What We Learned About FCS Football In Week 0: Scores, Highlights & More

Week 0 of the 2026 season featured almost 70 FCS games, and there was some of everything – upsets, comebacks, redemption, domination and an epic debut.

Sep 1, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro

Replay: UNH vs UAlbany | Aug 28 @ 7 PM3:13:41

Zero is defined as the numerical symbol 0, representing the absence of any quantity or magnitude.

Yet, Week 0 of the college football season is a highly anticipated slate of games that are anything but meaningless, especially to the dozens of Football Championship Subdivision teams that get to enjoy the spotlight for a long weekend before the majority of the big-budget Football Bowl Subdivision programs get going.

This intimate gathering of teams over three days of action traditionally offers intriguing or historic matchups, games played internationally and even cross-divisional contests.

And for the hungry fans who are emerging from six months of football hibernation, Week 0 offers a delightful taste of what’s ahead during the 12-week regular season.

Week 0 of the 2026 college football season (Aug. 27-29) featured almost 70 FCS games, and there was some of everything – upsets, comebacks, redemption, domination and an epic debut from the newest team in the FCS.

We’ll touch on all of those things here, but this story is supposed to be about what we learned this weekend. So, what did we learn?

Football is amazing, and after six months of nothing but highlights, replays and preseason polls, we finally got to hear the crash of the helmets, crack of the shoulder pads and all the other sweet sounds from the gridiron that remind us the sweltering days of summer are making way for flannel, pumpkin spice and playoff predictions.

At the FCS level, a long-term goal is to be one of the 24 teams that advance to the NCAA Division I FCS Championship. That can be accomplished by either winning their conferences or by earning an at-large bid issued by the FCS Playoff Selection Committee at the end of the regular season.

Regardless of which route it ends up being, the journey for many teams begins in Week 0, especially with the way many schedules look after recent conference shakeups, division hopping and some leagues moving to nine-game conference schedules.

Week 0 featured important conference games right from the jump, playoff rematches and top-25 showdowns that showed us who’s ready and who might have some work to do.

Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines from Week 0 and what they told us:

West Florida The Real Deal: Argonauts Win In FCS Debut

The University of West Florida football program rose from NCAA Division II newcomer to Division II powerhouse as if the Argonauts had been on a rocket fired at nearby Cape Canaveral.

The team debuted in 2016 and needed only a few years to go from non-existent to national runners-up in 2017 to national champions in 2019.

The team was led onto the field for the first time in 2016 by quarterback Kaleb Nobles, who is the UWF head coach a decade later. They won that game against Ava Maria University by a final score of 45-0.

This year, West Florida has brought its talent and reputation to the FCS level, albeit with a completely rebuilt roster, and the Argos wasted no time showing an opening-night audience that they’re the real deal and haven’t missed a beat transitioning from Division II to FCS competition.

The Argonauts kicked off the season, and their FCS era, with a dramatic 34-31 statement win against No. 16-ranked Southern Illinois.

West Florida entered as a 20-point underdog but led the contest at halftime, 20-9.

Despite the powerful UWF defense knocking out Southern Illinois’ All-America quarterback DJ Williams, the visitors nearly pulled off a come-from-behind win on the shoulders of backup signal caller Jake Curry.

The Argonauts fumbled four times in the game, losing three, but capitalized on three interceptions and a lost fumble by Southern Illinois.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ty’ray Davis was 7 of 17 for UWF for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and he also led the team’s ground effort with 88 net yards and a score on 18 carries.

Last season, West Florida reached the Division II Playoffs as an at-large selection after losing the Gulf South Conference title to Valdosta State. Unfortunately, the Argos’ postseason run and Division II era came to an end with a second-round loss to Newberry. UWF finished the season at 10-2 overall.

Southern Illinois struggled a bit last year in a loaded Missouri Valley Football Conference that saw six teams advance to the playoffs and six of its 10 teams land in the final American Football Coaches Association Division I FCS Coaches Poll of the season.

