FCS Victories Over FBS Teams in 2020: And Then There Was One

FCS victories over FBS teams in 2020:  And then there was one.  Like everything else in 2020, the usual expected tally fell victim to COVID-19.

Jacksonville State managed to battle through and claim the sole victory, a 19-10 win at Florida International.

Thus, the Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2020 National Championship is awarded to Jacksonville State.  Not only did Jacksonville State claim the mantle by defeating Florida International (C-USA), they did so in the midst of the global pandemic while being one of the few FCS squads to even play in 2020.  For this, the Gamecocks, of the OVC, deserve extra kudos.

FCS Victories Over FBS: Jacksonville State Beats FIU

Before the college football season even began, this most august and authoritative site boldly predicted, on its Twitter feed, that we were about to see just who the most hardcore football cultures were in the grand landscape of college football.  The Evil Eye was correct in this assessment as some dipped their toes into the frigid waters with a bit of timidity.  Playing college football is a massive undertaking to begin with and playing in the face of the pandemic seemed, for a time, almost insurmountable.

These are the bold teams in the FCS that managed to play at least one game in 2020.  They are honored here:

Austin Peay
Central Arkansas
Eastern Kentucky
Houston Baptist
Stephen F. Austin
Missouri State
Campbell
The Citadel
Abilene Christian
North Alabama
North Dakota State
Jacksonville State
Mercer
Chattanooga
Southeast Missouri State
Southern Illinois
Western Carolina

It should be noted that Stephen F. Austin (6-4), Central Arkansas (5-4), Eastern Kentucky (3-6) and Abilene Christian (1-5) almost played full schedules which were cobbled together from FBS teams, FCS teams and Division II teams.  No other FCS team played more than four games.

The Southland Conference, the Ohio Valley Conference, and the Southern Conference each had four teams play games in 2020, burnishing their football culture bona fides.

Hopefully, 2021 will see a continuation of the grand tradition of exhilarating and disastrous FCS victories over FBS teams.

Jacksonville State, you are The Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2020 National Champion.  Congratulations.

As for COVID-19, The Evil Eye is looking askance at you with side-eyed suspicion.  Get out of here.