FCS title game stays in Frisco, Texas through 2015

Associated Press

FRISCO, TEXAS

The FCS championship game is staying in North Texas for at least three more seasons.

The NCAA on Wednesday announced a three-year extension to stage its Football Championship Subdivision title game at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco. That will keep the game in the growing suburb north of Dallas through at least the 2015 season.

Defending champion North Dakota State (13-1) and Sam Houston State (11-3) will play in this season’s title game on Jan. 5, a rematch of last year’s game the Bison won 17-6. It will be the third FCS championship game in a row played in Frisco.

FC Dallas Stadium opened in 2005, a state-of-the-art soccer stadium that is home of Dallas’ MLS team.

The game is sold out for the second year in a row, with a crowd of more than 20,000 expected again. The last time the championship game drew more than 20,000 fans in consecutive years was 1995-96.

The game was played in Chattanooga, Tenn., from 1997-2009. Before that, it was in Huntington, W.Va., from 1992-96 after being played in seven different cities from 1978-91.

Appalachian State was the last team to win consecutive FCS title games, with three championships in a row from the 2005-07 seasons.

Montana and Marshall were the last teams to play each other in back-to-back championship games, with Montana winning the 1995 title and Marshall the following season.

Youngstown State and Marshall played three consecutive years (1991-93), with Marshall winning the middle game and Youngstown State winning the other two.

The Penguins also won the title in 1997 and lost to Georgia Southern in the 1999 championship game.