2024 FCS playoffs automatic bid tracker and scenarios

The 2024 FCS playoffs are approaching and 10 automatic bids are up for grabs.

Ten teams automatically qualify for this year's playoffs via conference affiliation. An additional 14 teams earn at-large bids selected by the FCS Playoff Committee. The complete 24-team bracket will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 24. The FCS playoffs conclude with the national championship in Frisco, Texas on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.

We will fill in the winner of each conference's automatic bid below as they are decided:

STANDINGS: See the latest FCS standings from every conference 

Conference winners who abstain from the FCS playoffs are as follows:

• Ivy:
  • TBD
• MEAC:
  • South Carolina State
• SWAC
  • SWAC East: Jackson State
  • SWAC West: Southern

Week 13 Scenarios

Big South-OVC

• Southeast Missouri State can clinch the Big South-OVC bid with a Week 13 win over Tennessee State
  • OR a loss to Tennessee State
    • AND a UT Martin win over Lindenwood
• Tennessee State can clinch the Big South-OVC bid with a Week 13 win over Southeast Missouri State 
  • AND a Tennessee Tech loss to Eastern Illinois
  • AND a UT Martin loss to Lindenwood
• Tennessee Tech can clinch the Big South-OVC bid with a Week 13 win over Eastern Illinois
  • AND a UT Martin loss to Lindenwood
  • AND a Southeast Missouri State loss to Tennessee State

Ivy

• Harvard can clinch the outright Ivy League title with a win over Yale
• Dartmouth can clinch a share of the Ivy League title with a win over Brown
  • AND a Harvard loss to Yale
• Columbia can clinch a share of the Ivy League title with a win over Cornell
  • AND a Harvard loss to Yale

MVFC

• North Dakota State can clinch the MVFC auto-bid with a win over South Dakota.
  • OR a loss to South Dakota
    • AND South Dakota State beats Missouri State*
• South Dakota can clinch the MVFC auto-bid with a win over North Dakota State
  • AND South Dakota State beats Missouri State*
• South Dakota State can clinch the MVFC auto-bid with a win over Missouri State*
  • AND South Dakota beats North Dakota State

*If South Dakota State, South Dakota and North Dakota State all finish with one MVFC loss, the conference's auto-bid would be determined by a tiebreaker, likely the Sagarin Ratings at season's end.

NEC 

• The winner of Duquesne vs. Central Connecticut State will clinch the NEC auto bid.

Patriot

• Lehigh can clinch the Patriot League auto-bid with a win over Lafayette
  • OR a loss to Lafayette
    • AND Holy Cross loses to Georgetown
    • AND Bucknell loses to Colgate
• Holy Cross can clinch the Patriot League auto-bid with a win over Georgetown
  • AND Lehigh loses to Lafayette
• Bucknell can clinch the Patriot League auto-bid with a win over Colgate.*
  • AND Lehigh loses to Lafayette
  • AND Holy Cross loses to Georgetown

*If Lehigh, Holy Cross and Bucknell all finish with 3-2 records in Patriot play, the auto-bid may come down to the tiebreaker committee (below):

Pioneer

• Drake can clinch the Pioneer Football League auto-bid with a win over Stetson
  • OR a loss to Stetson
    • AND Morehead State loses to San Diego
• Morehead State can clinch the Pioneer Football League auto-bid with a win over San Diego
  • AND Drake loses to Stetson
  • AND Butler loses to Presbyterian
• Butler can clinch the Pioneer Football League auto-bid with a win over Presbyterian*
  • AND Drake loses to Stetson
  • AND Morehead State loses to San Diego

If Drake, Morehead State and Butler all finish with two PFL losses the winner would be determined via 

Past clinched scenarios

• SoCon — Mercer was the first FCS team in 2024 to clinch an auto bid with a Week 11 win over VMI.
• ASUN-WAC (UAC) — Abilene Christian clinched the UAC auto-bid with a Week 12 win over Tarleton State. 
• Big Sky — Montana State clinched the Big Sky auto-bid with a win over UC Davis in Week 12.
• CAA — Richmond clinched the CAA bid, even with a Rhode Island win, after Stony Brook and Villanova lost. Richmond has a head-to-head win over Delaware, a one-loss team in CAA play. Rhode Island's only CAA loss is to Delaware. If all three teams finish with one CAA loss, Richmond will receive the auto-bid based on the head-to-head and common opponent tiebreakers.
• MEAC — South Carolina State clinched the MEAC title with a Week 12 win over Morgan State.
• Southland — UIW clinched the Southland auto bid with a Week 12 win over Stephen F. Austin.
• SWAC East — Jackson State clinched the SWAC East division with a win over Alabama State in Week 12.
• SWAC West — Southern clinched the SWAC West division in Week 12 with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff​​​​