FCS Kickoff
FCS Kickoff | |
---|---|
Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff | |
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Stadium | Cramton Bowl (2017–present) |
Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
Previous stadiums | Campus sites (2014–2016) |
Operated | 2014–present |
Sponsors | |
Guardian Credit Union (2017–present) | |
2019 matchup | |
Youngstown State 45, Samford 22 |
The FCS Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the Saturday before the opening weekend of the college football season. The game showcases teams from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). For the game's first three editions, it was played at campus sites; since 2017, the game has been played at a neutral site, the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The game is televised nationally by ESPN, and for sponsorship reasons is officially the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff.
History
In February 2013, ESPN announced that the 2014 college football season would begin at its earliest point in 11 years with the creation of the "FCS Kickoff", an annual game which would showcase two top-level teams from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. ESPN stated that during meetings with FCS conference commissioners there was an interest in creating a "tentpole type" event around FCS football[1] and to showcase the quality and depth of FCS football to a national audience.[2]
Under current NCAA rules, FCS teams are not allowed to play their first regular-season game until the Thursday preceding Labor Day. However, an exception to this rule has been carved out for nationally televised events (on either over-the-air or cable networks); teams may participate in such an event against an out-of-conference opponent on the Saturday or Sunday preceding the standard season start date. No more than one team from a conference can participate in such an event in a given season, and no team can appear in such a game in three consecutive seasons.[3]
The 2017 edition marked several changes for the event. First, ESPN took ownership of the event through its ESPN Events division. The event was moved to a neutral site (the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama); received a name sponsorship by Guardian Credit Union, a small Montgomery-based credit union; was co-branded as the Montgomery Kickoff Classic; and also took on Alabama FCS member Jacksonville State University as a partner for the 2017 and 2018 editions. As such, JSU participated in both editions of the event.[4][5] With Jacksonville State barred from a third consecutive FCS Kickoff appearance by NCAA rule, ESPN chose another Alabama program, Samford, as the de facto home team for the 2019 edition.[6]
The 2020 edition, pitting Austin Peay and Central Arkansas, will be the first since ESPN took ownership of the event that will not feature an Alabama school.[7]
Game results
Date | Winning team | Losing team | Venue | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 23, 2014 | No. 1 Eastern Washington Eagles | 56 | No. 17 Sam Houston State Bearkats | 35 | Roos Field (Cheney, WA) | 10,310[8] |
August 29, 2015 | No. 13 Montana Grizzlies | 38 | No. 1 North Dakota State Bison | 35 | Washington–Grizzly Stadium (Missoula, MT) | 26,472[9] |
August 27, 2016 | No. 1 North Dakota State Bison | 24 | No. 7 Charleston Southern Buccaneers | 17 | Fargodome (Fargo, ND) | 18,881[10] |
August 26, 2017 | No. 6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 27 | No. 12 Chattanooga Mocs | 13 | Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, AL) | 12,952[11] |
August 25, 2018 | No. 14 North Carolina A&T Aggies | 20 | No. 6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 17 | 13,500[12] | |
August 24, 2019 | Youngstown State Penguins | 45 | Samford Bulldogs | 22 | 12,560[13] | |
August 29, 2020 | Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas |
Rankings are from the STATS FCS Poll.
Records
By team
Rank | Team | Apps | Record | Win % | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eastern Washington | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 56 | 35 |
Montana | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 38 | 35 | |
North Carolina A&T | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 20 | 17 | |
Youngstown State | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 45 | 22 | |
5 | Jacksonville State | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | 44 | 33 |
North Dakota State | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | 59 | 55 | |
7 | Charleston Southern | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 17 | 24 |
Chattanooga | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 13 | 27 | |
Sam Houston State | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 35 | 56 | |
Samford | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 22 | 45 |
By conference
Rank | Conference | Apps | Record | Win % | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Big Sky | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 | 94 | 70 |
MEAC | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 20 | 17 | |
3 | MVFC | 3 | 2–1 | .667 | 104 | 77 |
4 | Ohio Valley | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | 44 | 33 |
5 | Big South | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 17 | 24 |
Southland | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 35 | 56 | |
Southern | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 35 | 72 |
References
- ^ "ESPN to give college football season an early start in 2014". usatoday.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "College football season to kick off with FCS battle between Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington on August 23". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "Bylaw 17.10.3.2: First Contest, Exception—Nationally Televised Contest—Championship Subdivision" (PDF). 2018–19 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. July 2018. p. 272. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
- ^ Rankin, Duane; Stevens, Matthew (October 12, 2016). "ESPN announces Montgomery Kickoff Classic for 2017". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
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(help) - ^ "Guardian Credit Union Joins FCS Kickoff as Title Sponsor" (Press release). ESPN. March 21, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ Haley, Craig (September 25, 2018). "Samford, Youngstown State to meet in 2019 FCS Kickoff". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
- ^ "Austin Peay Football to Open 2020 at Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Sam Houston State Bearkats vs. Eastern Washington Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ "North Dakota State Bison vs. Montana Grizzlies Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ^ "Charleston Southern Buccaneers vs. North Dakota State Bison Box Score". ESPN.com. August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ "Chattanooga Mocs vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks Box Score". ESPN.com. August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks Box Score". ESPN.com. August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ "Youngstown State Penguins vs. Samford Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.