The next test for West Florida will be its first conference matchup of 2026, a United Athletic Conference road showdown with Central Arkansas on Sept. 5.

The Top 25 Teams In The Preseason FCS Polls Came To Play In 2026

Obviously, the preseason polls in college football are just educated guesses based on performances from the previous season, players lost, players gained, coaching changes and so much more.

The early part of the season often features a lot of reshuffling as speculation becomes reality.

In all, 24 of the top-25 teams were in action (rankings as they appear in the American Football Coaches Association FCS Preseason Poll), with the majority going finishing the way the rankings would suggest.

Here’s a look at Week 0 by the numbers:

1 – Reigning FCS national champion and preseason No. 1 Montana State opened the year with a 54-0 win over Utah Tech.
3 – Three teams managed to put up 70 or more points on the way to lopsided wins – No. 3 South Dakota State, the 2022 and 2023 national champion, topped Stetson (70-7); No. 4 Illinois State, the 2025 FCS runner-up, defeated St. Francis 76-0; and No. 25 South Carolina State crushed Savannah State 87-0 for the fifth-largest shutout win in the FCS since 1996.
6 – Six of the contests featured unranked, or lower-ranked teams, coming away with the win.
16 – In 16 of the 22 games that featured ranked teams, the program with the higher ranking won.
21 – UC Davis, which reached the FCS quarterfinals last year, was trailing Big Sky foe Portland State 21-0 at halftime Saturday and ended up winning 31-24 for a perfect start to conference play.

Other non-numerical highlights included a 21-14 redemption win for No. 21 Lamar against No. 14 Abilene Christian. ACU bounced the Cardinals from the first round of the 2025 playoffs, 38-20, which featured a 14-point fourth quarter for the Wildcats.

Top 25 Results For Week 0

*Upsets in bold

No. 1 Montana State def. Utah Tech, 54-0
No. 2. Montana def. Southern Utah, 28-21
No. 3 South Dakota State def. Stetson, 70-7
No. 4 Illinois State def. St. Francis, 76-0
No. 5 Tarleton State def. Prairie View A&M, 49-30
No. 6 UC Davis def. Portland State, 31-24
NR William & Mary def. No. 7 Villanova, 35-32
No. 8 Rhode Island def. Merrimack, 34-7
No. 9 Youngstown State def. Mercyhurst, 43-10
No. 10 North Dakota def. Long Island University, 42-21
No. 11 Lehigh def. Holy Cross, 35-10
No. 12 South Dakota def. Central Connecticut State, 59-20
No. 13 Stephen F. Austin def. McNeese, 38-27
No. 15 Tennessee Tech def. No. 23 Monmouth, 38-14
NR West Florida def. No. 16 Southern Illinois, 34-31
No. 17 Mercer def. East Texas, 23-15
No. 18 Austin Peay def. Gardner-Webb, 35-17
NR Houston Christian def. No. 20 Southeastern Louisiana, 34-28
No. 21 Lamar def. No. 14 Abilene Christian, 21-14
NR Central Arkansas def. No. 22 UT Martin, 36-24
No. 24 Northern Arizona def. Eastern Washington, 34-27
No. 25 South Carolina State def. Savannah State, 87-0
Only No. 19 Yale didn’t play in Week 0. The Bulldogs play their first game on the road at Holy Cross on Sept. 19.

Key Conferences Matchups Highlight Week 0 In The FCS

In most cases, but not always, teams usually get a few weeks to get comfortable before starting conference play.

It’s nice to have a chance to see you team gel a little bit or get familiar with new players, coaches, plays, etc., before suiting up for the most meaningful games of the season, but a handful of FCS programs did not have that luxury in 2026.

Of the 13 FCS conferences, eight had intraconference games, four didn’t have any and one league – the Ivy League – doesn’t play any games until Sept. 19.

