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2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2022 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. The regular season began on August 27 and ended on November 19. The postseason began on November 26, and ended on January 8, 2023, with the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. South Dakota State defeated defending champion North Dakota State, 45-21, to win the title.

Conference changes and new programs

  • The ASUN Conference and Western Athletic Conference renewed their football alliance for the 2022 season, after each suffered key losses of members starting FBS transitions (Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State), rendering them ineligible for a playoff automatic qualifier (AQ) as separate leagues. Eight alliance members (three WAC, five ASUN) competed for a single AQ in the FCS playoffs.
  • After announcing a move to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2022 season in a November 2021 press conference, Incarnate Word reversed course in June 2022, just days before it was to officially join the WAC, and recommitted to the Southland Conference. At the same time, Lamar returned to the Southland after just one season in the WAC (and WAC–ASUN Challenge).

Notable headlines

  • August 31 – The Division I Board of Directors adopted a series of changes to transfer rules.
  • Transfer windows were adopted for all Division I sports. Student-athletes who wish to be immediately eligible at their next school must enter the NCAA transfer portal within the designated period(s) for their sport. For FCS football, two windows were established: a 45-day window starting the day after postseason selections are made, and a spring window from May 1–15. Accommodations will be made for participants in the FCS championship game.
  • Student-athletes who experience head coaching changes, or those whose athletic aid is reduced, canceled, or not renewed, may transfer outside designated windows without penalty.
  • Transferring student-athletes will be guaranteed their financial aid at their next school through graduation.
  • September 21 – Houston Baptist University announced a name change to Houston Christian University, effective immediately.
  • December 9 – In the highest-scoring game in FCS playoff history, Incarnate Word defeated previously unbeaten Sacramento State 66–63. UIW quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. threw four touchdown passes to bring his season total to 59, surpassing the previous FCS record of 57 held by Jeremiah Briscoe of Sam Houston in 2016. Scott ended the season with 60, having thrown one TD pass in UIW's 35–32 semifinal loss to North Dakota State.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 2: William & Mary 41, Charlotte 24<br> September 3: Delaware 14, Navy 7<br> September 10: Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 <sup>7OT</sup><br> September 10: Incarnate Word 55, Nevada 41<br> September 10: Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31<br> September 10: Weber State 35, Utah State 7<br> September 17: Southern Illinois 31, Northwestern 24<br> September 24: Sacramento State 41, Colorado State 10<br>

Conference standings

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

At large qualifiers

Abstentions

Postseason

The FCS again featured a 24-team postseason bracket: 11 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 13 at-large bids; the top eight teams were seeded.

Bowl game

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

Rankings

The top 25 from the STATS and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

Final rankings

Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 27 with seven games in Week 0:

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the STATS Poll.

Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

During the regular season, 13 unranked teams defeated a ranked team.

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2022, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2022, see 2021 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2022 season:

  • When players are disqualified for a targeting call in the second half or in overtime (which requires a carryover penalty of sitting out the first half of the next scheduled game), an appeals process will be available to allow the National Coordinator of Officials (currently Steve Shaw) to review tapes of the targeting penalty for consideration of not requiring the player to sit out the first half of the following game.
  • Injury timeouts awarded due to "deceptive actions" during a game will also be able to reviewed by the National Coordinator of Officials to determine what sanctions, if any, against teams who use this tactic, enforced at the conference or school level.
  • Blocking below the waist will only be permitted inside the tackle box by linemen and stationary backs. Blocks below the waist outside of the tackle box are not allowed.
  • Defensive holding will remain a 10-yard penalty but will always carry an automatic first down.
  • Codifying the rule change made shortly after the 2021 ACC Championship Game, ball carriers who simulate a feet-first slide will be declared down at that spot.
  • Uniform rules would require the sock/leg covering to go from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, similar to the NFL rule.

Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:

See also

References