The 24 teams in the 2016 FCS Playoff Bracket were announced and the usual heavy hitters are in the field. North Dakota State is the reigning five-time National Champions and they were awarded the #1 overall seed. The bracket can be found here via the NCAA’s website.
The top four seeds, in order, are North Dakota State, Eastern Washington, Jacksonville State, and James Madison. Seeds five through eight, in order, are Sam Houston State, The Citadel, North Dakota, and South Dakota State. The top 8 seeds all receive a bye into the second round with those games to be played on December 3.
Below are the 10 automatic qualifiers for the 2016 FCS Playoffs:
Big Sky – Eastern Washington (10-1)
Big South – Charleston Southern (7-3)
Colonial Athletic – James Madison (10-1)
Missouri Valley – South Dakota State (8-3)
Northeast – Saint Francis (PA) (7-4)
Ohio Valley – Jacksonville State (10-1)
Patriot League – Lehigh (9-2)
Pioneer – San Diego (9-1)
Southern – The Citadel (10-1)
Southland – Sam Houston State (11-0)
Below are the 14 At-Large picks:
Big Sky – Cal Poly (7-4)
Big Sky – North Dakota (9-2)
Big Sky – Weber State (7-4)
Colonial – New Hampshire (7-4)
Colonial – Richmond (8-3)
Colonial – Villanova (8-3)
MEAC – North Carolina A&T (9-2)
Missouri Valley – Illinois State (6-5)
Missouri Valley – North Dakota State (10-1)
Missouri Valley – Youngstown State (8-3)
Southern – Chattanooga (8-3)
Southern – Samford (7-4)
Southern – Wofford (8-3)
Southland – Central Arkansas (9-2)
Overall, four different conferences had four teams selected: Big Sky, Colonial Athletic, Missouri Valley, and Southern Conference.
4 teams from @BigSkyFB @CAAFootball @ValleyFootball @SoConSports
— Craig Haley (@CraigHaley) November 20, 2016
First Round Matchups
All games for the first round will take place on Saturday, November 26. We will list all those games along with their start time as well as the second-round opponent.
San Diego (9-1) at Cal Poly (7-4) – 7 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #1 North Dakota State on December 3.
St. Francis (PA) (7-4) at Villanova (8-3) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #8 South Dakota State on December 3.
Weber State (7-4) at Chattanooga (8-3) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #5 Sam Houston State on December 3.
Lehigh (9-2) at New Hampshire (7-4) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #4 James Madison on December 3.
Samford (7-4) at Youngstown State (8-3) – 5 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #3 Jacksonville State on December 3.
Charleston Southern (7-3) at Wofford (8-3) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #6 The Citadel on December 3.
North Carolina A&T (9-2) at Richmond (8-3) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #7 North Dakota on December 3.
Illinois State (6-5) at Central Arkansas (9-2) – 2 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will play at #2 Eastern Washington on December 3.
Road to the National Championship
First Round – All games on Saturday, November 26
Second Round – All games on Saturday, December 3
Quarterfinals – Games will be played on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10
Semifinals – Games will be played on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17
National Championship – Will be played on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Check back later in the week for predictions for the first round of the 2016 FCS Playoffs.