Among those in action were the Big Sky Conference, CAA, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southland Conference, Southern Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The ones that still have some time to shake off the rust in 2026 are the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference, Pioneer League and United Athletic Conference.

Here are some of the highlights:

Big Sky Conference

The Big Sky Conference was well-represented with six conference games, including all three of last year’s playoff teams, Montana State (vs. Utah Tech), Montana (vs. Southern Utah) and UC Davis (vs. Portland State).

Heading into the 2026 campaign, Montana State and Montana occupied the top two spots on the Preseason AFCA Division I FCS Coaches Poll.

Montana State is the reigning FCS national champion. The Bobcats defeated Illinois State in the title tilt, 35-34, after routing Montana in the semifinals, 48-23.

Montana State 54, Utah Tech 0

As the 2025 Big Sky and FCS champion, it was only fitting for Montana State to be the one to welcome Utah Tech into the conference.

While the Trailblazers were the gracious hosts of a top-ranked team for the first time, the Bobcats were not as warm in welcoming the newest member of the Big Sky Conference.

Montana State scored at least 10 points in each quarter on the way to a 54-0 victory, the most points by a Bobcats team when opening a season on the road. The Bobcats now are 5-0 against Utah Tech and have score 50 or more points three times.

Montana def. Southern Utah, 28-21

Southern Utah isn’t new to the Big Sky, having spent time there from 2012-2021, and the Thunderbirds marked their return from the United Athletic Conference with a hard-fought battle with the No. 2 team in the nation, Montana.

Unfortunately, regardless of how they played the T-Birds have started the year in the loss column.

They held one of the country’s most explosive teams to just one score in each quarter, while mounting a late comeback with 12 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn’t enough. Montana escaped with a 28-21 victory and ideal start to conference play.

CAA

The CAA has a little different look this year with the departure of Villanova and William & Mary, plus the addition of Sacred Heart.

This week’s two CAA games were UAlbany vs. New Hampshire and Maine against Towson.

UAlbany 28, New Hampshire 14

UAlbany and New Hampshire finished on opposite ends of the CAA standings last year.

UNH made a run at the conference title and managed an at-large selection for the playoffs, though the Wildcats lost in the opening round.

The Great Danes on the other hand, needed a season-ending win over Monmouth to avoid finishing in a tie for last place in the CAA. The victory helped UAlbany improve to 1-7 in conference play and 2-10 overall.

UAlbany now is under the guidance of Tom Perkovich, who was responsible for an unforgettable decade at Division III Susquehanna, and he didn’t waste any time logging his first Division I victory.

The Great Danes used a 14-point second quarter to build a 21-7 halftime lead at home against New Hampshire and cruised to the 28-14 win. UAlbany outrushed the visitors 374-62 on the way to more than 430 yards of total offense.

Maine 21, Towson 18

This win was a bit of a roller coaster for the Black Bears, who scored all of their points in the second quarter and went to the locker room with a 21-8 advantage.

The contest was pretty evenly matched statistically and definitely could’ve gone either way.

Last year, Maine and Towson landed in the middle of the CAA standings at 5-3 and 4-4, respectively.

Patriot League

The newcomers to the Patriot League put on a big show, but it was a familiar production for both teams and the fans. In the end, it also was a big upset and a statement from the Tribe.

William & Mary 35, Villanova 32

William & Mary and Villanova, both are newcomers to the Patriot League, but they’re also familiar foes from time spent in the CAA.

No. 7-ranked Villanova led this one at halftime, 17-10, but the Wildcats were unable to score in the third quarter and fell behind.

William & Mary scored 13 points in the final 53 seconds and won the game with a walk-off 45-yard field goal from Max Lipinski as time expired. It was his school record-setting fifth field goal of the game, and the win was the Tribe’s first road victory over a ranked opponent since 2021.

The loss snapped a streak of nine straight season-opening wins by Villanova, a streak that was the second-longest among FCS teams.

