2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2011 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Duration	September – November
Payton Award	Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington
Buchanan Award	Matt Evans, New Hampshire
Playoff
Duration	November 26, 2011 – January 7, 2012
Championship date	January 7, 2012
Championship site	Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX
Champion	North Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2010 2012»

The 2011 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, began on September 1, 2011 and concluded with the National Championship Game of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on January 7, 2012 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State University won their first FCS championship, defeating Sam Houston State by a final score of 17–6.

New FCS program

• The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), which played its first football season in school history, was technically a new FCS program. However, UTSA announced before the 2011 season that it was transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Roadrunners played one season as an FCS independent, and under NCAA rules for transitioning programs were ineligible for the FCS playoffs. They will then join the Western Athletic Conference in 2012, but will be ineligible for FBS bowl games. UTSA will become a full FBS member upon completion of the transition in 2013. The Roadrunners, coached by former Miami head coach Larry Coker, play at the Alamodome in downtown San Antonio.

Teams transitioning to FBS

See also: 2010–12 NCAA conference realignment

In addition to UTSA, three other schools began transitions to the FBS. They are subject to the same restrictions as UTSA regarding postseason eligibility until 2013.

• The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), currently a member of the non-football Atlantic 10 Conference and a football-only member of the Colonial Athletic Association, will move for football only to the Mid-American Conference effective in 2012.
• The University of South Alabama, after two years as an unclassified NCAA program, played its first complete NCAA season. The Jaguars, already full members of the Sun Belt Conference, will eventually join that conference for football as well.
• Texas State University–San Marcos (Texas State), a Southland Conference member, will join the WAC along with UTSA in 2012. As a result, they were classified as an FCS Independent in 2011 despite playing a full seven-game Southland Conference schedule.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

• September 3:
  • Richmond 23, Duke 21
  • Sacramento State 29, Oregon State 28 (OT)
• September 17:
  • Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16
• September 24:
  • Sam Houston State 48, New Mexico 45 (OT)
  • North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24
  • Southern Utah 41, UNLV 16

