Division I-AA started playing for a national title in 1978, and the subdivision was renamed FCS in 2006. Here is every champion across those 48 seasons, with the score, the runner up and where the game was played.
| Season | Champion | Score | Runner up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Montana State | 35 to 34 (OT) | Illinois State | Nashville |
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 35 to 32 | Montana State | Frisco |
| 2023 | South Dakota State | 23 to 3 | Montana | Frisco |
| 2022 | South Dakota State | 45 to 21 | North Dakota State | Frisco |
| 2021 | North Dakota State | 38 to 10 | Montana State | Frisco |
| 2020 | Sam Houston State | 23 to 21 | South Dakota State | Frisco, played in May 2021 |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | 28 to 20 | James Madison | Frisco |
| 2018 | North Dakota State | 38 to 24 | Eastern Washington | Frisco |
| 2017 | North Dakota State | 17 to 13 | James Madison | Frisco |
| 2016 | James Madison | 28 to 14 | Youngstown State | Frisco |
| 2015 | North Dakota State | 37 to 10 | Jacksonville State | Frisco |
| 2014 | North Dakota State | 29 to 27 | Illinois State | Frisco |
| 2013 | North Dakota State | 35 to 7 | Towson | Frisco |
| 2012 | North Dakota State | 39 to 13 | Sam Houston State | Frisco |
| 2011 | North Dakota State | 17 to 6 | Sam Houston State | Frisco |
| 2010 | Eastern Washington | 20 to 19 | Delaware | Frisco |
| 2009 | Villanova | 23 to 21 | Montana | Chattanooga |
| 2008 | Richmond | 24 to 7 | Montana | Chattanooga |
| 2007 | Appalachian State | 49 to 21 | Delaware | Chattanooga |
| 2006 | Appalachian State | 28 to 17 | Massachusetts | Chattanooga |
| Above: FCS era, from 2006. Below: Division I-AA era, 1978 to 2005. | ||||
| 2005 | Appalachian State | 21 to 16 | Northern Iowa | Chattanooga |
| 2004 | James Madison | 31 to 21 | Montana | Chattanooga |
| 2003 | Delaware | 40 to 0 | Colgate | Chattanooga |
| 2002 | Western Kentucky | 34 to 14 | McNeese State | Chattanooga |
| 2001 | Montana | 13 to 6 | Furman | Chattanooga |
| 2000 | Georgia Southern | 27 to 25 | Montana | Chattanooga |
| 1999 | Georgia Southern | 59 to 24 | Youngstown State | Chattanooga |
| 1998 | Massachusetts | 55 to 43 | Georgia Southern | Chattanooga |
| 1997 | Youngstown State | 10 to 9 | McNeese State | Chattanooga |
| 1996 | Marshall | 49 to 29 | Montana | Huntington |
| 1995 | Montana | 22 to 20 | Marshall | Huntington |
| 1994 | Youngstown State | 28 to 14 | Boise State | Huntington |
| 1993 | Youngstown State | 17 to 5 | Marshall | Huntington |
| 1992 | Marshall | 31 to 28 | Youngstown State | Huntington |
| 1991 | Youngstown State | 25 to 17 | Marshall | Statesboro |
| 1990 | Georgia Southern | 36 to 13 | Nevada | Statesboro |
| 1989 | Georgia Southern | 37 to 34 | Stephen F. Austin | Statesboro |
| 1988 | Furman | 17 to 12 | Georgia Southern | Pocatello |
| 1987 | Northeast Louisiana | 43 to 42 | Marshall | Pocatello |
| 1986 | Georgia Southern | 48 to 21 | Arkansas State | Tacoma |
| 1985 | Georgia Southern | 44 to 42 | Furman | Tacoma |
| 1984 | Montana State | 19 to 6 | Louisiana Tech | Charleston |
| 1983 | Southern Illinois | 43 to 7 | Western Carolina | Charleston |
| 1982 | Eastern Kentucky | 17 to 14 | Delaware | Wichita Falls |
| 1981 | Idaho State | 34 to 23 | Eastern Kentucky | Wichita Falls |
| 1980 | Boise State | 31 to 29 | Eastern Kentucky | Sacramento |
| 1979 | Eastern Kentucky | 30 to 7 | Lehigh | Orlando |
| 1978 | Florida A&M | 35 to 28 | Massachusetts | Wichita Falls |
Most Titles
| Program | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 10 | 2011 to 2015, 2017 to 2019, 2021, 2024 |
| Georgia Southern | 6 | 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000 |
| Youngstown State | 4 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 |
| Appalachian State | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Montana State | 2 | 1984, 2025 |
| South Dakota State | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Montana | 2 | 1995, 2001 |
| Marshall | 2 | 1992, 1996 |
| James Madison | 2 | 2004, 2016 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 2 | 1979, 1982 |
| One title each | 13 | Florida A&M, Boise State, Idaho State, Southern Illinois, Furman, Northeast Louisiana, UMass, Western Kentucky, Delaware, Richmond, Villanova, Eastern Washington, Sam Houston State |
The Four Eras
The small field, 1978 to 1985. The first playoff had four teams: three regional champions and one at large pick. Florida A&M beat UMass in Wichita Falls in a game shown on ABC. The bracket went to eight in 1981 and twelve in 1982. Eastern Kentucky under Roy Kidd played in four of the first five finals and won two.
Erk Russell and Georgia Southern, 1985 to 1990. The field expanded to 16 in 1986 and Georgia Southern won four titles in six seasons, three of them under Russell. Two of those came at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, because the NCAA had awarded the final to a site that Georgia Southern then played its way into.
Marshall and Youngstown State, 1991 to 1997. These two met in the title game four times in six years. Jim Tressel won four championships at Youngstown State before leaving for Ohio State. The 1995 final in Huntington, Montana over Marshall, drew 32,106 and is still the largest crowd in the game’s history.
The dynasty, 2011 to now. North Dakota State won 10 titles in 14 seasons, including five straight from 2011 through 2015. The Bison have since moved up to FBS. South Dakota State broke through in 2022 and 2023, and Montana State won last January in the game’s first year in Nashville.
Where the Game Has Been Played
The final moved around for its first 14 years, from Wichita Falls to Orlando, Sacramento, Charleston, Tacoma, Pocatello and Statesboro. It settled in Huntington from 1992 to 1996, Chattanooga from 1997 to 2009, and Frisco from 2010 through the 2024 season. It moved to FirstBank Stadium in Nashville for the January 2026 game and is contracted there through the 2027 season while Toyota Stadium is renovated.
Since 2010 the final has been played in January rather than December, which is why the 2025 champion was crowned in 2026.
Championship Game Records
The most points by one team is 59, by Georgia Southern against Youngstown State in 1999. The highest scoring final was UMass 55, Georgia Southern 43 in 1998. The largest margin is 40, Delaware’s 40 to 0 shutout of Colgate in 2003, which is also the only shutout. The 2025 final was the first to go to overtime.
Related
FCS football schedule · FCS teams by conference · How the FCS playoffs work · FCS championship history · Largest FCS stadiums
The Bottom Line
Forty eight seasons, 23 champions, and one program with more titles than the next two combined. North Dakota State is gone to FBS, which leaves the field more open than it has been in 15 years.