# 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 151st season of college football in the United States organized by the [National Collegiate Athletic Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-collegiate-athletic-association) (NCAA) at its highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision.[9](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-reimagined-2020-college-football-season-starts-in-a-week-but-how-long-will-it-last/) It was played under heavy COVID-19 restrictions: conferences revised their schedules, 139 regular-season games were canceled or postponed, and two FBS programs, UConn and Old Dominion, canceled their seasons outright.[1](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-sees-139-games-canceled-or-postponed-during-2020-regular-season-due-to-covid-19-issues/) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/news/uconn-becomes-first-fbs-team-to-cancel-20-season-due-to-covid-19) • [10](https://odusports.com/news/2020/08/10/old-dominion-athletics-announces-cancellation-of-fall-sports-season) Alabama finished the season ranked No. 1 in both the AP poll and the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) and won the national championship.[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season number | 151st season of NCAA college football at the FBS level[9](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-reimagined-2020-college-football-season-starts-in-a-week-but-how-long-will-it-last/) |
| National champion | Alabama (AP poll and College Football Playoff)[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html) |
| Heisman Trophy | DeVonta Smith, Alabama[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html) |
| Coach of the Year | Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina (Eddie Robinson Award)[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html) |
| COVID-19 disruption | 139 regular-season games canceled or postponed; UConn became the first FBS program to cancel its season; the MAC was the first FBS conference to cancel[1](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-sees-139-games-canceled-or-postponed-during-2020-regular-season-due-to-covid-19-issues/) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/news/uconn-becomes-first-fbs-team-to-cancel-20-season-due-to-covid-19) • [4](https://www.nfl.com/news/mac-becomes-first-fbs-conference-to-cancel-2020-season) |
| Poll bookends | AP preseason No. 1: Clemson; AP final No. 1: Alabama[5](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-standings.html) |
## COVID-19 disruption
The pandemic reshaped the season before it began. In August 2020, every Power Five league planned to play conference-only schedules, with two minor exceptions, beginning as early as September 5 and holding championship games in mid-December. The Big Ten and Pac-12 each adopted 10-game conference-only slates, the SEC a 10-game conference-only schedule, the ACC an 11-game schedule including one non-conference game that had to be played in the home state of the participating ACC school, and the Big 12 a 10-game schedule with one non-conference game.[6](https://www.axios.com/2020/08/06/college-football-conference-schedules-coronavirus)
**Cancellations.** The Mid-American Conference became the first FBS conference to cancel its 2020 season after a vote of its university presidents.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/mac-becomes-first-fbs-conference-to-cancel-2020-season) UConn, in its first year as an FBS independent after leaving the [American Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-athletic-conference), canceled its season and became the first FBS program to suspend play for 2020 because of the pandemic; its schedule had relied heavily on non-conference games against Power Five programs.[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/uconn-becomes-first-fbs-team-to-cancel-20-season-due-to-covid-19) Across the regular season, 139 FBS games were canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 issues, and nearly every participating program saw at least one cancellation or postponement.[1](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-sees-139-games-canceled-or-postponed-during-2020-regular-season-due-to-covid-19-issues/)
The restrictions fell hardest on [FBS independents](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-fbs-independent-schools), who normally fill schedules through non-conference agreements. BYU's first four scheduled games were all against Big Ten and Pac-12 teams.
## Notre Dame joins the ACC
On July 29 it was announced that Notre Dame had agreed to play an ACC conference schedule for the 2020 season. Notre Dame finished 10-2 overall and 9-0 in ACC play, and ended the season ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.[5](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-standings.html) • [7](https://www.footballdb.com/college-football/rankings.html?yr=2020)
## Independents
In the final AP poll of December 20, 2020, BYU was ranked No. 13 at 10-1 and Liberty No. 23 at 9-1.[7](https://www.footballdb.com/college-football/rankings.html?yr=2020)
## Season outcome
Alabama won both the AP national title and the College Football Playoff. Clemson was the AP preseason No. 1 and finished No. 2 in the final poll at 10-1, with Ohio State (6-0) No. 3 and Notre Dame No. 4.[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html) • [5](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-standings.html) • [7](https://www.footballdb.com/college-football/rankings.html?yr=2020) Alabama wide receiver [DeVonta Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/devonta-smith) won the Heisman Memorial Trophy, and Coastal Carolina's Jamey Chadwell won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award after Coastal Carolina finished 11-0 and No. 9 in the final AP poll.[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html) • [7](https://www.footballdb.com/college-football/rankings.html?yr=2020)
The pandemic also pushed other NCAA football postseasons out of their normal slots: the Division I Football Championship (FCS) was scheduled for spring 2021, with its first round on April 17, 2021 and the championship game on May 16, 2021 at Toyota Stadium in [Frisco, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/frisco-texas).[8](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2020-21D1MFB_PreChampsManual.pdf)
## References
1. [College football sees 139 games canceled or postponed during 2020 regular season due to COVID-19 issues, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-sees-139-games-canceled-or-postponed-during-2020-regular-season-due-to-covid-19-issues/)
2. [UConn becomes first FBS team to cancel '20 season due to COVID-19, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/uconn-becomes-first-fbs-team-to-cancel-20-season-due-to-covid-19)
3. [2020 College Football School Ratings, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-ratings.html)
4. [MAC becomes first FBS conference to cancel 2020 season, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/mac-becomes-first-fbs-conference-to-cancel-2020-season)
5. [2020 College Football Standings and Rankings, Sports-Reference](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/years/2020-standings.html)
6. [Where college football's biggest conferences stand on playing amid the pandemic, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2020/08/06/college-football-conference-schedules-coronavirus)
7. [2020 FBS College Football Rankings, The Football Database](https://www.footballdb.com/college-football/rankings.html?yr=2020)
8. [2020-21 NCAA Division I Football Pre-Championship Manual](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2020-21D1MFB_PreChampsManual.pdf)
9. [The reimagined 2020 college football season starts in a week, but how long will it last?, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-reimagined-2020-college-football-season-starts-in-a-week-but-how-long-will-it-last/)
10. [Old Dominion Athletics Announces Cancellation of Fall Sports Season](https://odusports.com/news/2020/08/10/old-dominion-athletics-announces-cancellation-of-fall-sports-season)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Education and knowledge institutions › Higher education › College athletics and university sport › Bowls, championships, and rivalries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license