# 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The **2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season** was the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level, running from late summer 2024 to a postseason that ended on January 6, 2025 with the FCS Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in [Frisco, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/frisco-texas).[1](https://www.thesportsdb.com/season/4479-NCAA-Division-1/2024) North Dakota State won the national title, defeating Montana State 35-32 in the championship game under head coach Tim Polasek.[2](https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fcs)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| National champion | North Dakota State Bison, 35-32 over Montana State, coached by Tim Polasek[2](https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fcs) |
| Championship game | January 6, 2025, Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas[1](https://www.thesportsdb.com/season/4479-NCAA-Division-1/2024) |
| Final records | No. 2 seed North Dakota State 14-2; No. 1 seed Montana State 15-1[3](https://theanalyst.com/articles/2024-fcs-championship-game-review-montana-state-north-dakota-state) |
| Playoff format | 24 teams, with 16 seeded for the first time since 2000[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/) |
| Title significance | NDSU's 10th national title in the last 14 seasons[3](https://theanalyst.com/articles/2024-fcs-championship-game-review-montana-state-north-dakota-state) |
| New FCS members | Mercyhurst (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) and West Georgia (Gulf South Conference), joining from Division II[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/) |
| Playoff edition | The 47th in Division I subdivision history[5](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-playoffs-semifinal-round-scoreboard-montana-state-ndsu) |
## Season format and schedule
The subdivision's postseason began in November 2024 and, aside from any scheduled all-star games, ended with the championship game on January 6, 2025.[1](https://www.thesportsdb.com/season/4479-NCAA-Division-1/2024) The playoff bracket kept the 24-team field in place but changed its seeding: 16 teams received seeds, the first time that many had been seeded since 2000.[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/)
The NCAA's 2024-25 prechampionship manual set the round dates: a selection show on Sunday, November 24 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU, a first round on Saturday, November 30 at eight on-campus sites, a second round on December 7, quarterfinals on December 13 and 14, semifinals on December 21, and the championship game on January 6, 2025 in Frisco.[6](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2024-25D1MFB_PreChampManual.pdf) The bracket was announced on November 24, 2024 on ESPNU.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsp3rQk9c-8)
## Regular season
South Dakota State, the two-time defending national champion, opened the season at No. South Dakota State held the top spot through much of the regular season, but North Dakota State took over No. 1 by Week 9 after beating the Jackrabbits, and Montana State finished the regular season ranked No.
The season's strongest region was the northern plains and Rockies. The [Big Sky Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-sky-conference) placed four teams in the final top 10 and sent five teams to the playoffs, with Montana State reaching its second national championship game since the 2021 season.[8](https://bigskyconf.com/news/2025/1/16/big-sky-football-highlights-numerous-all-american-lists-to-conclude-2024.aspx)
## Conference movement
No conferences changed in 2024, but individual teams moved between conferences, two new members joined the subdivision, and one team left for the FBS.[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/) Mercyhurst came in from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and West Georgia from the Gulf South Conference, both moving up from [NCAA Division II](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-ii).[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/) The Missouri Valley Football Conference lost one member, a departure already known in 2023.[4](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/) The Ivy League, which had long declined postseason play, announced it would compete in the FCS playoffs beginning in 2025, leaving the [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/mid-eastern-athletic-conference) and the [Southwestern Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southwestern-athletic-conference) as the two remaining FCS playoff holdouts.[9](https://apnews.com/article/7218d113148ebe9ac46bcc6e298954a1)
## Playoffs
The 24-team bracket ran through four on-campus rounds before the final in Frisco.[6](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2024-25D1MFB_PreChampManual.pdf) In the semifinals on December 21, North Dakota State beat two-time defending champion South Dakota State 28-21, a game rated the best of the postseason, while top-seeded Montana State ended [South Dakota](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-dakota)'s run 31-17 to keep its undefeated season alive.[10](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-football-review-10-things-to-remember-about-2024-season) • [11](https://www.si.com/college/fcs/mvfc/2024-fcs-football-playoffs-semifinals-recap-montana-state-ndsu-advance-to-frisco) It was the fourth consecutive season in which the championship game matched only Big Sky or [Missouri Valley Football Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/missouri-valley-football-conference) schools, specifically from the Dakota states and Montana.[10](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-football-review-10-things-to-remember-about-2024-season)
## Championship game
In the final on Monday, January 6, 2025, No. 2 seed North Dakota State (14-2) ended No. 1 seed Montana State's perfect season with a 35-32 victory at Toyota Stadium, the Bison's 10th national title in the last 14 seasons.[3](https://theanalyst.com/articles/2024-fcs-championship-game-review-montana-state-north-dakota-state) Quarterback Cam Miller led North Dakota State with 200 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns, and added 121 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZzvJattzw) The Bison jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and held on.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZzvJattzw) Entering the game, Montana State had been considered a slight favorite, with quarterback [Tommy Mellott](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-mellott) having thrown for 2,564 yards and 29 touchdowns against 2 interceptions during the season.[13](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-championship-game-montana-state-vs-north-dakota-state-tale-of-the-tape)
## References
1. [NCAA Division 1 Football 2024 Schedule, TheSportsDB](https://www.thesportsdb.com/season/4479-NCAA-Division-1/2024)
2. [FCS Football Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fcs)
3. [2024 FCS Championship Game Review: Bison Are Back on Top, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/2024-fcs-championship-game-review-montana-state-north-dakota-state)
4. [2024 FCS Season, Fear The FCS](https://fearthefcs.com/fcs-conferences-and-teams/fcs-history/2020s/2024-fcs-season/)
5. [FCS Playoffs: Montana State, North Dakota State are Frisco-Bound, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-playoffs-semifinal-round-scoreboard-montana-state-ndsu)
6. [NCAA Division I Football Prechampionship Manual, 2024-25](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2024-25D1MFB_PreChampManual.pdf)
7. [2024 NCAA FCS football playoff bracket selection show, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsp3rQk9c-8)
8. [Big Sky Football 2024 Season Officially Concludes, Big Sky Conference](https://bigskyconf.com/news/2025/1/16/big-sky-football-highlights-numerous-all-american-lists-to-conclude-2024.aspx)
9. [Ivy League football to compete in FCS playoffs beginning next season, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7218d113148ebe9ac46bcc6e298954a1)
10. [FCS Football Review: Remembering the 2024 Season, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-football-review-10-things-to-remember-about-2024-season)
11. [2024 FCS Playoffs Semifinals Recap, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/fcs/mvfc/2024-fcs-football-playoffs-semifinals-recap-montana-state-ndsu-advance-to-frisco)
12. [North Dakota State vs. Montana State, FCS National Championship Highlights, ESPN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZzvJattzw)
13. [FCS Championship Game: Montana State vs NDSU Tale of the Tape, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-championship-game-montana-state-vs-north-dakota-state-tale-of-the-tape)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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