richmond
William & Mary
9–2 (6–2)
8–3 (6–2)
8–3 (6–2)
Vad Lee
(James Madison)
DeAndre Houston-Carson
(William & Mary)
Victor Ochi
(Stony Brook)
Danny Rocco
(Richmond)
Ivy Dartmouth
Harvard
Penn
9–1 (6–1)
9–1 (6–1)
7–3 (6–1)
Scott Hosch
(Harvard)
Tyler Drake
(Yale)
Ray Priore
(Penn)
MEAC Bethune-Cookman
North Carolina A&T
North Carolina Central
9–2 (7–1)
9–2 (7–1)
8–3 (7–1)
Tarik Cohen
(North Carolina A&T)
Javon Hargrave
(South Carolina State)
Terry Sims
(Bethune-Cookman)
MVFC Illinois State
North Dakota State
9–2 (7–1)
9–2 (7–1)
Marshaun Coprich
(Illinois State)
Deiondre' Hall
(Northern Iowa)
Bob Nielson
(Western Illinois)
NEC Duquesne 8–3 (5–1) Ricardo McCray
(Bryant)
Christian Kuntz
(Duquesne)
Chris Villarrial
(Saint Francis)
OVC Jacksonville State 10–1 (8–0) Eli Jenkins
(Jacksonville State)
Dino Fanti
(Eastern Illinois)
Noah Spence
(Eastern Kentucky)
John Grass
(Jacksonville State)
Patriot Colgate 7–4 (6–0) Chase Edmonds
(Fordham)
Clayton Ewell
(Bucknell)
Dan Hunt
(Colgate)
Pioneer Dayton
San Diego
10–1 (7–1)
9–2 (7–1)
Austin Gahafer
(Morehead State)
Donald Payne
(Stetson)
Rick Chamberlin
(Dayton)
Southern Chattanooga
The Citadel
8–3 (6–1)
8–3 (6–1)
Jacob Huesman
(Chattanooga)
Mitchell Jeter
(The Citadel)
Mike Houston
(The Citadel)
Southland McNeese State 10–0 (9–0) Kade Harrington
(Lamar)
Wallace Scott
(McNeese State)
Matt Viator
(McNeese State)

    Playoff qualifiers

    Automatic berths for conference champions

    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    Big Sky Conference Southern Utah 2nd 2013 First Round (L – Sam Houston State)
    Big South Conference Charleston Southern 1st
    Colonial Athletic Association Richmond 10th 2014 Second Round (L – Coastal Carolina)
    Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State 6th 2014 National Champions (W – Illinois State)
    Northeast Conference Duquesne 1st
    Ohio Valley Conference Jacksonville State 6th 2014 Second Round (L – Sam Houston State)
    Patriot League Colgate 10th 2012 First Round (L – Wagner)
    Pioneer Football League Dayton 1st
    Southern Conference Chattanooga 3rd 2014 Quarterfinals (L – New Hampshire)
    Southland Conference McNeese State 16th 2013 Second Round (L – Jacksonville State)

    At large qualifiers

    Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result
    Big Sky Conference Montana 24th 2014 Second Round (L – Eastern Washington)
    Portland State 2nd 2000 First Round (L – Delaware)
    Big South Conference Coastal Carolina 6th 2014 Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Colonial Athletic Association James Madison 11th 2014 First Round (L – Liberty)
    New Hampshire 14th 2014 Semifinals (L – Illinois State)
    William & Mary 10th 2010 Second Round (L – Georgia Southern)
    Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference None
    Missouri Valley Football Conference Illinois State 6th 2014 Championship Game (L – North Dakota State)
    Northern Iowa 18th 2014 Second Round (L – Illinois State)
    South Dakota State 5th 2014 Second Round (L – North Dakota State)
    Western Illinois 10th 2010 Second Round (L – Appalachian State)
    Northeast Conference None
    Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Illinois 16th 2013 Quarterfinals (L – Towson)
    Patriot League Fordham 5th 2014 Second Round (L – New Hampshire)
    Pioneer Football League None
    Southern Conference The Citadel 4th 1992 Quarterfinals (L – Youngstown State)
    Southland Conference Sam Houston State 9th 2014 Semifinals (L – North Dakota State)
    Southwestern Athletic Conference None

    Abstentions

    Postseason

    NCAA FCS Playoff bracket

      First Round
    November 28
    Campus Sites
        Second Round
    December 5
    Campus Sites
        Quarterfinals
    December 11 and 12
    Campus Sites
        Semifinals
    December 18 and 19
    Campus Sites
        National Championship
    January 9
    Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
                                                   
          1  Jacksonville State* 41  
       Chattanooga* 50      Chattanooga 35    
       Fordham 20         1  Jacksonville State* 58  
        8  Charleston Southern 38    
          8  Charleston Southern* 14    
       Coastal Carolina* 38      The Citadel 6  
       The Citadel 41       1  Jacksonville State* 62  
         Sam Houston State 10    
          4  McNeese State* 29  
       Sam Houston State* 42      Sam Houston State 34    
       Southern Utah 39          Sam Houston State* 48  
         Colgate 21  
          5  James Madison* 38    
       New Hampshire* 20      Colgate 44  
       Colgate 27       1  Jacksonville State 10
        3  North Dakota State 37
          2  Illinois State* 36  
       Dayton* 7      Western Illinois 19    
       Western Illinois 24         2  Illinois State* 27  
        7  Richmond 39    
          7  Richmond* 48    
       William & Mary* 52      William & Mary 13  
       Duquesne 49       7  Richmond 7  
        3  North Dakota State* 33  
          3  North Dakota State* 37  
       Montana* 24      Montana 6    
       South Dakota State 17         3  North Dakota State* 23  
         Northern Iowa 13  
          6  Portland State* 17    
       Northern Iowa* 53      Northern Iowa 29  
       Eastern Illinois 17  

