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2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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2021 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams128
DurationAugust 28 – November 27
Payton AwardEric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington
Buchanan AwardIsaiah Land, DL, Florida A&M
Playoff
DurationNovember 27 – December 18
Championship dateJanuary 8, 2022
Championship siteToyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ChampionNorth Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

The 2021 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.

After the prior season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, resulting in some conferences canceling their seasons and significant rescheduling by other conferences, the 2021 season returned to its traditional fall scheduling. The season ended with a single-elimination tournament, with the championship game held on January 8, 2022 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its ninth championship in eleven seasons, defeating Montana State, 38-10, for the title.

Notable headlines

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FCS team wins over FBS teams

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September 2: UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17
September 3: Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33
September 3: South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23
September 4: Holy Cross 38, UConn 28
September 4: Montana 13, No. 20 Washington 7
September 4: East Tennessee State 23, Vanderbilt 3
September 11: Duquesne 28, Ohio 26
September 11: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17
September 18: Incarnate Word 42, Texas State 34
September 18: Northern Arizona 21, Arizona 19
November 6: Rhode Island 35, UMass 22
November 13: Maine 35, UMass 10

Conference changes and new programs

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  • The Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which had last played football in the 2012 season as an FBS league, reinstated football for the 2021 season at the FCS level.[3][4] The ASUN Conference also announced in 2021 that it would sponsor FCS football in the future.
  • Because WAC and ASUN programs reclassifying from Division II could not be counted toward the minimum of six members required for a conference champion to be an automatic qualifier (AQ) for the FCS postseason, the two conferences pooled their seven members with active FCS programs in 2021 (four WAC, three ASUN) to form the WAC–ASUN Challenge, a temporary league also referred to as the AQ7.[5][6][7]
School 2020-21 conference 2021 conference
Abilene Christian Southland WAC–ASUN Challenge
Bethune–Cookman MEAC SWAC
Central Arkansas Southland WAC–ASUN Challenge
Dixie State FCS Independent WAC
Eastern Kentucky Ohio Valley WAC–ASUN Challenge
Florida A&M MEAC SWAC
Jacksonville State Ohio Valley WAC–ASUN Challenge
Lamar Southland
North Carolina A&T MEAC Big South
Presbyterian FCS independent Pioneer
St. Thomas (MN) MIAC (D-III) Pioneer (FCS)
Sam Houston State Southland WAC–ASUN Challenge
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton State FCS Independent WAC