Lehigh 35, Holy Cross 10

Lehigh and Holy Cross also tussled in an important meeting in the new-look Patriot League.

One of these two teams has won at least a share of the conference title in nine of the last 10 years, and falling behind early in the campaign could be troublesome with all the new talent in the league.

Unfortunately for Holy Cross, this one was out of reach early, as the Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

Around The Nation

Ohio Valley Conference

The rebranded Ohio Valley Conference sent Charleston Southern and Lindenwood into battle.

Lindenwood was able to squeak out a 20-17 win that included 14 fourth-quarter points from Charleston Southern.

Southland Conference

In the Southland Conference, it was unranked Houston Christian leading 17-7 at halftime after a 17-point second quarter and upsetting No. 20 Southeastern Louisiana 34-28.

The other game was a 38-27 win for Stephen F. Austin over McNeese, with the Lumberjacks nearly squandering a 24-7 halftime advantage.

Northeast Conference

The NEC had Robert Morris ease past Wagner, 28-7. The Colonials led 14-0 after the opening quarter.

Southern Conference

SoCon had The Citadel vs. Wofford, and the latter had no trouble in the contest.

Wofford led 21-0 at halftime and rolled to a 42-14 victory.

Southwestern Athletic Conference

In the SWAC, Southern led Alabama State 17-13 at halftime, but a 14-point third quarter catapulted ASU to a 30-17 win.

Preseason AFCA Division I FCS Coaches Poll For 2026 Season

As of Aug. 17

Team (2025 Record) – Points – 2025 Final Ranking

Montana St. (14-2) – 649 – 2025 Final: 1
Montana (13-2) – 605 – 2025 Final: 3
South Dakota St. (9-5) – 591 – 2025 Final: 14
Illinois St. (12-5) – 553 – 2025 Final: 2
Tarleton St. (12-2) – 527 – 2025 Final: 6
UC Davis (9-4) – 498 – 2025 Final: 8
Villanova (12-3) – 448 – 2025 Final: 4
Rhode Island (11-3) – 434 – 2025 Final: 10
Youngstown St. (8-5) – 428 – 2025 Final: 17
North Dakota (8-6) – 396 – 2025 Final: 16
Lehigh (12-1) – 359 – 2025 Final: 9
South Dakota (10-5) – 347 – 2025 Final: 11
Stephen F. Austin (11-3) – 313 – 2025 Final: 7
ACU (9-5) – 295 – 2025 Final: 12
Tennessee Tech (11-2) – 294 – 2025 Final: 15
Southern Illinois (7-5) – 231 – 2025 Final: NR
Mercer (9-3) – 189 – 2025 Final: 18
Austin Peay (7-5) – 186 – 2025 Final: NR
Yale (9-3) – 164 – 2025 Final: 13
Southeastern Louisiana (9-4) – 160 – 2025 Final: 19
Lamar (8-5) – 133 – 2025 Final: 21
UT Martin (6-6) – 123 – 2025 Final: NR
Monmouth (N.J.) (9-3) – 105 – 2025 Final: 20
Northern Arizona (7-5) – 67 – 2025 Final: NR
South Carolina St. (10-3) – 63 – 2025 Final: 25

Others Receiving Votes: Richmond, 31; Southeast Missouri St., 27; Valparaiso, 23; Alabama St., 21; East Tennessee St., 21; Western Carolina, 20; Idaho St., 15; Harvard, 14; Central Connecticut St., 12; Furman, 12; Jackson St., 11; Chattanooga, 9; Eastern Kentucky, 9; UIW, 9; UT-Rio Grande Valley, 9; Dartmouth, 8; Elon, 7; William & Mary, 7; Holy Cross, 6; Wofford, 5; Prairie View A&M, 4; Northern Colorado, 3; St. Thomas (Minn.), 3; New Hampshire, 2; Central Arkansas, 1; McNeese St., 1; San Diego, 1; Stony Brook, 1.