    * Home team   
      Overtime   
     Winner

    Celebration Bowl

    The Celebration Bowl is a game played between the champions of the MEAC and SWAC. The 2015 Celebration Bowl was the first edition of the bowl, which took place in Atlanta's Georgia Dome on December 19 between the Alcorn State Braves and the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

    1 2 3 4 Total
    Alcorn State 6 7 7 14 34
    North Carolina A&T 21 3 3 14 41

    Coaching changes

    Preseason and in-season

    This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2015. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2015, see 2014 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

    School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
    Jackson State Harold Jackson October 7 Fired Derrick McCall (interim)[3]
    Tony Hughes[4]

    End of season

    School Outgoing coach Date announced Reason Replacement
    South Dakota Glenn, JoeJoe Glenn November 22 Retired[5] Nielson, BobBob Nielson[6]
    Austin Peay Cannon, KirbyKirby Cannon November 23 Fired[7] Healy, WillWill Healy[8]
    Montana State Ash, RobRob Ash November 23 Fired[9] Choate, JeffJeff Choate[10]
    Eastern Kentucky Hood, DeanDean Hood November 23 Fired[11] Elder, MarkMark Elder[12]
    Maine Cosgrove, JackJack Cosgrove November 24 Transferred to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for UMaine[13] Harasymiak, JoeJoe Harasymiak[14]
    Texas Southern Asberry, DarrellDarrell Asberry November 29 Resigned[15] Haywood, MichaelMichael Haywood[16]
    Southern Illinois Lennon, DaleDale Lennon November 30 Fired[17] Hill, NickNick Hill[18]
    Tennessee Tech Brown, WatsonWatson Brown December 2 Retired[19] Satterfield, MarcusMarcus Satterfield[20]
    Jacksonville Bell, KerwinKerwin Bell December 3 Fired[21] Shields, IanIan Shields[22]
    Fordham Moorhead, JoeJoe Moorhead December 12 Hired as offensive coordinator by Penn State[23] Breiner, AndrewAndrew Breiner[24]
    McNeese State Viator, MattMatt Viator December 14 Hired as head coach by Louisiana–Monroe[25] Guidry, LanceLance Guidry[26]
    Western Illinois Nielson, BobBob Nielson December 16 Hired as head coach by South Dakota[6] Charlie Fisher[27]
    Southern Utah Lamb, EdEd Lamb December 26 Hired as assistant head coach by BYU[28] Warren, DemarioDemario Warren
    James Madison Withers, EverettEverett Withers January 7 Hired as head coach by Texas State Houston, MikeMike Houston[29]
    The Citadel Houston, MikeMike Houston January 18 Hired as head coach by James Madison[30] Thompson, BrentBrent Thompson[31]

    See also

    References

    1. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/article/122370/etsu-looks-to-science-hill-for-football-stadium-to-call-home-for-next-two-seasons/
    2. Sherman, Rodger (October 10, 2015). "FCS Portland State beat North Texas so badly, the Mean Green immediately fired their head coach". SB Nation. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
    3. Coleman, Ray. "JSU fires Harold Jackson as football coach". Retrieved 4 December 2015.
    4. Morales, Antonio. "Jackson State hires Tony Hughes as next coach". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
    5. Garry, Mick. "USD's Joe Glenn to retire". Argus Leader. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
    6. 1 2 Pautsch, Brad. "South Dakota AD Herbster finds new football coach at conference rival". KITV.com. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
    7. Allison, Autumn. "Austin Peay football coach Cannon is out". The Leaf Chronicle. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
    8. "Will Healy, head football coach". Austin Peay Governors.
    9. Maletz, Jon. "MSU ousts Ash as head football coach". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
    10. "Jeff Choate Joins Montana State University as Bobcat Head Football Coach". Retrieved 7 December 2015.
    11. "EKU Relieves Dean Hood As Head Football Coach". EKU Athletics. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
    12. Cornelison, Mark. "'Humbled' Mark Elder introduced as new Eastern Kentucky football coach". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
    13. "Jack Cosgrove to transfer to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for UMaine". GoBlackBears.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
    14. Warner, Pete. "UMaine selects new head football coach". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
    15. Gotera, Daniel. "Darrell Asberry steps down as TSU football coach". Retrieved 4 December 2015.
    16. "Texas Southern hiring Michael Haywood as football coach". Retrieved 4 December 2015.
    17. Barnett, Zach. "Southern Illinois head coach Dale Lennon will not return". Football Scoop. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
    18. "Dale Lennon Fired/Nick Hill hired as SIU's football coach". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
    19. Organ, Mike. "Watson Brown retires as a college football coach". Football Scoop. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
    20. "Satterfield selected Tennessee Tech's new coach". Columbia Daily Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
    21. Frenette, Gene. "Kerwin Bell out as Jacksonville University football coach". Florida Times Union. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
    22. Elliott, Jeff. "Coach Ian Shields bringing new approach to JU football". Florida Times Union. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
    23. "Joe Moorhead to take over Nittany Lions' offense". ESPN.com. December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
    24. "Andrew Breiner Named Head Football Coach at Fordham". Fordham Sports. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
    25. "Matt Viator named head football coach at ULM". ulm.edu. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
    26. "Lance Guidry named McNeese head coach". The Advertiser. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
    27. "Western Illinois tabs Charlie Fisher new football coach". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
    28. "SUU football: Ed Lamb accepts position at BYU". The Spectrum. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
    29. "Citadel head football coach Houston leaving for James Madison". WCIV-TV. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
    30. "Citadel head football coach Houston leaving for James Madison". WCIV-TV. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
    31. "Citadel names Brent Thompson new head football coach". Charleston Post-Courier. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.