2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2010 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began in September 2010 and concluded with the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2011. In the title game, Eastern Washington defeated Delaware, 20–19, to claim their first Division I national title in any team sport.

2010 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
DurationSeptember – November
Payton AwardJeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin
Buchanan AwardJ. C. Sherritt, Eastern Washington
Playoff
DurationNovember 27 – December 18
Championship dateJanuary 7, 2011
Championship sitePizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
ChampionEastern Washington
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

For the first time since 1997, the final game was played at a new location—Pizza Hut Park in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas.[1] Every title game since 1997 had been held at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but the NCAA opened the hosting rights for the 2010–2012 championship games for bids during the 2009 season, as the hosting contract between the NCAA and the Chattanooga organizers was set to expire. In addition to Frisco and Chattanooga, three other cities submitted bids:[2]

The field of bidders was eventually cut to Chattanooga and Frisco, with Frisco being announced as the winner on February 26, 2010.[1]

The January finish to the season was the result of an expanded playoff schedule. The championship tournament expanded from 16 teams to 20, with the Big South and Northeast Conference earning automatic bids for the first time. Eight teams played first-round games, with the remaining participants receiving byes into the second round. The playoffs began at their normal time on Thanksgiving weekend, specifically on November 27. According to early reports, the championship game would be played sometime between December 29 and January 7,[3] with the latter date ultimately chosen.

Conference and program changes

New FCS programs

Two FCS programs began play in the 2010 season, and a third officially launched its program but chose not to compete until 2011:

  • Georgia State University fielded the first football team in its history. The Panthers play all home games at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, with the upper decks being covered so that the fans are restricted to the lower tier of the 71,000+ capacity stadium. Coached by Bill Curry, a former FBS head coach, they participate in the Colonial Athletic Association, although they will not play a full conference schedule until 2012.
  • Lamar University revived its program after a 21-season absence. The Cardinals play their home games in Provost Umphrey Stadium, the same venue that hosted the Cardinals before their demise after the 1989 season but was extensively renovated for their FCS return. The Southland Conference members, coached by former NFL player Ray Woodard, did not play a full conference schedule until 2011.
  • UTSA officially began its football program during this season, however all of its players were redshirted so that the season could be used for practice only.

Conference changes
School2009 conference2010 conference
HofstraCAADropped program
NortheasternCAADropped program
Savannah StateFCS independentMEAC

