FCS conference belt
The FCS Independents Belt
A companion lineage restricted to FCS Independents: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two FCS Independents members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in FCS Independents at the time. This belt is retired. Sacred Heart held it after the last game between two FCS Independents members on November 22, 2025, and with no earlier holder left to inherit it the reign is closed there. It would start over with the next game between two members.
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Madison | October 23, 1982 – October 15, 1983 | 357 days | 0 | Established it (first game on record) | lost to William & Mary |
| 2 | William & Mary | October 15, 1983 – November 19, 1983 | 35 days | 1 | beat James Madison 24–21 | — belt retired — |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | September 24, 1988 – October 29, 1988 | 35 days | 0 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 1983 and 1988) | lost to Arkansas State |
| 4 | Arkansas State | October 29, 1988 – October 29, 1988 | 0 days | 0 | beat Louisiana Tech 31–22 | — belt retired — |
| 5 | Cal Poly | October 18, 2003 – November 22, 2003 | 35 days | 2 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 1988 and 2003) | — belt retired — |
| 6 | Winston-Salem State | October 21, 2006 – November 18, 2006 | 28 days | 0 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 2003 and 2006) | — belt retired — |
| 7 | Presbyterian | September 29, 2007 – November 10, 2007 | 42 days | 0 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 2006 and 2007) | vacated — left FCS Independents before the 2008 season |
| 8 | Winston-Salem State | November 11, 2007 – September 13, 2008 | 307 days | 0 | reverted after Presbyterian left FCS Independents | lost to Savannah State |
| 9 | Savannah State | September 13, 2008 – November 22, 2008 | 70 days | 0 | beat Winston-Salem State 16–13 | lost to North Carolina Central |
| 10 | North Carolina Central | November 22, 2008 – November 7, 2009 | 350 days | 0 | beat Savannah State 10–7 | lost to Old Dominion |
| 11 | Old Dominion | November 7, 2009 – November 20, 2010 | 1 yr, 13 days | 1 | beat North Carolina Central 42–28 | — belt retired — |
| 12 | South Alabama | October 8, 2011 – October 22, 2011 | 14 days | 0 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 2010 and 2011) | lost to Georgia State |
| 13 | Georgia State | October 22, 2011 – October 29, 2011 | 7 days | 0 | beat South Alabama 27–20 | lost to UTSA |
| 14 | UTSA | October 29, 2011 – November 19, 2011 | 21 days | 0 | beat Georgia State 17–14 | — belt retired — |
| 15 | Abilene Christian | October 13, 2013 – November 9, 2013 | 27 days | 1 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 2011 and 2013) | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 16 | Incarnate Word | November 9, 2013 – November 16, 2013 | 7 days | 0 | beat Abilene Christian 34–31 | — belt retired — |
| 17 | Sacred Heart | November 16, 2024 – November 22, 2025 | 1 yr, 6 days | 1 | Re-established it (no FCS Independents games on record between 2013 and 2024) | — belt retired — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in FCS Independents keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.