Conference standings

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2021 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 10 Sacramento State $^   8 0     9 3  
No. 2 Montana State ^   7 1     11 3  
No. 7 Eastern Washington ^   6 2     10 3  
No. 6 Montana ^   6 2     10 3  
No. 17 UC Davis ^   5 3     8 4  
Weber State   5 3     6 5  
Northern Arizona   4 4     5 6  
Portland State   4 4     5 6  
Idaho   3 5     4 7  
Northern Colorado   2 6     3 8  
Cal Poly   1 7     2 9  
Idaho State   1 7     1 10  
Southern Utah   0 8     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Big South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 Kennesaw State $^   7 0     11 2  
Monmouth   6 1     7 4  
North Carolina A&T   3 4     5 6  
North Alabama   3 4     3 8  
Charleston Southern   3 4     4 6  
Hampton   3 4     5 6  
Robert Morris   3 5     4 6  
Campbell   2 5     3 8  
Gardner–Webb   2 5     4 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 James Madison +^   7 1     12 2  
No. 8 Villanova +^   7 1     10 3  
Elon   5 3     6 5  
Rhode Island   4 4     7 4  
Maine   4 4     6 5  
Richmond   4 4     6 5  
William & Mary   4 4     6 5  
Stony Brook   4 4     5 6  
Delaware   3 5     5 6  
Towson   3 5     4 7  
New Hampshire   2 6     3 8  
Albany   1 7     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 20 Dartmouth +   6 1     9 1  
No. 24 Princeton +   6 1     9 1  
Harvard   5 2     8 2  
Yale   4 3     5 5  
Columbia   4 3     7 3  
Penn   1 6     3 7  
Brown   1 6     2 8  
Cornell   1 6     2 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
South Carolina State $   5 0     7 5  
North Carolina Central   4 1     6 5  
Delaware State   2 3     5 6  
Norfolk State   2 3     6 5  
Howard   1 4     3 8  
Morgan State   1 4     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 North Dakota State $^   7 1     14 1  
No. 14 Missouri State ^   6 2     8 4  
No. 16 Southern Illinois ^   5 3     8 5  
No. 18 South Dakota ^   5 3     7 5  
No. 4 South Dakota State ^   5 3     11 4  
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^   4 4     6 6  
Indiana State   3 5     5 6  
North Dakota   3 5     5 6  
Western Illinois   2 6     2 9  
Illinois State   2 6     4 7  
Youngstown State   2 6     3 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Sacred Heart $^   6 1     8 4  
Duquesne   5 2     7 3  
Bryant   5 2     7 4  
Central Connecticut   4 3     4 7  
Saint Francis (PA)   4 3     5 6  
Merrimack *   2 5     5 6  
LIU   2 5     2 8  
Wagner   0 7     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Note: Merrimack ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II
2021 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 13 UT Martin $^   5 1     10 3  
Southeast Missouri State   4 2     4 7  
Austin Peay   4 2     6 5  
Tennessee State   3 3     5 6  
Murray State   3 3     6 5  
Eastern Illinois   1 5     1 10  
Tennessee Tech   1 5     3 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 19 Holy Cross $^   6 0     10 3  
Colgate   5 1     5 6  
Fordham   4 2     6 5  
Lehigh   3 3     3 8  
Lafayette   2 4     3 8  
Georgetown   1 5     2 8  
Bucknell   0 6     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Davidson +^   7 1     8 3  
San Diego +   7 1     7 4  
St. Thomas (MN)*   6 2     7 3  
Morehead State   6 2     7 4  
Marist   5 3     5 5  
Dayton   5 3     6 4  
Valparaiso   4 4     4 7  
Stetson   2 6     4 7  
Drake   1 7     2 9  
Butler   1 7     3 8  
Presbyterian   0 8     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III
2021 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 East Tennessee State $^   7 1     11 2  
Mercer   6 2     7 3  
Chattanooga   5 3     6 5  
Western Carolina   4 4     4 7  
Furman   4 4     6 5  
VMI   4 4     6 5  
Samford   3 5     4 7  
The Citadel   3 5     4 7  
Wofford   0 8     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Southland Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^   7 1     10 3  
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^   6 2     9 4  
Nicholls   5 3     6 5  
McNeese State *   3 5     4 7  
Northwestern State   3 5     3 8  
Houston Baptist   0 8     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$   8 0     11 2  
No. 25 Florida A&M ^   7 1     9 3  
Alabama A&M   5 3     7 3  
Mississippi Valley State   3 5     4 7  
Alabama State   3 5     5 6  
Bethune–Cookman   2 6     2 9  
West Division
Prairie View A&M x   6 2     7 5  
Alcorn State   5 3     6 5  
Grambling State   3 5     4 7  
Southern   3 5     4 7  
Texas Southern   2 6     2 8  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   1 7     2 9  
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Sam Houston $^   6 0     11 1  
No. 21 Stephen F. Austin ^   4 2     8 4  
Eastern Kentucky   4 2     7 4  
Central Arkansas   3 3     5 6  
Jacksonville State   3 3     5 6  
Abilene Christian   1 5     5 6  
Lamar   0 6     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2021 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Sam Houston $^   5 0     11 1  
No. 21 Stephen F. Austin ^   4 1     8 4  
Abilene Christian   2 2     5 6  
Tarleton State *   2 3     6 5  
Dixie State *   0 3     1 10  
Lamar   0 4     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from Division II
Rankings from STATS Poll

Playoff qualifiers

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Automatic berths for conference champions

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Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Sacramento State 2nd 2019 Second Round (L – Austin Peay)
Big South Conference Kennesaw State 4th 2019 Second Round (L – Weber State)
Colonial Athletic Association Villanova 14th 2019 First Round (L – Southeastern Louisiana)
Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State 12th 2020 Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State)
Northeast Conference Sacred Heart 4th 2020 First Round (L – Delaware)
Ohio Valley Conference UT Martin 2nd 2006 Second Round (L – Southern Illinois)
Patriot League Holy Cross 4th 2020 First Round (L – South Dakota State)
Pioneer Football League Davidson 2nd 2020 First Round (L – Jacksonville State)
Southern Conference East Tennessee State 3rd 2018 First Round (L – Jacksonville State)
Southland Conference Incarnate Word 2nd 2018 First Round (L – Montana State)
Western Athletic Conference Sam Houston State 13th 2020 National Champions (W – South Dakota State)

