2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
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| 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| FCS National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 8, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Toyota Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Frisco, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Mark Gronowski (QB, South Dakota State)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | South Dakota State by 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jeff Page | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 18,023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC, ESPN+ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Roy Philpott, Jay Walker and Paul Carcaterra | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 8, 2023, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season, featuring the finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 26, 2022.
Top-ranked South Dakota State defeated conference rival North Dakota State 45–21 to gain their first national championship.[2] Played on Sunday for the first time, the game began at 1:04 p.m. CST and was broadcast on ABC and ESPN+,[3][4] opposite NFL regular season finales (week 18).
North Dakota State
The participants were rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Both teams advanced through the FCS playoff bracket to reach the championship game.
Entering the game, North Dakota State led the all-time series 63–45–5 (.580), although South Dakota State had won their last three meetings, lasting back to the 2021 spring season. North Dakota State was 4–0 against South Dakota State in prior FCS playoff games; this was their first meeting in the FCS title game.
North Dakota State played to a 9–2 regular-season record, suffering losses to Arizona (an FBS program) and South Dakota State. Seeded No. 3 in the FCS playoffs, the Bison received a first-round bye, then defeated Montana, Samford, and Incarnate Word to advance to the championship game.
South Dakota State
South Dakota State played to a 10–1 regular-season record; their only loss was to Iowa (an FBS program). Seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, the Jackrabbits received a first-round bye, then defeated Delaware, Holy Cross, and Montana State to advance to the championship game.