- There were six FCS vs. FBS upsets during the 2024 college football season.
- The Big Sky conference has sprung the most FCS/FBS upsets since 2012.
- North Dakota State had scored six straight FCS/FBS upsets until it lost at Arizona in 2022.
One of the most fun corners of the college football odds market is the annual run of FCS vs. FBS matchups.
FBS teams enjoy unique advantages over their FCS counterparts. The games are nearly always at home, and in most cases, they have far more resources at their disposal.
Nevertheless, there are always a few cases each year where an FCS team jumps up and beats an FBS opponent in spite of the advantages in their favor.
In 2024, fans witnessed six FCS-over-FBS wins. Montana State got the party started with a win at New Mexico in Week 0, though BetMGM’s college football spreads market did technically price the Bobcats as a favorite.
FCS vs. FBS Upsets: Full List of FCS Upsets Since 2016
| Date | FCS Winner | FBS Loser | Final Score |
| 9/28/2024 | UT-Martin | Kennesaw State | 24-13 |
| 9/21/2024 | Monmouth | Florida International | 45-42 |
| 9/7/2024 | Southern Utah | UTEP | 27-24 |
| 9/7/2024 | Idaho | Wyoming | 17-13 |
| 9/7/2024 | Saint Francis (PA) | Kent State | 23-17 |
| 8/24/2024 | Montana State | New Mexico | 35-31 |
| 9/16/2023 | Sacramento State | Stanford | 30-23 |
| 9/9/2023 | Idaho | Nevada | 33-6 |
| 9/9/2023 | Fordham | Buffalo | 40-37 |
| 9/9/2023 | Southern Illinois | Northern Illinois | 14-11 |
| 9/24/2022 | Sacramento State | Colorado State | 41-10 |
| 9/17/2022 | Southern Illinois | Northwestern | 31-24 |
| 9/10/2022 | Weber State | Utah State | 35-7 |
| 9/10/2022 | UIW | Nevada | 55-41 |
| 9/10/2022 | Holy Cross | Buffalo | 37-31 |
| 9/10/2022 | Eastern Kentucky | Bowling Green | 59-57, 7OT |
| 9/3/2022 | Delaware | Navy | 14-7 |
| 9/2/2022 | William & Mary | Charlotte | 41-24 |
| 11/13/2021 | Maine | UMass | 35-10 |
| 11/06/2021 | Rhode Island | UMass | 35-22 |
| 9/18/2021 | Northern Arizona | Arizona | 21-19 |
| 9/18/2021 | UIW | Texas State | 42-34 |
| 9/11/2021 | Jacksonville State | Florida State | 20-17 |
| 9/11/2021 | Duquesne | Ohio | 28-26 |
| 9/4/2021 | East Tennessee State | Vanderbilt | 23-3 |
| 9/4/2021 | Montana | No. 20 Washington | 13-7 |
| 9/4/2021 | Holy Cross | UConn | 38-28 |
| 9/3/2021 | South Dakota State | Colorado State | 42-23 |
| 9/2/2021 | Eastern Washington | UNLV | 35-33, 2OT |
| 9/2/2021 | UC Davis | Tulsa | 19-17 |
| 2/21/2021 | Tarleton State | New Mexico State | 43-17 |
| 10/23/2020 | Jacksonville State | Florida International | 19-10 |
| 9/14/2019 | The Citadel | Georgia Tech | 27-24, OT |
| 9/7/2019 | Southern Illinois | UMass | 45-20 |
| 8/29/2019 | Central Arkansas | Western Kentucky | 35-28 |
| 9/22/2018 | Illinois State | Colorado State | 35-19 |
| 9/8/2018 | Maine | Western Kentucky | 31-28 |
| 9/2/2018 | North Carolina A&T | East Carolina | 28-23 |
| 9/1/2018 | Villanova | Temple | 19-17 |
| 9/1/2018 | Northern Arizona | UTEP | 30-10 |
| 9/1/2018 | Nicholls State | Kansas | 26-23, OT |
| 8/30/2018 | UC Davis | San Jose State | 44-38 |
| 9/23/2017 | Western Illinois | Coastal Carolina | 52-10 |
| 9/16/2017 | North Carolina A&T | Charlotte | 35-31 |
| 9/16/2017 | Idaho State | Nevada | 30-28 |
| 9/9/2017 | South Dakota | Bowling Green | 35-27 |
| 9/9/2017 | New Hampshire | Georgia Southern | 22-12 |
| 9/2/2017 | Liberty | Baylor | 48-45 |
| 9/2/2017 | James Madison | East Carolina | 34-14 |
| 9/2/2017 | Howard | UNLV | 43-40 |
| 8/31/2017 | Tennessee State | Georgia State | 17-10 |
| 9/24/2016 | Western Illinois | Northern Illinois | 28-23 |
| 9/24/2016 | Central Arkansas | Arkansas State | 28-23 |
| 9/17/2016 | North Dakota State | Iowa | 23-21 |
| 9/10/2016 | North Carolina A&T | Kent State | 39-36, 4OT |
| 9/10/2016 | Illinois State | Northwestern | 9-7 |
| 9/10/2016 | Eastern Illinois | Miami (OH) | 21-17 |
| 9/3/2016 | Richmond | Virginia | 37-20 |
| 9/3/2016 | Northern Iowa | Iowa State | 25-20 |
| 9/3/2016 | Eastern Washington | Washington State | 45-42 |
| 9/2/2016 | Albany | Buffalo | 22-16 |
How Many FBS Teams Have Lost to FCS Teams This Season?
Six FCS teams beat an FBS program in 2024: Montana State, Saint Francis (Pa.), Idaho, Southern Utah, Monmouth, and UT Martin.
Which FCS Conference Wins the Most FBS Games?
Since the start of the 2012 season, the Big Sky has scored 24 FCS-over-FBS upsets – more than any other FCS conference.
FCS Football Betting
If you’re looking for more insight into how to bet FCS football games – and, more specifically, FCS/FBS upsets – make sure to check out this podcast episode with FCS expert Sam Herder and myself.
Listen to “Chase Kiddy Chats FCS Betting + Week 2 Recap, Week 3 Top Games” on Spreaker.
Herder is the host of FCS Football Talk, and he invited me on in 2022 for a lengthy discussion on why FCS games can be so lucrative – if hard to find – in the larger college football odds market.
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