FCS team wins over FBS teams

Conference standings
2010 Big Sky Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 Eastern Washington +^  7 –1   13 –2  
No. 11 Montana State +^  7 –1   9 –3  
No. 20 Montana  5 –3   7 –4  
Weber State  5 –3   6 –5  
Sacramento State  5 –3   6 –5  
Northern Arizona  4 –4   6 –5  
Northern Colorado  2 –6   3 –8  
Portland State  1 –7   2 –9  
Idaho State  0 –8   1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Big South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 21 Liberty +  5 –1   8 –3  
Stony Brook +  5 –1   6 –5  
Coastal Carolina +^  5 –1   6 –6  
Gardner–Webb  2 –4   4 –7  
VMI  2 –4   3 –8  
Charleston Southern  1 –5   3 –8  
Presbyterian  1 –5   2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 Delaware +^  6 –2   12 –3  
No. 10 William & Mary +^  6 –2   8 –4  
No. 3 Villanova ^  5 –3   9 –5  
No. 7 New Hampshire ^  5 –3   8 –5  
UMass  4 –4   6 –5  
Richmond  4 –4   6 –5  
Rhode Island  4 –4   5 –6  
James Madison  3 –5   6 –5  
Maine  3 –5   4 –7  
Towson  0 –8   1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Great West Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Southern Utah $  4 –0   6 –5  
UC Davis  3 –1   6 –5  
No. 24 Cal Poly  2 –2   7 –4  
South Dakota  1 –3   4 –7  
North Dakota  0 –4   3 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 18 Penn $  7 –0   9 –1  
Harvard  5 –2   7 –3  
Yale  5 –2   7 –3  
Brown  5 –2   6 –4  
Dartmouth  3 –4   6 –4  
Columbia  2 –5   4 –6  
Cornell  1 –6   2 –8  
Princeton  0 –7   1 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 15 Bethune–Cookman +^  7 –1   10 –2  
No. 16 South Carolina State +^  7 –1   9 –3  
Florida A&M +  7 –1   8 –3  
Hampton  5 –3   6 –5  
Norfolk State  4 –4   6 –5  
Morgan State  3 –5   4 –7  
Delaware State  2 –6   3 –8  
North Carolina A&T  1 –7   1 –10  
Howard  0 –8   1 –10  
North Carolina Central *  0 –0   3 –8  
Savannah State *  0 –0   1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * Not eligible for conference championship
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 19 Northern Iowa $^  6 –2   7 –5  
No. 17 Western Illinois ^  5 –3   8 –5  
No. 9 North Dakota State ^  4 –4   9 –5  
Indiana State  4 –4   6 –5  
Illinois State  4 –4   6 –5  
South Dakota State  4 –4   5 –6  
Missouri State  4 –4   5 –6  
Southern Illinois  4 –4   5 –6  
Youngstown State  1 –7   3 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Northeast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Robert Morris +^  7 –1   8 –3  
Central Connecticut State +  7 –1   8 –3  
Duquesne  5 –3   7 –4  
Bryant  4 –4   7 –4  
Albany  4 –4   6 –5  
Wagner  3 –5   5 –6  
Monmouth  3 –5   3 –8  
Sacred Heart  2 –6   4 –7  
Saint Francis (PA)  1 –7   1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
2010 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 13 Southeast Missouri State $^  7 –1   9 –3  
No. 12 Jacksonville State ^  6 –2   9 –3  
Eastern Kentucky  5 –2   6 –5  
Murray State  5 –3   6 –5  
UT Martin  5 –3   6 –5  
Tennessee Tech  4 –4   5 –6  
Eastern Illinois  2 –6   2 –9  
Austin Peay  1 –7   2 –9  
Tennessee State  0 –7   3 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Patriot League football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 14 Lehigh $^  5 –0   10 –3  
Colgate  3 –2   7 –4  
Holy Cross  3 –2   6 –5  
Georgetown  2 –3   4 –7  
Lafayette  1 –4   2 –9  
Bucknell  1 –4   1 –10  
Fordham  0 –0   5 –6  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Pioneer Football League standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 22 Jacksonville +  8 –0   10 –1  
No. 25 Dayton +  8 –0   10 –1  
Drake  6 –2   7 –4  
San Diego  5 –3   5 –6  
Morehead State  4 –4   5 –6  
Davidson  3 –5   3 –8  
Butler  2 –6   4 –7  
Marist  2 –6   3 –8  
Campbell  2 –6   3 –8  
Valparaiso  0 –8   0 –11  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Appalachian State +^  7 –1   10 –3  
No. 6 Wofford +^  7 –1   10 –3  
No. 5 Georgia Southern ^  5 –3   10 –5  
Chattanooga  5 –3   6 –5  
Elon  5 –3   6 –5  
Furman  3 –5   5 –6  
Samford  2 –6   4 –7  
The Citadel  1 –7   3 –8  
Western Carolina  1 –7   2 –9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
2010 Southland Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 8 Stephen F. Austin $^  6 –1   9 –3  
McNeese State  5 –2   6 –5  
Central Arkansas  4 –3   7 –4  
Sam Houston State  4 –3   6 –5  
Northwestern State  4 –3   5 –6  
Nicholls State  3 –4   4 –7  
Texas State  1 –6   4 –7  
Southeastern Louisiana  1 –6   2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
Alabama State xy  6 –3   7 –5  
Jackson State x  6 –3   8 –3  
Alcorn State  4 –5   5 –6  
Alabama A&M  2 –7   3 –8  
Mississippi Valley State  0 –9   0 –10  
West Division
Texas Southern xy$  8 –1   9 –3  
No. 23 Grambling State x  8 –1   9 –2  
Prairie View A&M  6 –3   7 –4  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff  4 –5   5 –6  
Southern  1 –8   2 –9  
Championship: Texas Southern 11, Alabama State 6
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
2010 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Old Dominion   –   8 –3  
Georgia State   –   6 –5  
Lamar   –   5 –6  
North Carolina Central   –   3 –8  
Savannah State   –   1 –10  

