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The 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.
For 2013, the FCS playoffs expand for the first time since 2010. The Pioneer Football League champion will receive an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs, which increases to 24 teams.
Under a standard provision of NCAA rules, all FCS programs will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games (not counting conference title games) in 2013, and also in 2014. In years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays, FCS programs may play 12 games instead of the regular 11. After 2014, the next season in which 12-game seasons are allowed will be 2019.
Conference Changes & New Programs
Main article: 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment
Several teams changed conferences from the 2012 season, with all moves officially taking effect on July 1, 2013.
Albany and Stony Brook became football-only members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Previously, they had respectively been football-only members of the Northeast Conference and Big South Conference.
Georgia State left the FCS ranks to become a member of the Sun Belt Conference. As it began its FBS transition in 2012, it is counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes in 2013.
Old Dominion joined Conference USA (C-USA) and started its FBS transition. ODU will technically be an FCS independent in 2013 before becoming a provisional FBS member in 2014 and a full FBS member in 2015.
The Southland Conference added four schools—two with established football programs, one launching a new program, and another (New Orleans) without varsity football. The established programs are Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word, both joining from the Division II Lone Star Conference. While technically considered FCS independents in 2013, they are playing Division II schedules this season. Both will be counted as FCS members for scheduling purposes in 2014, at which time they will start playing full Southland Conference schedules. Houston Baptist, arriving from the Division I Great West Conference, will field a football team for the first time in 2013, but will only play an exhibition schedule. Houston Baptist will also begin playing a full Southland schedule in 2014.
Monmouth announced in December 2012 that it would leave the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), effective in July 2013. As the MAAC has not sponsored football since 2007, Monmouth's football plans were uncertain. Those plans became clear on February 14, 2013, when the Big South Conference announced that Monmouth would become a football-only member of that league in 2014. Since Monmouth is transitioning from the limited-scholarship NEC to a conference that allows the full FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents, the Hawks are playing the 2013 football season as an independent.
In addition to the schools changing conferences, three others are launching FCS football programs. Charlotte, which rejoined C-USA after eight years in the Atlantic 10 Conference, is playing as an FCS independent in its first football season, as part of its announced plan to become a full FBS member in 2015. The 49ers will be counted as an FBS program for scheduling purposes in 2014 and will become a C-USA football member in 2015. Two other schools, Mercer and Stetson, are reinstating varsity football after decades-long absences—Mercer last played in 1941 and Stetson in 1956. Both initially planned to operate as non-scholarship programs in the Pioneer Football League.
However, Mercer would later commit to scholarship football when it accepted an invitation to join the Southern Conference (SoCon) in 2014.
Two other SoCon members, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, were officially announced on March 27, 2013 as future Sun Belt members. Both schools will begin FBS transitions in 2013 in advance of their 2014 entry into the Sun Belt. They will be counted as FBS members for scheduling purposes in 2014, and will be eligible for the Sun Belt football championship, but will not be eligible for bowl games until completing their transitions in 2015.
This will also be the last season for VMI in the Big South, as it will return to the SoCon in July 2014 after an 11-year absence.[5]
School 2012 Conference 2013 Conference
Abilene Christian Lone Star Independent
Albany NEC CAA
Charlotte No team Independent
Georgia State CAA Sun Belt (FBS)
Houston Baptist No team Independent
Incarnate Word Lone Star Independent
Mercer No team Pioneer League
Monmouth NEC Independent
Old Dominion CAA Independent
Stetson No team Pioneer League
Stony Brook Big South CAA
New, expanded, renovated, and temporary stadiums
New Stadiums
Albany will make its CAA debut in Bob Ford Field, a new 8,500-seat on-campus stadium. University Field, which Albany had used for both football and track since 1970, will now be solely a track venue.
Charlotte will make its football debut in Jerry Richardson Stadium, a new on-campus facility. It will initially have a capacity of 15,300, but can be expanded to 25,000 with temporary seating. The stadium design allows future expansion to 40,000.
Mercer will play at the Moye Complex, a new on-campus venue with a capacity of 10,200.
Stetson will play at the already-existing Spec Martin Stadium, an off-campus stadium owned by Stetson's home city of DeLand, Florida. The stadium holds 6,000.
