NEW FACES TO THE FBS: FCS PROMOTIONS

Since 2022, four teams have made the jump from the FCS to the FBS. Three of those teams became members of the Conference-USA: Sam Houston (joined FBS in 2023), Jacksonville State (joined 2023), and Kennesaw State (joined 2024). James Madison joined in 2022, and play in the Sun-Belt Conference.

Sam Houston, Jacksonville State, and James Madison have all experienced success within their first seasons in the FBS. Sam Houston put together an impressive 10-3 campaign in 2024, Jacksonville State won the C-USA in 2024, and JMU have yet to win less than eight games through three seasons. Kennesaw State had a troublesome first season at college football's highest level, finishing 2-10. If they follow the trend of other recent FCS teams who made the jump, an improvement is in their near future.

Here are the newest members of the FBS: Delaware and Missouri State.

Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (Conference-USA)

Jesse Caris - Caris Photography

• Delaware has been one of the more prominent teams in the FCS ranks over the last decade, making the playoffs four times since 2018. They will be joining the Conference USA. Notably, Delaware has produced NFL players such as Joe Flacco, Nasir Adderley, Nick Boyle, and Rich Gannon. Outside of their C-USA schedule, the Blue Hens will play Colorado and UConn in the non-conference schedule, teams who both put up nine wins a season ago. Head coach Ryan Carty enters year four as the head coach of Delaware and will certainly have a challenging job. While the FCS to FBS transition is never easy for anyone, the geography of the job makes it especially challenging. For anyone who even loosely follows recruiting, Delaware, and the entirety of the north-east of the country is not exactly a hotbed for recruiting. Trying to recruit on a national level, or even branching out regionally will be a big ask for Carty, especially with the quantity of teams in the area. Many other FCS to FBS transition teams are in great recruiting states, such as Sam Houston (Texas), Kennesaw State (Georgia), and Jacksonville State (Alabama). This is one of the more intriguing teams to come up to the FBS level, but their upward trajectory as a program points to a solid future.  

  
  

Missouri State Bears (Conference-USA)

Nathan Papes - Springfield News-Leader

• Unlike many of the recent FBS newcomers, Missouri State has not been a powerhouse in their respective conference, and the nation at the FCS level. Since 2020, they are 30-26, a span that saw two head coaches; Well known coach Bobby Petrino was with Missouri State from 2020-2022, and current head coach Ryan Beard, who has been with the Bears since 2023.  Since 2020, they have been to the playoffs twice, losing in the first round on both occasions, with both trips coming under Coach Petrino. Compared to Delaware, Missouri State is in a much better situation on the recruiting trail. Being in the midwest, and somewhat close to the southern states automatically gives them a recruiting advantage. Another aspect to note is that Mizzou’s recruiting efforts have improved. While many of their top targets most cycles are Missouri natives, their national outreach is on pace to grow, meaning many players from the state could be left behind, and potentially left for Missouri State to grab. While it is not at the top level as a state recruiting wise, Missouri consistently produces good recruits. Missouri State also joins the C-USA, along Delaware. In their non-conference schedule, Missouri State will face USC and Marshall on the road, and will host CFP team SMU. A non-dominant FCS team coming up to the FBS is rare, so it will be interesting to see how the Bears deal with the jump in competition.

Stay tuned for the full season preview for more information about both of the FBS's newest additions.