Conference standings

2011 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Montana State $^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 5 Montana† ^   5 – 1     6 – 2   Portland State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Eastern Washington   5 – 3     6 – 5   Weber State   5 – 3     5 – 6   Northern Arizona   3 – 5     4 – 7   Sacramento State   3 – 5     4 – 7   Idaho State*   1 – 7     2 – 9   Northern Colorado   0 – 8     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant † Montana vacated two conference wins, five total wins, their conference co-championship, and playoff participation (three games, including two of the five total wins) in 2011 * Idaho State ineligible for FCS playoffs due to APR violations Rankings from The Sports Network poll, using Montana's later-diminished W–L record	2011 Big South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 18 Stony Brook $^   6 – 0     9 – 4   No. 25 Liberty   5 – 1     7 – 4   Coastal Carolina   3 – 3     7 – 4   Presbyterian   3 – 3     4 – 7   Gardner–Webb   2 – 4     4 – 7   VMI   2 – 4     2 – 9   Charleston Southern   0 – 6     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Colonial Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Towson $^   7 – 1     9 – 3   No. 10 Old Dominion ^   6 – 2     10 – 3   No. 8 Maine ^   6 – 2     9 – 4   No. 11 New Hampshire ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 17 Delaware   5 – 3     7 – 4   No. 15 James Madison ^   5 – 3     8 – 5   William & Mary   3 – 5     5 – 6   Rhode Island   2 – 6     3 – 8   Villanova   1 – 7     2 – 9   Richmond   0 – 8     3 – 8   UMass *   0 – 0     5 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – UMass' conference record was 0–0 because they were transitioning to FBS. Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2011 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   South Alabama   –     6 – 4   Texas State   –     6 – 6   UTSA   –     4 – 6   Georgia State   –     3 – 8	2011 Great West Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 23 North Dakota +   3 – 1     8 – 3   Cal Poly +   3 – 1     6 – 5   South Dakota   2 – 2     6 – 5   Southern Utah   1 – 3     6 – 5   UC Davis   1 – 3     4 – 7   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Ivy League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Harvard $   7 – 0     9 – 1   Brown   4 – 3     7 – 3   Dartmouth   4 – 3     5 – 5   Penn   4 – 3     5 – 5   Yale   4 – 3     5 – 5   Cornell   3 – 4     5 – 5   Columbia   1 – 6     1 – 9   Princeton   1 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Norfolk State $^   7 – 1     9 – 3   Bethune–Cookman   6 – 2     8 – 3   South Carolina State   6 – 2     7 – 4   Florida A&M   5 – 3     7 – 4   Hampton   5 – 3     7 – 4   Howard   4 – 4     5 – 6   Morgan State   4 – 4     5 – 6   North Carolina A&T   4 – 4     5 – 6   Delaware State   1 – 7     3 – 8   North Carolina Central   1 – 7     2 – 9   Savannah State   1 – 7     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 North Dakota State +^   7 – 1     14 – 1   No. 6 Northern Iowa +^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 20 Illinois State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Indiana State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Youngstown State   4 – 4     6 – 5   South Dakota State   4 – 4     5 – 6   Southern Illinois   2 – 6     4 – 7   Missouri State   2 – 6     2 – 9   Western Illinois   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Northeast Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Duquesne +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Albany +^   7 – 1     8 – 4   Bryant   5 – 3     7 – 4   Monmouth   4 – 4     5 – 6   Wagner   4 – 4     4 – 7   Sacred Heart   3 – 5     5 – 6   Central Connecticut   3 – 5     4 – 7   Robert Morris   2 – 6     2 – 9   Saint Francis (PA)   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant
2011 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 21 Tennessee Tech +^   6 – 2     7 – 4   Eastern Kentucky +^   6 – 2     7 – 5   Jacksonville State +   6 – 2     7 – 4   Murray State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Tennessee State   4 – 4     5 – 6   UT Martin   4 – 4     5 – 6   Austin Peay   2 – 6     3 – 8   Southeast Missouri State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Eastern Illinois   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Patriot League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Lehigh $^   6 – 0     11 – 2   Georgetown   4 – 2     8 – 3   Holy Cross   4 – 2     6 – 5   Bucknell   3 – 3     6 – 5   Colgate   2 – 4     5 – 6   Lafayette   2 – 4     4 – 7   Fordham   0 – 6     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Fordham was ineligible for conference title because they offered football scholarships while other Patriot League members did not. Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Pioneer Football League standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   San Diego +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Drake +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Jacksonville   6 – 2     7 – 4   Campbell   5 – 3     6 – 5   Dayton   4 – 4     6 – 5   Marist   3 – 5     4 – 7   Butler   3 – 5     5 – 6   Davidson   2 – 6     4 – 7   Morehead State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Valparaiso   1 – 7     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions
2011 Southern Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Georgia Southern $^   7 – 1     11 – 3   No. 12 Wofford ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 9 Appalachian State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   Furman   5 – 3     6 – 5   Samford   4 – 4     6 – 5   Chattanooga   3 – 5     5 – 6   Elon   3 – 5     5 – 6   The Citadel   2 – 6     4 – 7   Western Carolina   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network Poll	2011 Southland Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Sam Houston State $^   7 – 0     14 – 1   No. 14 Central Arkansas ^   6 – 1     9 – 4   Stephen F. Austin   5 – 2     6 – 5   McNeese State   4 – 3     6 – 5   Northwestern State   3 – 4     5 – 6   Lamar   2 – 5     4 – 7   Southeastern Louisiana   1 – 6     3 – 8   Nicholls State   0 – 7     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division No. 21 Jackson State x   7 – 2     9 – 2   Alabama State x   7 – 2     8 – 3   Alabama A&M xy   7 – 2     8 – 4   Alcorn State   1 – 8     2 – 8   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 8     1 – 10   West Division Grambling State xy$   6 – 3     8 – 4   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   5 – 4     6 – 5   Prairie View A&M   5 – 4     5 – 6   Southern   4 – 5     4 – 7   Texas Southern   2 – 7     4 – 7   Championship: Grambling State 16, Alabama A&M 15 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Jackson State and Southern were ineligible to participate in the SWAC Championship Game due to low APR scores. Rankings from The Sports Network Poll

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

• Big Sky Conference – Montana
• Big South Conference – Stony Brook
• Colonial Athletic Association – Towson
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Norfolk State
• Northeast Conference – Albany
• Ohio Valley Conference – Tennessee Tech
• Patriot League – Lehigh
• Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
• Southland Conference – Sam Houston State

At large qualifiers

• Big Sky Conference – Montana State
• Colonial Athletic Association – James Madison, Maine, New Hampshire, Old Dominion
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – Northern Iowa
• Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
• Southern Conference – Appalachian State, Wofford
• Southland Conference – Central Arkansas

No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids.

Abstains

• Ivy League – Harvard
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

Postseason

NCAA FCS Playoff bracket

Template:20TeamBracket * Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Main article: SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 10	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Grambling State	Alabama A&M	GSU 16 – AAMU 15

See also

• 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings