The 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2006 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began on August 26, 2006 and concluded on December 15, 2006, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the 2006 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game where the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the UMass Minutemen, 28–17.
Prior to the 2006 season, NCAA Division I-A was renamed NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and NCAA Division I-AA was renamed NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Conference changes and new programs School 2005 Conference 2006 Conference Austin Peay Pioneer FCS Independent Central Arkansas Gulf South (D-II) FCS Independent Northern Colorado Great West Big Sky Winston-Salem State CIAA (D-II) FCS Independent
FCS team wins over FBS teams September 2 – Montana State 19, Colorado 10 September 2 – Portland State 17 New Mexico 7 September 2 – Richmond 13, Duke 0 September 9 – New Hampshire 34, Northwestern 17 September 16 – Southern Illinois 35, Indiana 28 September 23 – North Dakota State 29, Ball State 24 October 28 - Cal Poly SLO 16, San Diego State 14
Conference standings
Conference champions
Automatic berths Conference Champion Atlantic 10 Conference Massachusetts Big Sky Conference Montana Gateway Football Conference Youngstown State Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hampton Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Illinois and UT Martin Patriot League Colgate, Lafayette, and Lehigh Southern Conference Appalachian State Southland Conference McNeese State
Invitation Conference Champion Big South Conference Coastal Carolina Great West Football Conference North Dakota State Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Duquesne and Marist Northeast Conference Monmouth Pioneer Football League San Diego
Abstains Conference Champion Ivy League Princeton and Yale Southwestern Athletic Conference Alabama A&M
Postseason
NCAA Division I playoff bracket
* Host institution
SWAC Championship Game
Date Location Venue West Div. Champion East Div. Champion Result December 16 Birmingham, Alabama Legion Field Arkansas-Pine Bluff Alabama A&M Alabama A&M, 22–13
Gridiron Classic
The Gridiron Classic is an annual game between the champions of the Northeast Conference and the Pioneer Football League that has been held since December 2006.
Date Location Venue NEC Champion PFL Champion Result December 2 West Long Branch, New Jersey Kessler Field Monmouth San Diego San Diego, 27–7
Final poll standings
Standings are from The Sports Network final 2006 poll.
Rank Team Record1 Appalachian State Mountaineers 14–12 Massachusetts Minutemen 13–23 Montana Grizzlies 12–24 Youngstown State Penguins 11–35 North Dakota State Bison 10–16 New Hampshire Wildcats 9–47 Southern Illinois Salukis 9–48 Illinois State Redbirds 9–49 James Madison Dukes 9–310 Montana State Bobcats 8–511 Hampton Pirates 10–212 Furman Paladins 8–413 UT Martin Skyhawks 9–314 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 9–315 Eastern Illinois Panthers 8–516 Cal Poly Mustangs 7–417 Northern Iowa Panthers 7–418 Princeton Tigers 9–119 Portland State Vikings 7–420 San Diego Toreros 11–121 McNeese State Cowboys 7–522 7–423 Wofford Terriers 7–424 Central Arkansas Bears 8–325 Yale Bulldogs 8–2 Rule changes There are several rules that have changed for the 2006 season. Following are some highlights:
Players may only wear clear eyeshields. Previously, both tinted and orange were also allowed. The kicking tee has been lowered from two inches tall to only one inch. Halftime lasts twenty minutes. Previously, it was only fifteen minutes. On a kickoff, the game clock starts when the ball is kicked rather than when the receiving team touches it. This rule change has resulted in controversy, highlighted by the matchup between Wisconsin and Penn State on November 4, 2006, in which Wisconsin deliberately went off-sides on two consecutive kickoffs to run extra time off the clock at the close of the first half. On a change of possession, the clock starts when the referee marks the ball ready for play, instead of on the snap. The referee may no longer stop the game due to excessive crowd noise. When a live-ball penalty such as an illegal formation occurs on a kick, the receiving team may choose either to add the penalty yardage to the end of the return or require the kick to be attempted again with the spot moved back. Previously, only the latter option was available. If a team scores at the end of the game, they will not kick the extra point unless it would affect the outcome of the game. Instant replay is now officially sanctioned and standardized. All plays are reviewed by the replay officials as the play occurs. They may call down to the on-field officials to stop play if they need extra time to make a review. Each coach may also make one challenge per game. In the case of a coach's challenge, the coach must have at least one time-out remaining. If the challenge is upheld the coach gets the time-out back but the challenge is spent. If the challenge is rejected, both the challenge and the time-out are spent.
References
External links