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The FCS Playoffs got underway with all 8 games of the first round taking place on Saturday. It marked the first time that more than 8 teams were seeded, with the top 8 receiving first-round byes (as usual), while seeds 9 through 16 were rewarded no such reprieve.
In all, the filed is comprised of 24 teams.
No. 9 seed Richmond got bounced in a stunning 20-16 upset at home at the hands of Lehigh of the Patriot League which the Spiders will join next season as they bid farewell to the CAA, only for football.
No. 10 seed Rhode Island held off pesky CCSU, 21-17, as the Rams overcame two interceptions and a blocked field goal.
Villanova, the 11 seed, got a school record 16th straight home win by rallying from an early 14-0 deficit for a 22-17 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Wildcats didn't own a lead until the 4th quarter when the first of two field goals provided a 19-17 edge. Eastern Kentucky drove to the Villanova 6-yard line in the final seconds, but the game ended on an incomplete pass.
Due to its own stadium being used to host the Illinois High School Association state football finals, 12-seed Illinois State had to play its first playoff game on the road. The Redbirds opened a 28-7 halftime lead and held off a second half surge by SEMO for the 35-27 win.
Tarleton, seeded 13th, was a 43-29 winner at home over Drake in its first playoff game in its first season of FCS playoff eligibility.
14-seed Montana pulled away late for a 41-27 win over Tennessee State, thanks in large part to a pair of punt returns by Junior Bergen who tied a FCS record with the 7th and 8th of his career.
15-seed Abilene Christian was a slight home underdog to Northern Arizona, but the Wildcats scored a 24-0 shutout of Northern Arizona.
16-seed New Hampshire lost in a 41-10 blowout at home by UT-Martin.
November 30 (all times eastern)
Bold Team Won, CAPS Team Home
UT Martin (9-4) 41, (16) NEW HAMPSHIRE (8-5) 10
Lehigh (9-3) 20, (9) RICHMOND (10-3) 16
(12) Illinois State (10-3) 35, SEMO (9-4), 27
Drake (8-3) 29, (13) TARLETON (10-3) 43
Tennessee State (9-4) 27, (14) MONTANA (9-4) 41
Eastern Kentucky (8-5) 17, (11) VILLANOVA (10-3) 22
CCSU (7-6) 17, (10) RHODE ISLAND (11-2) 21
Northern Arizona (8-5) 0, (15) ABILENE CHRISTIAN (9-4) 24
Home team on bottom
| 12/7 | 12/14 | 12/21 | C'ship (Frisco) (1/6, 7 PM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT-Martin 1 Montana St. |
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| Lehigh 8 Idaho |
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| 12 Illinois St. 5 UC Davis |
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| 13 Tarleton 4 So. Dakota |
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| 14 Montana 3 SDSU |
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| 11 Villanova 6 UIW |
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| 10 URI 7 Mercer |
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| 15 ACU 2 NDSU |
Southern topped Grambling 24-14 in the Bayou Classic in New Orleans, Florida A&M beat Alabama A&M 28-23 on Friday in Tallahassee, and Alabama State toppled D2 Tuskegee 34-6 on Thanksgiving Day in the 100th Turkey Day Classic at Alabama State.
The final three games between FCS and FBS schools took place with Florida State, Clemson, and South Carolina easily defeating Charleston Southern, The Citadel and Wofford, respectively.
FBS schools were 115-6 in FBS-FCS games this season, and are a cumulative 1,915-158 (.924) since we began tracking this in 2003.
In 2024, there were 121 matchups scheduled between FBS and FCS schools with 119 playing one such game, while Hawaii and UMass each play two.
15 schools were not scheduled to play a FCS opponent. Of those fifteen schools, 5 are in the B1G (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, USC and UCLA). Texas is the only school in the SEC that will not play a FCS program. The same is true for Virginia Tech in the ACC. In fact, Texas and Virginia Tech, along with Michigan and Houston, were repeats from the list of schools in 2023 that played all FBS programs.
2024 FCS wins vs. FBS:
August 24: Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
September 7: St. Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
September 7: Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
September 7: Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24 (OT)
September 21: Monmouth 45, FIU 42
September 28: UT-Martin 24, Kennesaw 13
In 2023, FBS schools were 114-4. These were the FCS wins last year:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
MONTANA STATE - Won 12 straight overall. Won 6 straight road games. Won 8 straight conference games (tied with UIW, Richmond, and Jackson State).
Last: Won 34-11 at home over Montana on Saturday, November 23.
Next: No. 1 over-all seed in the FCS playoffs awaits winner of UT-Martin at (16) New Hampshire.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - 27-game home winning streak.
Last: Won 45-9 at Missouri State on Saturday, November 23.
Next: No. 3 over-all seed in the FCS playoffs awaits winner of Tennessee State at (14) Montana
NW STATE - Lost 20 straight over-all. Lost 10 straight home games (tied with Northern Colorado)
Last: Lost 62-24 at Houston Christian on Saturday, November 23.
Next: Season complete.
NORTHERN COLORADO - Lost 10 straight at home (tied with NW State, LA).
Last: Lost 45-13 at Portland State on Saturday, November 23.
Next: Season complete.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T - Lost 16 straight conference games.
Last: Lost 31-21 at home to Elon on Saturday, November 23.
Next: Season complete.
MURRAY STATE - Lost 18 straight road games. Lost 15 straight conference games (second to NC A&T).
Last: Lost 62-0 at Southern Illinois on Saturday, November 23.
Next: Season complete.