The participants of the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2015 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 1 seed Jacksonville State and No. 3 seed North Dakota State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
The Gamecocks, led by second-year head coach John Grass, finished the regular season 10–1, 8–0 in OVC play, to earn a conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Jacksonville State defeated unseeded Chattanooga, No. 8 seed Charleston Southern, and unseeded Sam Houston State to reach their first ever final.
North Dakota State Bison
The Bison, led by second-year head coach Chris Klieman, finished the regular season 8–2, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with Illinois State) and the No. 3 seed in the FCS Playoffs. North Dakota State defeated unseeded Montana, unseeded Northern Iowa, and No. 7 seed Richmond to reach the final. The Bison entered the Championship game with a 4–0 record in previous FCS Championships, having won the last four straight.
^"Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
^"Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ North Dakota State Bison". vegasinsider.com. January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
^"North Dakota State University Athletics - Boxscore for Football vs Jacksonville State on 1/9/2016". gobison.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
^ abc"2016 FCS Championship Jacksonville State vs North Dakota State". Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via YouTube.
Further reading
Herman, Howard (January 8, 2016). "Tony Marcella takes center stage as referee in D-I FCS title game". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved January 18, 2019.