What We Learned About FCS Football In Week 2: Scores, Highlights & More

Here are some key FCS results and storylines from Week 2 of the 2026 college football season. Who stood out? Who didn't? What do the rankings look like now?

Sep 16, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro

Replay: Bryant vs Hampton | Sep 12 @ 7 PM3:02:04

During the latest weekend of college football action, most eyes were on the Texas Longhorns as they mounted a comeback for the ages to dethrone No. 1 Ohio State, and the discussion that followed was about whether Texas had done enough to catapult from No. 4 to the top spot in the AP rankings.

But while sports fans were reliving the highlights and hearing what UT quarterback Arch Manning had to say, the top team in the Football Championship Subdivision – Montana State – was two time zones away solidifying its place atop the FCS rankings.

For those who might have missed it, Texas was down 20-3 at halftime and used a 21-point fourth-quarter rally to escape with a 24-23 victory.

Across the country in Reno, Nevada, the Montana State Bobcats put on a defensive masterclass against the University of Nevada, Reno and showed they could be capable of consistent success in the bigger and stronger Football Bowl Subdivision, much like North Dakota State, which made the move this season after one of the most dominant eras in FCS history.

NDSU left as the winningest program the FCS has ever seen, with all 10 of its national titles coming between 2011 and 2024. Only three other teams – Georgia Southern (six), Youngstown State (four) and Appalachian State (three) – have won more than twice since the first trophy was awarded in 1978.

The Bison have wasted no time proving themselves in the FBS and have started the season at 3-0, while outscoring their opponents 109-39.

Only time will tell if Montana State will be the next perennial FCS powerhouse, but the Bobcats are off to a great start. They’ve now won a school-record 17 consecutive games, including the 2025 FCS title tilt against Illinois State, a 35-34 overtime thriller.

It was only the second national title for MSU, but every dynasty has to start somewhere.

Here are some other key storylines from Week 2 of the 2026 college football season:

Some FCS Teams Can Hang With FBS Schools, Some Cannot

Since the 2026 season is just getting underway, there’s still time for a lot of FCS teams to challenge themselves against FBS programs.

Again, it provides them the chance to test their skills against stronger teams, enjoy the financial rewards that come with the opportunity and get some exposure for the program and players.

There were another three dozen FCS vs. FBS contests this week, but only two FCS teams managed to come out on top. One was the aforementioned Montana State Bobcats, who used three interceptions and a fumble recovery to build momentum against the Wolf Pack and former MSU head coach Jeff Choate (2016-2019), who is in his third season at UNR.

The other FCS upset came from MSU’s 2025 championship-game opponent, Illinois State.

The No. 5-ranked Redbirds went on the road and handled Northern Illinois 28-24.

Outside of those two results, there were a lot of lopsided matchups and likely many FCS teams looking forward to getting back to their own division and conferences for the remainder of the season.

Here’s a look at Week 2 by the numbers:

2 – FCS teams beat their FBS foes
5 – Number of wins for FCS teams over FBS opponents so far this season
20 – Games (of 37) saw the winning team score 50 or more points
77 – Number of points scored by 2025-2026 CFP runner-up Miami in a 77-7 win over Florida A&M (the fourth quarter was shortened by five minutes)
84 – Margin of victory for former FCS standout James Madison in an 87-3 win over Wagner

Complete FCS vs. FBS Scoreboard For Week 2 Of The 2026 Season

*Bold is FCS victory

Thursday, Sept. 10

Miami def. Florida A&M, 77-7

Friday, Sept. 11

Louisville def. Villanova, 59-13
Virginia def. Norfolk State, 59-3
NC State def. Richmond, 73-0

Saturday, Sept. 12

Indiana def. Howard, 55-0
SMU def. UC Davis, 56-10
Houston def. Southern, 77-6
North Carolina def. East Tennessee State, 35-3
Kent State def. Wofford, 36-15
James Madison def. Wagner, 87-3
Liberty def. Gardner-Webb, 24-23
West Virginia def. UT Martin, 52-7
Miami (Ohio) def. Holy Cross, 45-7
Colorado def. Weber State, 52-21
Akron def. Robert Morris, 45-10
Toledo def. CCSU, 63-10
UMass def. Sacred Heart, 37-10
Wyoming def. Northern Colorado, 21-13
New Mexico def. Mercyhurst, 70-7
Troy def. Alabama State, 34-17
Florida def. Campbell, 52-3
Western Michigan def. Monmouth, 49-14
South Carolina def. Towson, 45-9
Cincinnati def. Western Carolina, 62-10
Colorado State def. Southern Utah, 58-24
Illinois State def. Northern Illinois, 28-24
Arkansas State def. West Georgia, 52-7
Missouri State def. Lindenwood, 48-14
Wisconsin def. Western Illinois, 36-9
Coastal Carolina def. Fordham, 45-7
TCU def. Grambling State, 63-7
Baylor def. Prairie View A&M, 44-3
San Jose State def. Cal Poly, 30-20
UTEP def. Texas Southern, 51-10
Montana State def. Nevada, 20-7
Central Michigan def. Colgate, 13-10
Ball State def. Stony Brook, 41-17

Did The Top 25 FCS Teams Prove Their Worth In Week 2?

How did the top 25 teams in last week’s American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches Poll perform in Week 2? Did they prove they belong and keep their spots?

In all, 23 of the top 25 teams were in action. Only four of them lost. The first five teams in the rankings all came out on top, including the FBS wins for Montana State and Illinois State.

