The 2013 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their first season of a transition to the FCS level. However, they were not considered a FCS team for scheduling purposes until 2014. They were led by second-year head coach Larry Kennan. Home games were played at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. This was a transition season for the Cardinals. As a transitioning school from D2 to D1, the Cardinals were ineligible for the FCS Playoffs and the D2 playoffs. They played a mixed schedule of schools from the FCS, NAIA, and D-II. The Cardinals joined the Southland Conference for football in the 2014 season, and it counted as the 2nd year in a 4-year transition into the D1 level that wi