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

FCS team wins over FBS teams

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

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

NCAA FCS Playoff bracket

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

DateLocationVenue West Div. Champion East Div. ChampionResult
December 11Birmingham, AlabamaLegion FieldTexas SouthernAlabama StateTSU 11 – ASU 6

Global 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.
DateLocationVenueMexican TeamUSA TeamResult
May 21, 2011Moshi, TanzaniaMoshi Memorial StadiumCONADEIP StarsDrake BulldogsDrake 17 – CONADEIP 7

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final poll.
RankTeamRecord
1Eastern Washington Eagles13–2
2Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens12–3
3Villanova Wildcats9–5
4Appalachian State Mountaineers10–3
5Georgia Southern Eagles10–5
6Wofford Terriers10–3
7New Hampshire Wildcats8–5
8Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks9–3
9North Dakota State Bison9–5
10William & Mary Tribe8–4
11Montana State Bobcats9–3
12Jacksonville State Gamecocks9–3
13Southeast Missouri State Redhawks9–3
14Lehigh Mountain Hawks10–3
15Bethune–Cookman Wildcats10–2
16South Carolina State Bulldogs9–3
17Western Illinois Leathernecks8–5
18Penn Quakers9–1
19Northern Iowa Panthers7–5
20Montana Grizzlies7–4
21Liberty Flames8–3
22Jacksonville Dolphins10–1
23Grambling State Tigers9–2
24Cal Poly Mustangs7–4
25Dayton Flyers10–1

Standings are from the FCS Coaches final poll.
RankTeamRecord
1Eastern Washington Eagles13–2
2Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens12–3
3Villanova Wildcats9–5
4Appalachian State Mountaineers10–3
5Wofford Terriers10–3
6Georgia Southern Eagles10–5
7New Hampshire Wildcats8–5
8William & Mary Tribe8–4
9North Dakota State Bison9–5
10Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks9–3
11Montana State Bobcats9–3
12Jacksonville State Gamecocks9–3
13Southeast Missouri State Redhawks9–3
14Lehigh Mountain Hawks10–3
15Bethune–Cookman Wildcats10–2
16Penn Quakers9–1
17South Carolina State Bulldogs9–3
18Northern Iowa Panthers7–5
19Liberty Flames8–3
20Western Illinois Leathernecks8–5
21Montana Grizzlies7–4
22Jacksonville Dolphins10–1
23Cal Poly Mustangs7–4
24Grambling State Tigers9–2
25Dayton Flyers10–1