At large qualifiers

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Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Eastern Washington 15th 2020 First Round (L – North Dakota State)
Montana 25th 2019 Quarterfinals (L – Weber State)
Montana State 11th 2019 Semifinals (L – North Dakota State)
UC Davis 2nd 2018 Quarterfinals (L – Eastern Washington)
Colonial Athletic Association James Madison 18th 2020 Semifinals (L – Sam Houston State)
Missouri Valley Football Conference Missouri State 3rd 2020 First Round (L – North Dakota)
Northern Iowa 23rd 2019 Quarterfinals (L – James Madison)
South Dakota 2nd 2017 Second Round (L – Sam Houston State)
South Dakota State 11th 2020 Championship Game (L – Sam Houston State)
Southern Illinois 10th 2020 Quarterfinals (L – South Dakota State)
Southland Conference Southeastern Louisiana 4th 2019 Second Round (L – Montana)
Southwestern Athletic Conference Florida A&M 8th 2001 First Round (L – Georgia Southern)
Western Athletic Conference Stephen F. Austin 8th 2014 First Round (L – Northern Iowa)

Abstentions

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Postseason

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After the prior season's playoffs were reduced to a 16-team bracket, FCS returned to a 24-team bracket for this season: 11 of the teams were decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions (listed above) and 13 teams were determined via at-large bids; the top eight teams were seeded.[8]

Bowl game

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Date Game Site Television Participants Affiliations Results References
Dec. 18 Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
12:00 pm
ABC South Carolina State Bulldogs (6–5)
Jackson State Tigers (11–1)
MEAC
SWAC
South Carolina State 31
Jackson State 10
[9][10]

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

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First Round
November 27
Campus sites
Second Round
December 3/4
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
December 10/11
Campus sites
Semifinals
December 17/18
Campus sites
National Championship
January 8
12:00 pm EST
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
1 Sam Houston State 49
Stephen F. Austin 28 Incarnate Word 42
Incarnate Word 35 1 Sam Houston State 19
8 Montana State 42
8 Montana State 26
UT Martin 32 UT Martin 7
Missouri State 31 8 Montana State 31
South Dakota State 17
5 Villanova 21
Sacred Heart 10 Holy Cross 16
Holy Cross 13 5 Villanova 21
South Dakota State 35
4 Sacramento State 19
UC Davis 24 South Dakota State 24
South Dakota State 56 8 Montana State 10
2 North Dakota State 38
3 James Madison 59
Florida A&M 14 Southeastern Louisiana 20
Southeastern Louisiana 38 3 James Madison 28
6 Montana 6
6 Montana 57
Northern Iowa 9 Eastern Washington 41
Eastern Washington 19 3 James Madison 14
2 North Dakota State 20
7 East Tennessee State 32
Davidson 21 Kennesaw State 31
Kennesaw State 48 7 East Tennessee State 3
2 North Dakota State 27
2 North Dakota State 38
Southern Illinois 22 Southern Illinois 7
South Dakota 10

Source:[11]

Rankings

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The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

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Stats Perform
Ranking Team
1 Sam Houston State (39)
2 James Madison (8)
3 South Dakota State (4)
4 North Dakota State
5 Delaware
6 Weber State
7 Southern Illinois
8 North Dakota
9 Montana
10 Jacksonville State
11 Eastern Washington
12 Montana State
13 Monmouth
14 Central Arkansas
15 Southeastern Louisiana
16 Villanova
17 VMI
18 Chattanooga
19 Kennesaw State
20 Austin Peay
21 Northern Iowa
22 Nicholls
23 UC Davis
24 Missouri State
25 North Carolina A&T
USA Today Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Sam Houston State (18)
2 James Madison (9)
3 North Dakota State
4 South Dakota State (1)
5 Delaware
6 Weber State
7 North Dakota
8 Jacksonville State
9 Montana
10 Southern Illinois
11 Montana State
12 Monmouth
13 Central Arkansas
14 Eastern Washington
15 Villanova
16 Northern Iowa
17 Southeastern Louisiana
18 Chattanooga
19 VMI
20 Kennesaw State
21 UC Davis
22 Richmond
23 Nicholls
24 North Carolina A&T
25 Austin Peay