New AFCA FCS Rankings After Week 0 Of 2026

As of Aug. 29

Montana St. (1-0)
South Dakota St. (1-0)
Montana (1-0)
Illinois St. (1-0)
Tarleton St. (1-0)
UC Davis (1-0)
Youngstown St. (1-0)
Rhode Island (1-0)
North Dakota (1-0)
Lehigh (1-0)
Stephen F. Austin (1-0)
South Dakota (1-0)
Tennessee Tech (1-0)
Austin Peay (1-0)
Mercer (1-0)
Lamar (1-0)
Villanova (0-1)
Yale (0-0)
William & Mary (1-0)
Northern Arizona (1-0)
ACU (0-1)
South Carolina St. (1-0)
Richmond (1-0)
Central Arkansas (1-0)
Southern Illinois (0-1)

Dropped Out: Southeastern Louisiana (20), UT Martin (22), Monmouth (N.J.) (23).

Others Receiving Votes: Western Carolina, 47; UT Martin, 31; Idaho St., 29; Wofford, 29; Southeast Missouri St., 24; Alabama St., 22; Maine, 20; Southeastern Louisiana, 20; Monmouth (N.J.), 17; Furman, 16; Harvard, 16; Prairie View A&M, 14; Southern Utah, 14; Chattanooga, 13; UT-Rio Grande Valley, 13; West Florida, 13; Cal Poly, 11; Elon, 11; HCU, 10; UIW, 10; Delaware St., 9; Dartmouth, 8; Idaho, 7; Jackson St., 7; Campbell, 6; East Tennessee St., 3.

Some Things To Know About FCS Football

The FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) is the second tier of NCAA Division I football, with the top tier being the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).

While the FBS determines its national champion through a 12-team, committee-selected College Football Playoff, the FCS Championship includes 24 teams.

The FCS conference champions automatically qualify for the playoffs, and the remaining spots are filled via at-large selection.

This season, there will be 128 programs across 13 conferences. The regular season will begin in late August, and the playoffs will get underway at the end of November.

Who Won The Each Football National Championship For The 2025-2026 Season?

Division I FBS – Indiana def. Miami, 27-21
Division I FCS – Montana State def. Illinois State 35-34 (OT)
Division II – Ferris State def. Harding, 42-21
Division III – University of Wisconsin-River Falls def. North Central (Ill.), 24-14

When Do The 2026 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs Start?

The first round of the 2026 NCAA FCS Playoffs will be Nov. 28.

The format includes 24 teams and five rounds of play – first round, second round, quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game. Everything through the semifinals will be played at the site of the participating schools.

Round 2 is set for Dec. 5, the quarterfinals will be held Dec. 11 (one game) and Dec. 12 (three games) and the semifinals will take place Dec. 19.

The 2026 FCS national championship will be determined Jan. 11, 2027, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Music City first hosted the title tilt in 2025 after 15 consecutive visits to Frisco, Texas.

Every game will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks.

How Do The FCS Playoffs Work?

The 24 FCS teams that advance to the playoffs are situated into a single-elimination bracket.

The top 16 teams are seeded, with the first eight earning byes into the second round. Seeds 9-16 must play in the opening round of action, but they get to play host, as do the higher seeds in each game through the semifinals.

The two semifinal winners then make the trip to Nashville to play for the national championship.

In 2025, Montana State defeated Illinois State 35-34 in overtime to claim the trophy.

Since 2011, North Dakota State had been dominating the FCS landscape, winning 10 national titles, but the Bison have now moved to a bigger pasture – the FBS level as part of the Mountain West Conference.

Every West Florida Football Touchdown In 2025

Relive the final Division II West Florida football season with every touchdown from the Argonauts in 2025

Archived Footage On FloCollege

Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Watch The 2026 College Football Season On FloCollege

FloCollege is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long.

Don’t miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloCollege schedule page for the latest games.

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