As North Dakota State and Sacramento State prepare to move up, the success of past FCS to FBS transitions offers a look at which programs adapted best to college football’s highest level. Since Division I split into two subdivisions back in 1978, 30 programs that once competed at the FCS level – then known as 1-AA – have moved up to the FBS level, which was then known as Division 1-A.
This article looks at the five programs that experienced the least amount of success after making the jump to FBS.
When Division I split, several conferences – including the Southern, Missouri Valley, Ivy and Southland conferences – remained at the Division I-A level until dropping to Division I-AA in 1982. The Mid-American Conference also spent one season in Division I-AA before returning to Division I-A in 1983.
New Mexico State, Tulsa and Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana) remained at the I-A level after 1982. Southern Conference members Appalachian State and Marshall, Southland members Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech, and independents North Texas and Northeast Louisiana (now known as Louisiana-Monroe) also dropped to I-AA.
Because those schools were already members of Division I-A when it was formed, they are not included on this list. Schools that joined FBS after the 2023 season are also excluded because this ranking considers only a program’s first three seasons at the FBS level.
Honorable Mentions: Coastal Carolina (13-23 from 2017-19); UConn (11-23 from 2000-02); Charlotte (7-29 from 2015-17)
5. Georgia State Panthers
- First season: 2010
- Record in last season in FCS: 1-10 (2012)
- Record in first three seasons in FBS: 7-30 (2013-15)
Georgia State joined the Colonial Athletics Association for football in 2012 after competing as an independent during its first two seasons. The Panthers had been members of the conference in other sports since 2005. Before their first CAA football game, however, Georgia State announced it would rejoin the Sun Belt Conference beginning in July 2013. Because the school began the transition process before the season, it was ineligible to compete for the CAA championship.
The Panthers’ lone victory came against Rhode Island, which finished winless in 2012. Georgia State then went winless in its first Sun Belt football season in 2013, carrying a 16-game losing streak into the 2014 opener. It was not until 2015 that the Panthers earned their first postseason berth.
4. Florida International Panthers
- First season: 2002
- Record in last season in I-AA: 3-7 (2004)
- Record in first three seasons in I-A: 6-29 (2005-07)
Florida International first fielded a football team in 2002 and accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference for the 2005 season after the league lost three programs during the 2004 I-A realignment.
The Panthers upset No. 5 ranked Stephen F. Austin 31-24 in its final I-AA season and also defeated Florida A&M at the Orange Bowl. In its first season in the Sun Belt, FIU finished 5-6 and defeated co-conference champion ULM.
The Panthers won just one game over the next two seasons, including the infamous brawl during the third quarter of their 2006 game against Miami. The incident was part of a difficult stretch before Mario Cristobal, now Miami’s head coach, was hired to lead the program in 2007.
3. Buffalo Bulls
- First season: 1894
- Record in last season in I-AA: 4-7 (1998)
- Record in first three seasons in I-A: 5-28 (1999-2001)
While St. Thomas made the jump from Division III to FCS in 2021, Buffalo made a similar jump from Division III to Division I-AA in 1993 before eventually moving to the FBS in 1999.
The Bulls finished 4-7 in their I-AA season before joining the Mid-American Conference. Their first season coincided with Marshall’s dominance of the MAC, as the Thundering Herd entered the year as the two-time defending conference champion.
Buffalo went winless in its debut FBS season, failing to score more than 21 points in a game while losing nine contests by more than 10 points.
2. UMass Minutemen
- First season: 1879
- Record in last season in FCS: 5-6 (2011)
- Record in first three seasons in I-A: 5-31 (2012-14)
UMass had been a dominate program at the I-AA/FCS level, reaching the national championship game three times and winning the 1998 title with an upset of top-seeded Georgia Southern.
Despite missing the FCS playoffs in each of its final four seasons, UMass announced it would move to the FBS beginning in 2012. The Minutemen joined the MAC as a football-only member while the school’s other sports remained in the Atlantic 10.
Since moving to the FBS, UMass has not won more than four games in a season and has finished with two or fewer victories 10 times, including a winless season after returning to the MAC as a full member in 2025.
1. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
- First season: 1908
- Record in last season in FCS: 7-5 (2008)
- Record in first three seasons in FBS: 4-32 (2009-11)
Western Kentucky enjoyed a dominant run under Jack Harbaugh, the father of New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, making five consecutive playoff appearances from 2000-04.
The Hilltoppers upset top-seeded McNeese State 34-14 to win the 2002 national championship. Along the way, they also defeated No. 2 seed Western Illinois and No. 3 seed Georgia Southern.
In their first season at the FBS level in 2008, Western Kentucky’s only victories came against FCS opponents. The Hilltoppers endured a 26-game losing streak before defeating conference rival Louisiana in 2010.
Since joining Conference USA in 2014, Western Kentucky has reached a bowl game in all but one season and won consecutive conference championships in 2015 and 2016.
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