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

At large qualifiers

No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids. In order for a team from a conference without an automatic bid to be eligible for the playoffs, it must have a minimum of seven Division I wins, with at least two against teams in automatic bid conferences. The team in question also must be ranked an average of 16 or better in the national rankings.

Abstains

(Overall Record, Conference Record)

Postseason

After 24 seasons with a playoff field of sixteen teams, the FCS bracket was expanded to twenty this postseason, with the five seeded teams and seven others receiving first-round byes. The championship game was moved to January, three weeks after the mid-December semifinals.

The FCS playoff field was twenty for three seasons, then expanded to 24 in 2013.

NCAA Division I playoff bracket
First Round
November 27
Campus sites 		Second Round
December 4
Campus sites 		Quarterfinals
December 10 and 11
Campus sites 		Semifinals
December 17 and 18
Campus sites 		National Championship Game

January 7
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas

Western Illinois 14
Western Illinois 17 1 Appalachian State* 42
Coastal Carolina* 10 1 Appalachian State* 24
Villanova 42
Villanova 54
Stephen F. Austin* 24
Villanova 31
5 Eastern Washington* 41
North Dakota State 42
Robert Morris 17 4 Montana State* 17
North Dakota State* 43 North Dakota State 31
5 Eastern Washington* 38
SE Missouri State 17
5 Eastern Washington* 37
5 Eastern Washington 20
3 Delaware 19
Georgia Southern 31
South Carolina State 16 2 William & Mary* 15
Georgia Southern* 41 Georgia Southern 23
Wofford* 20
Wofford 17
Jacksonville State* 14
Georgia Southern 10
3 Delaware* 27
Lehigh 20
Lehigh 14 3 Delaware* 42
Northern Iowa* 7 3 Delaware* 16
New Hampshire 3
New Hampshire 45
Bethune–Cookman* 20
* Home team

SWAC Championship Game
Main article: SWAC Championship Game
DateLocationVenueWest Div. ChampionEast Div. ChampionResult
December 11[5] Birmingham, Alabama Legion Field Texas Southern Alabama State TSU 11 – ASU 6

Global Kilimanjaro Bowl
Main article: 2011 Kilimanjaro Bowl

On September 1, 2010, Drake University announced it would participate in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American football game played on the continent of Africa. The game featured the Drake Bulldogs versus Mexican All-Star team CONADEIP. Due to the seasonal difference in Africa, the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl was played on May 21, 2011.[6]

DateLocationVenueMexican TeamUSA TeamResult
May 21, 2011 Arusha, Tanzania Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium CONADEIP Stars Drake Bulldogs Drake 17 – CONADEIP 7

Final poll standings

References
  1. Caplan, Jeff (February 26, 2010). "20 teams to compete for FCS crown". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  2. Coulson, David (October 19, 2009). "Around FCS: Serious competition for FCS title game". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  3. "Frisco, Texas Submits Bid To Host NCAA Division I Football Championship Game" (Press release). Southland Conference. October 14, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  4. "Va. Tech suffers 2nd loss in 6 days as James Madison pulls off upset". ESPN. Associated Press. September 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  5. "2009 Legion Field Schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  6. Drake University (September 1, 2010). "Drake To Play First American Football Game In Africa". GoDrakeBulldogs.com. Retrieved September 1, 2010.

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