2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2011 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 season began on September 1, 2011, and concluded with the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2012, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won their first FCS championship, defeating Sam Houston State by a final score of 17–6.

2011 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	126
Duration	September – November
Payton Award	Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington
Buchanan Award	Matt Evans, New Hampshire
Playoff
Duration	November 26 – December 17
Championship date	January 7, 2012
Championship site	Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX
Champion	North Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2010 2012»

FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 3: Richmond 23, Duke 21
September 3: Sacramento State 29, Oregon State 28^OT
September 17: Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16
September 24: North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24
September 24: Sam Houston State 48, New Mexico 45 ^OT
September 24: Southern Utah 41, UNLV 16

Conference changes and new programs

Main article: 2010–12 NCAA conference realignment

School	2010 conference	2011 conference
Lamar	FCS Independent	Southland
Old Dominion		CAA
Savannah State		MEAC
South Alabama	New program+	FCS Independent
UTSA	New program
Texas State	Southland

+ "unclassified" for 2009 (partial season) and 2010 (full season)

Conference standings

2011 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Montana State $^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 5 Montana† ^   5 – 1     6 – 2   Portland State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Eastern Washington   5 – 3     6 – 5   Weber State   5 – 3     5 – 6   Northern Arizona   3 – 5     4 – 7   Sacramento State   3 – 5     4 – 7   Idaho State*   1 – 7     2 – 9   Northern Colorado   0 – 8     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant † Montana vacated two conference wins, five total wins, their conference co-championship, and playoff participation (three games, including two of the five total wins) in 2011 * Idaho State ineligible for FCS playoffs due to APR violations Rankings from The Sports Network poll, using Montana's later-diminished W–L record	2011 Big South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 18 Stony Brook $^   6 – 0     9 – 4   No. 25 Liberty   5 – 1     7 – 4   Coastal Carolina   3 – 3     7 – 4   Presbyterian   3 – 3     4 – 7   Gardner–Webb   2 – 4     4 – 7   VMI   2 – 4     2 – 9   Charleston Southern   0 – 6     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Colonial Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Towson $^   7 – 1     9 – 3   No. 10 Old Dominion ^   6 – 2     10 – 3   No. 8 Maine ^   6 – 2     9 – 4   No. 11 New Hampshire ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 17 Delaware   5 – 3     7 – 4   No. 15 James Madison ^   5 – 3     8 – 5   William & Mary   3 – 5     5 – 6   Rhode Island   2 – 6     3 – 8   Villanova   1 – 7     2 – 9   Richmond   0 – 8     3 – 8   UMass *   0 – 0     5 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – UMass' conference record was 0–0 because they were transitioning to FBS. Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2011 Great West Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 23 North Dakota +   3 – 1     8 – 3   Cal Poly +   3 – 1     6 – 5   South Dakota   2 – 2     6 – 5   Southern Utah   1 – 3     6 – 5   UC Davis   1 – 3     4 – 7   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Ivy League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Harvard $   7 – 0     9 – 1   Brown   4 – 3     7 – 3   Dartmouth   4 – 3     5 – 5   Penn   4 – 3     5 – 5   Yale   4 – 3     5 – 5   Cornell   3 – 4     5 – 5   Columbia   1 – 6     1 – 9   Princeton   1 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Norfolk State $^   7 – 1     9 – 3   Bethune–Cookman   6 – 2     8 – 3   South Carolina State   6 – 2     7 – 4   Florida A&M   5 – 3     7 – 4   Hampton   5 – 3     7 – 4   Howard   4 – 4     5 – 6   Morgan State   4 – 4     5 – 6   North Carolina A&T   4 – 4     5 – 6   Delaware State   1 – 7     3 – 8   North Carolina Central   1 – 7     2 – 9   Savannah State   1 – 7     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 North Dakota State +^   7 – 1     14 – 1   No. 6 Northern Iowa +^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 20 Illinois State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Indiana State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Youngstown State   4 – 4     6 – 5   South Dakota State   4 – 4     5 – 6   Southern Illinois   2 – 6     4 – 7   Missouri State   2 – 6     2 – 9   Western Illinois   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Northeast Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Duquesne +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Albany +^   7 – 1     8 – 4   Bryant   5 – 3     7 – 4   Monmouth   4 – 4     5 – 6   Wagner   4 – 4     4 – 7   Sacred Heart   3 – 5     5 – 6   Central Connecticut   3 – 5     4 – 7   Robert Morris   2 – 6     2 – 9   Saint Francis (PA)   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant	2011 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 21 Tennessee Tech +^   6 – 2     7 – 4   Eastern Kentucky +^   6 – 2     7 – 5   Jacksonville State +   6 – 2     7 – 4   Murray State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Tennessee State   4 – 4     5 – 6   UT Martin   4 – 4     5 – 6   Austin Peay   2 – 6     3 – 8   Southeast Missouri State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Eastern Illinois   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2011 Patriot League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Lehigh $^   6 – 0     11 – 2   Georgetown   4 – 2     8 – 3   Holy Cross   4 – 2     6 – 5   Bucknell   3 – 3     6 – 5   Colgate   2 – 4     5 – 6   Lafayette   2 – 4     4 – 7   Fordham   0 – 6     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Fordham was ineligible for conference title because they offered football scholarships while other Patriot League members did not. Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Pioneer Football League standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   San Diego +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Drake +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Jacksonville   6 – 2     7 – 4   Campbell   5 – 3     6 – 5   Dayton   4 – 4     6 – 5   Marist   3 – 5     4 – 7   Butler   3 – 5     5 – 6   Davidson   2 – 6     4 – 7   Morehead State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Valparaiso   1 – 7     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions	2011 Southern Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Georgia Southern $^   7 – 1     11 – 3   No. 12 Wofford ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 9 Appalachian State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   Furman   5 – 3     6 – 5   Samford   4 – 4     6 – 5   Chattanooga   3 – 5     5 – 6   Elon   3 – 5     5 – 6   The Citadel   2 – 6     4 – 7   Western Carolina   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
2011 Southland Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Sam Houston State $^   7 – 0     14 – 1   No. 14 Central Arkansas ^   6 – 1     9 – 4   Stephen F. Austin   5 – 2     6 – 5   McNeese State   4 – 3     6 – 5   Northwestern State   3 – 4     5 – 6   Lamar   2 – 5     4 – 7   Southeastern Louisiana   1 – 6     3 – 8   Nicholls State   0 – 7     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division No. 21 Jackson State x   7 – 2     9 – 2   Alabama State x   7 – 2     8 – 3   Alabama A&M xy   7 – 2     8 – 4   Alcorn State   1 – 8     2 – 8   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 8     1 – 10   West Division Grambling State xy$   6 – 3     8 – 4   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   5 – 4     6 – 5   Prairie View A&M   5 – 4     5 – 6   Southern   4 – 5     4 – 7   Texas Southern   2 – 7     4 – 7   Championship: Grambling State 16, Alabama A&M 15 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Jackson State and Southern were ineligible to participate in the SWAC Championship Game due to low APR scores. Rankings from The Sports Network Poll	2011 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   South Alabama   –     6 – 4   Texas State   –     6 – 6   UTSA   –     4 – 6   Georgia State   –     3 – 8