There also were two showdowns between ranked teams, with No. 8 Lehigh taking down No. 16 William & Mary and No. 9 Stephen F. Austin defeating No. 25 Abilene Christian.

The win for SFA moved the Lumberjacks to 3-0 overall, but it was a break from league play after starting the season with a pair of Southland Conference games.

Richmond and Abilene Christian both fell out of the top 25 after their losses, while Furman and Southern Illinois jumped in.

Top 25 Results For Week 2

No. 1 Montana State 20, Nevada 7
No. 2 Montana 35, Utah Tech 14
No. 3 South Dakota State 57, New Haven 14
No. 4 Illinois State 28, Northern Illinois 24
No. 5 Tarleton State 27, McNeese 24
SMU 56, No. 6 UC Davis 10
No. 7 North Dakota 47, Portland State 23
No. 8 Lehigh 44, No. 16 William & Mary 20
No. 9 Stephen F. Austin 26, No. 25 Abilene Christian 7
No. 10 Youngstown State 70, Duquesne 13
No. 11 Tennessee Tech 45, Samford 19
No. 12 South Dakota 41, Eastern Washington 23
No. 13 Rhode Island 31, Elon 10
Furman 20, No. 14 Mercer 13
No. 15 Austin Peay 63, Morehead State 7
No. 17 Lamar 23, Idaho 17
Louisville 59, No. 18 Villanova 13
No. 19 Yale – Did not play
No. 20 South Carolina State 66, Virginia State 0
NC State 73, No. 21 Richmond 0
No. 22 West Florida – Did not play
No. 23 Northern Arizona 38, Incarnate Word 28
No. 24 Idaho State 59, San Diego 17

New AFCA FCS Rankings After Week 2 Of 2026

As of Sept. 12

Montana St. (3-0) – 650 – Prev. 1
Montana (3-0) – 601 – Prev. 2
South Dakota St. (2-1) – 595 – Prev. 3
Illinois St. (3-0) – 578 – Prev. 4
Tarleton St. (3-0) – 552 – Prev. 5
North Dakota (3-0) – 483 – Prev. 7
Lehigh (3-0) – 473 – Prev. 8
Stephen F. Austin (3-0) – 432 – Prev. 9
Youngstown St. (2-1) – 405 – Prev. 10
Tennessee Tech (3-0) – 393 – Prev. 11
UC Davis (2-1) – 389 – Prev. 6
South Dakota (3-0) – 370 – Prev. 12
Rhode Island (2-1) – 331 – Prev. 13
Austin Peay (2-1) – 317 – Prev. 15
Lamar (2-1) – 268 – Prev. 17
South Carolina St. (3-0) – 194 – Prev. 20
West Florida (2-0) – 178 – Prev. 22
Idaho St. (3-0) – 177 – Prev. 24
Northern Arizona (2-1) – 174 – Prev. 23
Yale (0-0) – 160 – Prev. 19
William & Mary (2-1) – 103 – Prev. 16
Mercer (2-1) – 93 – Prev. 14
Villanova (1-2) – 83 – Prev. 18
Furman (2-1) – 74 – Prev. NR
Southern Illinois (2-1) – 70 – Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Richmond (21), ACU (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Richmond, 67; Cal Poly, 51; Colgate, 30; Wofford, 27; Jackson St., 20; Prairie View A&M, 20; Harvard, 18; Central Arkansas, 16; Southern Utah, 13; Alabama St., 10; Elon, 7; HCU, 6; Campbell, 4; Robert Morris (Pa.), 4; UAlbany, 3; ACU, 2; Dartmouth, 2; Nicholls, 2; UT Martin, 2; Monmouth (N.J.), 1; San Diego, 1; Southeast Missouri St., 1.

Youngstown State Quarterback Heating Up At The Right Time

Last year, Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard won the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS. It’s the FCS equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to the top player in all of college football.

The fifth-year standout has carried that momentum into the 2026 campaign, and he has gotten progressively better each week.

Against Duquesne on Saturday, a 70-13 win for the Penguins, he threw for six touchdowns and ran for two more, setting school records for touchdown passes and most touchdowns accounted for in a single game.

Brungard was 20 of 23 for 290 yards and threw touchdown passes to five receivers. He added another 111 yards on 14 carries and found the end zone twice on foot.

His efforts earned him Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week honors, and he also was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

In three games this year, Brungard has passed for 232, 243 and 290 yards, respectively. He has completed 63 of 87 passes for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has run for 259 yards and four scores.

Youngstown scored on its first eight possessions against Duquesne and was ahead 49-10 at halftime. The Penguins rebounded from a loss to FBS Kentucky on Sept. 5 and now are 2-1 on the season.

Sophomore quarterback Malachi “Bubba” Lewis added some late sparks in the Duquesne game, connecting on 8 of 9 passes for 117 yards. He fired his first career touchdown pass and logged the first rushing touchdown of his career.

Youngstown State moved up one spot to No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and now faces a huge test on the road Saturday against South Dakota State, the No. 3 team in the latest rankings and the FCS national champion in 2022 and 2023.

SDSU leads the all-time series 19-7, including a 35-30 victory in 2025.

Luckily, Brungard continues to improve each week and is working his way up the individual FCS statistics.

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.

No. 13 Rhode Island vs. Elon Football Highlights | CAA Football Highlights

Watch the highlights from No. 13 Rhode Island’s 31-10 win over conference rival Elon on Sept. 12.

Archived Footage On FloCollege

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