The FCS season will end in Frisco, Texas, for the 15th consecutive year, but for the first time the FCS playoffs will run through Bozeman, Montana.
The Montana State Bobcats will begin the 2024 FCS playoffs as the top seed, earned after a 12-0 regular season which concluded Saturday with a 34-11 win over No. 9 Montana in the annual Brawl of the Wild. Brent Vigen's team opened the year with a 35-31 win over FBS New Mexico, and knocked off two other national seeds in UC Davis and Idaho on their run to an outright Big Sky championship. Montana State won the 1984 FCS national championship, but the highest seed the Bobcats previously earned was No. 3, most recently in 2012.
Elsewhere, the Dakotas dominate the top four. Nine-time national champion North Dakota State, who has not won it all since the 2021 season, earned the No. 2 seed, while 2-time defending champion South Dakota State is the No. 3 seed. If form holds, the Jackrabbits and the Bison will meet in the Fargodome in a semifinal game.
1. Montana State
2. North Dakota State
3. South Dakota State
4. South Dakota
5. UC Davis
6. Incarnate Word
7. Mercer
8. Idaho
The bracket breaks down as follows. All times Eastern; all games on ESPN+ unless noted otherwise.
UT-Martin at New Hampshire (1 p.m.)
-- winner faces No. 1 Montana State
Lehigh at Richmond (2 p.m.)
-- winner faces No. 8 Idaho
Illinois State at Southeast Missouri State (noon)
-- winner faces No. 5 UC Davis
Drake at Tarleton (3 p.m.)
-- winner faces No. 4 South Dakota
Northern Arizona at Abilene Christian (3 p.m.)
-- winner faces No. 2 North Dakota State
Central Connecticut State at Rhode Island (noon)
-- winner faces No. 7 Mercer
Eastern Kentucky at Villanova (2 p.m.)
-- winner faces No. 6 Incarnate Word
Tennessee State at Montana (10:15 p.m., ESPN2)
-- winner faces No. 3 South Dakota State
See the full bracket in the slideshow below.
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