Final rankings

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Rank Stats Perform[12] Coaches' Poll[13]
1 North Dakota State (14–1) (50) North Dakota State (14–1) (24)
2 Montana State (12–3) Montana State (12–3)
3 James Madison (12–2) James Madison (12–2)
4 South Dakota State (11–4) Sam Houston State (11–1)
5 Sam Houston State (11–1) South Dakota State (11–4)
6 Montana (10–3) Montana (10–3)
7 Eastern Washington (10–3) East Tennessee State (11–2)
8 Villanova (10–3) Villanova (10–3)
9 East Tennessee State (11–2) Eastern Washington (10–3)
10 Sacramento State (9–3) Kennesaw State (11–2)
11 Kennesaw State (11–2) Sacramento State (9–3)
12 Incarnate Word (10–3) UT Martin (10–3)
13 UT Martin (10–3) Incarnate Word (10–3)
14 Missouri State (8–4) Missouri State (8–4)
15 Southeastern Louisiana (9–4) Southeastern Louisiana (9–4)
16 Southern Illinois (8–5) UC Davis (8–4)
17 UC Davis (8–4) Southern Illinois (8–5)
18 South Dakota (7–5) Stephen F. Austin (8–4)
19 Holy Cross (10–3) Jackson State (11–2)
20 Dartmouth (9–1) South Dakota (7–5)
21 Stephen F. Austin (8–4) Princeton (9–1)
22 Jackson State (11–2) Holy Cross (10–3)
23 Northern Iowa (6–6) Dartmouth (9–1)
24 Princeton (9–1) Florida A&M (9–3)
25 Florida A&M (9–3) Northern Iowa (6–6)

Kickoff games

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The regular season began with three games on Saturday, August 28:

Regular season top 10 matchups

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Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

Upsets

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

Regular season

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During the regular season, 33 unranked teams have defeated a ranked team.

Coaching changes

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Preseason and in-season

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This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2021. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2021, see 2020 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

Team Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Stetson Roger Hughes May 7, 2021 Resigned[14] Brian Young
Colgate Dan Hunt May 17, 2021 Resigned[15] Stan Dakosty
LIU Bryan Collins June 29, 2021 Resigned[16] Jonathan Gill (interim)
Alabama State Donald Hill-Eley November 1, 2021 Fired[17] Travis Pearson (interim)
Jacksonville State John Grass November 6, 2021 Resigned[18] Maxwell Thurmond (interim)
Grambling State Broderick Fobbs November 15, 2021 Fired[19] Terrence Graves (interim)

End of season

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Team Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Western Illinois Jared Elliott November 10, 2021 Parted ways at end of season[20] Myers Hendrickson
Southern Utah Demario Warren November 15, 2021 Mutually parted ways[21] DeLane Fitzgerald
Idaho Paul Petrino November 19, 2021 Will not return in 2022[22] Jason Eck
Abilene Christian Adam Dorrel November 21, 2021 Fired[23] Keith Patterson
Idaho State Rob Phenicie November 21, 2021 Fired[24] Charlie Ragle
Lafayette John Garrett November 22, 2021 Fired[25] John Troxell
Alabama State Travis Pearson (interim) November 26, 2021 Permanent replacement[26] Eddie Robinson
Maine Nick Charlton November 28, 2021 Became OC at UConn[27] Jordan Stevens
Delaware Danny Rocco November 29, 2021 Fired[28] Ryan Carty[29]
Jacksonville State Maxwell Thurmond (interim) November 29, 2021 Permanent replacement[30] Rich Rodriguez
Butler Jeff Voris November 30, 2021 Resigned[31] Mike Uremovich
New Hampshire Sean McDonnell December 1, 2021 Retired[32] Ricky Santos
Presbyterian Kevin Kelley December 4, 2021 Resigned[33] Steve Englehart
Incarnate Word Eric Morris December 5, 2021 Became OC at Washington State[34] G. J. Kinne
McNeese State Frank Wilson December 7, 2021 Became associate head coach at LSU[35] Gary Goff
Southern Jason Rollins (interim) December 7, 2021 Permanent replacement[36] Eric Dooley
Prairie View A&M Eric Dooley December 7, 2021 Hired by Southern[36] Bubba McDowell
Grambling State Terrence Graves (interim) December 10, 2021 Permanent replacement[37] Hue Jackson
East Tennessee State Randy Sanders December 13, 2021 Retired[38] George Quarles
LIU Jonathan Gill (interim) January 3, 2022 Permanent replacement Ron Cooper[39]
Eastern Illinois Adam Cushing January 11, 2022 Became OL coach at Duke[40] Chris Wilkerson
Morgan State Tyrone Wheatley February 12, 2022 Became RB coach for Denver Broncos[41] Damon Wilson