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

• Big Sky Conference – Montana
• Big South Conference – Stony Brook
• Colonial Athletic Association – Towson
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Norfolk State
• Northeast Conference – Albany
• Ohio Valley Conference – Tennessee Tech
• Patriot League – Lehigh
• Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
• Southland Conference – Sam Houston State

At large qualifiers

• Big Sky Conference – Montana State
• Colonial Athletic Association – James Madison, Maine, New Hampshire, Old Dominion
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – Northern Iowa
• Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
• Southern Conference – Appalachian State, Wofford
• Southland Conference – Central Arkansas

No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids.

Abstains

• Ivy League – Harvard
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

Postseason

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

	First Round November 26 Campus sites					Second Round December 3 Campus sites					Quarterfinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites					Semifinals December 16 and December 17 Campus sites					National Championship Game January 7 Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
							Stony Brook	27
	Albany		28			1	Sam Houston State*	34
	Stony Brook*		31								1	Sam Houston State*	49
												Montana State	13
						New Hampshire		25
						Montana State*		26
																1	Sam Houston State*	31
																4	Montana	28
							Central Arkansas	14
	Central Arkansas		34			4	Montana*	41
	Tennessee Tech*		14								4	Montana*	48
											5	Northern Iowa	10
							Wofford	21
						5	Northern Iowa*	28
																					1	Sam Houston State	6
																					2	North Dakota State	17
							James Madison	14
	James Madison		20			2	North Dakota State*	26
	Eastern Kentucky*		17								2	North Dakota State*	24
												Lehigh	0
						Lehigh		40
						Towson*		38
																2	North Dakota State*	35
																3	Georgia Southern	7
							Old Dominion	48
	Norfolk State		18			3	Georgia Southern*	55
	Old Dominion*		35								3	Georgia Southern*	35
												Maine	23
						Maine		34
						Appalachian State*		12

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Main article: SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 10	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Grambling State	Alabama A&M	GSU 16 – AAMU 15

See also

• 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings