The 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.
Notable changes [edit]
For 2013, the FCS playoffs expand for the first time since 2010. The Pioneer Football League champion will receive an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs, which increases to 24 teams.
Under a standard provision of NCAA rules, all FCS programs will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games (not counting conference title games) in 2013, and also in 2014. In years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays, FCS programs may play 12 games instead of the regular 11. After 2014, the next season in which 12-game seasons are allowed will be 2019.[1]
Conference changes and new programs [edit]
Several teams will change conferences from the 2012 season. Albany and Stony Brook will become football-only members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Previously, they had respectively been football-only members of the Northeast Conference and Big South Conference.
Georgia State is leaving the FCS ranks to become a member of the Sun Belt Conference. As it began its FBS transition in 2012, it will be counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes in 2013.[2]
Old Dominion will join Conference USA (C-USA) in July 2013, at which time it will start an FBS transition. ODU will technically be an FCS independent in 2013 before becoming a provisional FBS member in 2014 and a full FBS member in 2015.
The Southland Conference is adding four schools in July 2013—two with established football programs, one launching a new program, and another (New Orleans) without varsity football. The established programs are Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word, both joining from the Division II Lone Star Conference. They will not be counted as FCS members for scheduling purposes until the 2014 season. Houston Baptist, arriving from the Division I Great West Conference, will field a football team for the first time in 2013, but will only play an exhibition schedule. Houston Baptist will also begin playing a full Southland schedule in 2014.
Monmouth announced in December 2012 that it would leave the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), effective in July 2013.[3] As the MAAC does not sponsor football, Monmouth's football plans were uncertain. Those plans became clear on February 14, 2013, when the Big South Conference announced that Monmouth would become a football-only member of that league in 2014. Since Monmouth is transitioning from the limited-scholarship NEC to a conference that allows the full FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents, the Hawks will play the 2013 football season as an independent.[4]
In addition to the schools changing conferences, three others will launch FCS football programs. Charlotte will play as an FCS independent in its first football season, as part of its announced plan to become a full FBS member in 2015. The 49ers will join C-USA for non-football sports in July 2013, will be counted as an FBS program for scheduling purposes in 2014, and will become a C-USA football member in 2015. Two other schools, Mercer and Stetson, are reinstating varsity football after decades-long absences—Mercer last played in 1941 and Stetson in 1956. Both will operate as non-scholarship programs in the Pioneer Football League.
Finally, two Southern Conference members, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, were officially announced on March 27, 2013 as future Sun Belt members. Both schools will begin FBS transitions in 2013 in advance of their 2014 entry into the Sun Belt. They will be counted as FBS members for scheduling purposes in 2014, and will be eligible for the Sun Belt football championship, but will not be eligible for bowl games until completing their transitions in 2015.[5][6]
New, expanded, renovated, and temporary stadiums [edit]
New stadiums [edit]
- Albany will make its CAA debut in Bob Ford Field, a new 8,500-seat on-campus stadium. University Field, which Albany had used for both football and track since 1970, will now be solely a track venue.
- Charlotte will make its football debut in McColl–Richardson Field, a new on-campus stadium. It will initially have a capacity of 15,300, but can be expanded to 25,000 with temporary seating. The stadium design allows future expansion to 40,000.
- Mercer will play at the Moye Complex, a new on-campus venue with a capacity of 10,200.
- Stetson will play at the already-existing Spec Martin Stadium, an off-campus stadium owned by Stetson's home city of DeLand, Florida. The stadium holds 6,000.
Expanded stadiums [edit]
Renovated stadiums [edit]
Temporary stadiums [edit]
FCS team wins over FBS teams [edit]
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Conference standings [edit]
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| 2013 Patriot League football standings |
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Conf |
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Overall |
| Team |
|
W |
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L |
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|
W |
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L |
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| Bucknell |
|
0 |
– |
0 |
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|
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|
0 |
– |
0 |
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| Colgate |
|
0 |
– |
0 |
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|
0 |
– |
0 |
|
| Fordham |
|
0 |
– |
0 |
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0 |
– |
0 |
|
| Georgetown |
|
0 |
– |
0 |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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| Holy Cross |
|
0 |
– |
0 |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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| Lafayette |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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| Lehigh |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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0 |
– |
0 |
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† – Conference champion
^ – FCS playoff participant
- Fordham ineligible for conference title because they previously offered football scholarships while other Patriot League members did not; Fordham's official conference record will be 0-0 and won't occupy a spot in the conference standings
Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
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See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Bylaws 17.9.3 and 17.9.5.1". 2012–13 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (April 7, 2012). "Sun Belt adding Georgia State". College Football Insider (CBSSports.com). Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ "Monmouth University Joins the MAAC" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. December 14, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ^ "Big South Adds Monmouth University as Associate Football Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ^ "Appalachian State to Join Sun Belt Conference in 2014" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "Georgia Southern to Join Sun Belt Conference in 2014" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