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Presbyterian Blue Hose QB Ren Hefley sets FCS TD pass record in season-opener". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Imlay, Ashley (November 10, 2021). "Utah Legislature passes Dixie State name change". KSL-TV. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Blum, Sam (January 14, 2021). "As WAC announces addition of 5 schools, Frisco-based Southland Conference left in no man's land". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "WAC Announces Expansion, Plans to Reinstate Football" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "From the Commissioner's Desk: @ASUN_Football Update" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "FCS college football 2021: AQ7 preview". KRQE. Stats Perform. August 20, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Herder, Sam (August 9, 2021). "Predicting The 2021 FCS Playoff Bracket". herosports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "South Carolina State will take on Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl". Twitter. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  10. ^ Thompson, Khari (December 18, 2021). "Jackson State football crushed by South Carolina State in Celebration Bowl: Our top takeaways". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
  11. ^ "2021 FCS Football Official Bracket". NCAA.org. November 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "'Herd' It Before: North Dakota State is Unanimous No. 1 in Final Stats Perform FCS Top 25". The Analyst. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "[FCS Poll] North Dakota State ends 2021 at No. 1 in the AFCA Top 25". AFCA. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  14. ^ Harper, Mark (May 7, 2021). "Roger Hughes, Stetson's football coach, has a new job: president at his alma mater". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Hunt Stepping Down, Dakosty Named Interim". Colgate University Athletics. May 17, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Collins Announces Departure from LIU Football Program" (Press release). LIU Sharks. June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Alabama State fires head football coach Donald Hill-Eley after fourth consecutive loss to rival Alabama A&M". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Stephenson, Creg (November 6, 2021). "John Grass steps down as head football coach at Jacksonville State". AL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  19. ^ "Grambling State fires Broderick Fobbs after seven seasons". hbcusports.com. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  20. ^ Hefferman, Todd (November 10, 2021). "Western Illinois moving on from football coach Jared Elliott". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  21. ^ McDonald, Ryan (November 15, 2021). "This Utah college football team is now looking for a new head coach". Deseret News. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  22. ^ Wiebe, Stephan (November 18, 2021). "Petrino out as Idaho football coach". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Barnett, Zach (November 21, 2021). "Abilene Christian announces coaching change". footballscoop.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  24. ^ Moon, Eric (November 21, 2021). "Rob Phenicie fired as Idaho State Football Head Coach after five seasons". KIFI-TV. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Lafayette Athletics Announces Head Football Coaching Change". goleopards.com. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  26. ^ "Alabama State names alum, NFL veteran as next head football coach". WSFA. November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  27. ^ Barnett, Zach (November 28, 2021). "Jim Mora piecing UConn staff together". footballscoop.com. Football Scoop. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  28. ^ McAneny, DJ (November 29, 2021). "Rocco out as University of Delaware football coach". wdel.com. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (December 10, 2021). "Ex-Blue Hens QB Carty named University of Delaware football coach". Delaware News-Journal.
  30. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (November 29, 2021). "Jacksonville State hires Rich Rodriguez as head football coach ahead of 2023 FBS move". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  31. ^ Riggone, Bella (November 30, 2021). "Jeff Voris resigns as Butler football head coach". thebutlercollegian.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  32. ^ "Coach Mac Retires". unhwildcats.com. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  33. ^ "Presbyterian's no-punt coach Kelley resigns after 1 season". apnews.com. December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  34. ^ "Washington State football team hiring Eric Morris as offensive coordinator, Clay McGuire as offensive line coach". The Spokesman-Review. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  35. ^ "Frank Wilson's LSU contract terms: A three-year deal as associate head football coach". The Advocate. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  36. ^ a b Robinson, Perry (December 7, 2021). "Eric Dooley officially introduced as the new football coach at Southern University". KPLC. NBC News. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  37. ^ "Grambling State Tabs Hue Jackson as Head Football Coach". GSU Tigers. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  38. ^ "Randy Sanders announces retirement from football". ETSU Athletics. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  39. ^ "Long Island University hires Ron Cooper as football coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 4, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  40. ^ Wiseman, Steve (January 4, 2022). "Mike Elko to add Eastern Illinois head coach, Giants assistant to Duke football staff". The News & Observer. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  41. ^ DiLalla, Aric (January 4, 2022). "Broncos name Tyrone Wheatley as running backs coach". Denver Broncos. Retrieved May 7, 2022.