For 2013, the FCS playoffs expand for the first time since 2010. The Pioneer Football League champion will receive an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs, which increases to 24 teams.
Under a standard provision of NCAA rules, all FCS programs will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games (not counting conference title games) in 2013, and also in 2014. In years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays, FCS programs may play 12 games instead of the regular 11. After 2014, the next season in which 12-game seasons are allowed will be 2019.
Conference Changes & New Programs
Main article: 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment
Several teams changed conferences from the 2012 season, with all moves officially taking effect on July 1, 2013.
Albany and Stony Brook became football-only members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Previously, they had respectively been football-only members of the Northeast Conference and Big South Conference.
Georgia State left the FCS ranks to become a member of the Sun Belt Conference. As it began its FBS transition in 2012, it is counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes in 2013.
Old Dominion joined Conference USA (C-USA) and started its FBS transition. ODU will technically be an FCS independent in 2013 before becoming a provisional FBS member in 2014 and a full FBS member in 2015.
The Southland Conference added four schools—two with established football programs, one launching a new program, and another (New Orleans) without varsity football. The established programs are Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word, both joining from the Division II Lone Star Conference. While technically considered FCS independents in 2013, they are playing Division II schedules this season. Both will be counted as FCS members for scheduling purposes in 2014, at which time they will start playing full Southland Conference schedules. Houston Baptist, arriving from the Division I Great West Conference, will field a football team for the first time in 2013, but will only play an exhibition schedule. Houston Baptist will also begin playing a full Southland schedule in 2014.
Monmouth announced in December 2012 that it would leave the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), effective in July 2013. As the MAAC has not sponsored football since 2007, Monmouth's football plans were uncertain. Those plans became clear on February 14, 2013, when the Big South Conference announced that Monmouth would become a football-only member of that league in 2014. Since Monmouth is transitioning from the limited-scholarship NEC to a conference that allows the full FCS limit of 63 scholarship equivalents, the Hawks are playing the 2013 football season as an independent.
In addition to the schools changing conferences, three others are launching FCS football programs. Charlotte, which rejoined C-USA after eight years in the Atlantic 10 Conference, is playing as an FCS independent in its first football season, as part of its announced plan to become a full FBS member in 2015. The 49ers will be counted as an FBS program for scheduling purposes in 2014 and will become a C-USA football member in 2015. Two other schools, Mercer and Stetson, are reinstating varsity football after decades-long absences—Mercer last played in 1941 and Stetson in 1956. Both initially planned to operate as non-scholarship programs in the Pioneer Football League.
However, Mercer would later commit to scholarship football when it accepted an invitation to join the Southern Conference (SoCon) in 2014.
Two other SoCon members, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, were officially announced on March 27, 2013 as future Sun Belt members. Both schools will begin FBS transitions in 2013 in advance of their 2014 entry into the Sun Belt. They will be counted as FBS members for scheduling purposes in 2014, and will be eligible for the Sun Belt football championship, but will not be eligible for bowl games until completing their transitions in 2015.
This will also be the last season for VMI in the Big South, as it will return to the SoCon in July 2014 after an 11-year absence.[5]
School 2012 Conference 2013 Conference
Abilene Christian Lone Star Independent
Albany NEC CAA
Charlotte No team Independent
Georgia State CAA Sun Belt (FBS)
Houston Baptist No team Independent
Incarnate Word Lone Star Independent
Mercer No team Pioneer League
Monmouth NEC Independent
Old Dominion CAA Independent
Stetson No team Pioneer League
Stony Brook Big South CAA
New, expanded, renovated, and temporary stadiums
New Stadiums
Albany will make its CAA debut in Bob Ford Field, a new 8,500-seat on-campus stadium. University Field, which Albany had used for both football and track since 1970, will now be solely a track venue.
Charlotte will make its football debut in Jerry Richardson Stadium, a new on-campus facility. It will initially have a capacity of 15,300, but can be expanded to 25,000 with temporary seating. The stadium design allows future expansion to 40,000.
Mercer will play at the Moye Complex, a new on-campus venue with a capacity of 10,200.
Stetson will play at the already-existing Spec Martin Stadium, an off-campus stadium owned by Stetson's home city of DeLand, Florida. The stadium holds 6,000.
