INDIANAPOLIS — The field of 24 teams competing for the 2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. The top eight national seeds will host winners from the first-round matchups.
Two-time defending national champion North Dakota State University (12-0) tops the bracket as the number one seed after winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison are making their 10th consecutive and 15th overall appearance in the championship.
FCS SCORES AND NEWS: View the interactive bracket | Full FCS football scoreboard | 2019 stats leaders
James Madison University (11-1) is the number two seed after earning the automatic qualifying berth from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes are making their sixth straight and 16th overall appearance in the championship.
Weber State University (9-3) is the number three seed after winning a share of their third-straight Big Sky Conference title and the conference’s automatic qualification. The Wildcats will make their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship and eighth overall.
California State University, Sacramento (9-3) is the number four seed after earning a share of the conference title in the Big Sky. The title was the first for the Hornets, who are making their inaugural appearance in the championship field.
Montana State University- Bozeman (9-3) will be the fifth seed. The Bobcats are making their second straight and 10th appearance overall in the championship.
The University of Montana (9-3) is amongst the field for the 24th time overall. The Grizzlies are making their first appearance since 2015 and will be the sixth seed.
South Dakota State University (8-4) captured the seventh seed and will make their eighth consecutive appearance and ninth total in the championship.
The eighth and final seeded team will be the University of Central Arkansas (9-3). The Bears earned a share of the Southland title and will compete in the championship for the fifth time in the last nine years.
During the previous 42 years of the championship, 21 schools have won a national title, six of which earned a place in this year’s bracket.
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The 2019 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large qualifiers. The top eight teams in the 24-team bracket for the championship are seeded and receive first round byes. Team pairings are determined primarily according to geographical proximity.
Teams from the same conference will not be paired for first round games. (except for teams from the same conference that did not play against each other during the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first round).
2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship Automatic Qualifiers (10)
| CONFERENCE | TEAM | 2019 RECORD | APP. | WON | LOST | LAST APPEARANCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | Weber St. | 9-3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2018 |
| Big South | Monmouth | 10-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2017 |
| Colonial | James Madison | 11-1 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 2018 |
| Missouri Valley Football | North Dakota St. | 12-0 | 9 | 32 | 2 | 2018 |
| Northeast | Central Conn. St. | 11-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2017 |
| Ohio Valley | Austin Peay | 9-3 | FIRST APPEARANCE | |||
| Patriot | Holy Cross | 7-5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2009 |
| Pioneer Football | San Diego | 9-2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2018 |
| Southern | Wofford | 8-3 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2018 |
| Southland | Nicholls St. | 8-4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2018 |
2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship At-Large Selections (14)
| Team | Conference | 2019 Record | App. | Won | Lost | LAST Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany (NY) | CAA | 8-4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2011 |
| Central Ark. | Southland | 9-3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2017 |
| Furman | SoCon | 8-4 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 2017 |
| Illinois St. | MVFC | 8-4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2016 |
| Kennesaw St. | Big South | 10-2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2018 |
| Montana | Big Sky | 9-3 | 23 | 32 | 21 | 2015 |
| Montana St. | Big Sky | 9-3 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 2018 |
| North Dakota | Independent | 7-4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2016 |
| Sacramento St. | Big Sky | 9-3 | FIRST APPEARANCE | |||
| South Dakota St. | MVFC | 8-4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2018 |
| Southeastern La. | Southland | 7-4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2014 |
| Southeast Mo. St. | OVC | 9-3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2018 |
| UNI | MVFC | 8-4 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 2018 |
| Villanova | CAA | 9-3 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 2016 |
Longest Consecutive Tournament Appearances in the Championship
Including 2019*
- North Dakota St. – 10
- South Dakota St. – 8
- James Madison – 6
- San Diego – 4
- Wofford – 4
- Weber St.– 4
Consecutive Tournament Appearances in the Championship Ending
- Jacksonville St. – 6
Most Tournament Appearances in the Championship
- Montana- 24
- UNI – 21
- Furman- 18
- James Madison – 16
- Villanova- 13
Schools Making the Championship for the First Time
- Austin Peay
- Sacramento St.
Longest Stretch between Championship Appearances
- Holy Cross- 2009
- Albany (NY)- 2011
Schools by Conference
- Big Sky Conference – 4
- Missouri Valley Football Conference – 4
- Colonial Athletic Association- 3
- Southland Conference – 3
DATES/SITES/PAIRINGS:
FIRST-ROUND GAMES
November 30 at Thibodaux, Louisiana, 4 p.m., (ESPN3)
North Dakota (7-4) at Nicholls St. (8-4)
November 30 at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Illinois St. (8-4) at Southeast Mo. St. (9-3)
November 30 at Albany, New York 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Central Conn. St. (11-1) at Albany (NY) (8-4)
November 30 at Clarksville, Tennessee, 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Furman (8-4) at Austin Peay (9-3)
November 30 at Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Kennesaw St. (10-2) at Wofford (8-3)
November 30 at Hammond, Louisiana, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Villanova (9-3) at Southeastern La. (7-4)
November 30 at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
San Diego (9-2) at UNI (8-4)
November 30 at West Long Branch, New Jersey, Noon (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross (7-5) at Monmouth (10-2)
SECOND-ROUND GAMES
December 7 at Fargo, North Dakota, 3:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Nicholls St./North Dakota winner at #1 North Dakota St. (12-0)
December 7 at Conway, Arkansas, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Illinois St./Southeast Mo. St. winner at #8 Central Ark. (9-3)
December 7 at Bozeman, Montana, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Central Conn. St./Albany (NY) winner at #5 Montana St. (9-3)
December 7 at Sacramento, California, 9 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Furman/Austin Peay winner at #4 Sacramento St. (9-3)
December 7 at Ogden, Utah, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Kennesaw St./Wofford winner at #3 Weber St. (9-3)
December 7 at Missoula, Montana 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Villanova/Southeastern La. winner at #6 Montana (9-3)
December 7 at Brookings, South Dakota, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
San Diego/UNI winner at #7 South Dakota St. (8-4)
December 7 at Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross/Monmouth winner at #2 James Madison (11-1)
Television schedules and game times for all rounds of the 2019 championship will be updated at krikya18.com. All rounds of the FCS playoffs can be seen on ESPN’s family of networks with first-round games taking place Saturday, Nov. 30 and concluding with the national championship game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, Saturday, January 11 at Noon (ET) on ABC.
