There’s no doubt
defending FCS champion North Dakota State will be there, but
who else? With many candidates to pick from, here’s a 2025 FCS
playoff bracket projection.
The NCAA’s FCS playoff selection committee will have its second
public reveal of a Top 10 ranking on Wednesday.
There’s no need to wait until then, here’s how the committee
should be viewing the 24-team pairings three weeks out
from Selection Sunday, Nov. 23. If the Top 10 looks different on
Wednesday, well, the committee has the right to get it wrong.
How does our FCS playoff bracket look following Week 10
chaos within the FCS Top 25? Here’s a projection for the Road
to Nashville:
FCS Playoffs: Projected Bids
by Conference
*-Automatic qualifier (11 overall); other teams
projected as at-large selections (13 overall)
Big Sky (3): *Montana (9-0), Montana State
(7-2), UC Davis (6-2)
CAA Football (3): *Monmouth (8-1), Rhode Island
(7-2), Villanova (6-2)
Ivy League (1): *Harvard (7-0)
Missouri Valley (6): *North Dakota State (9-0),
Illinois State (6-3), North Dakota (6-3), South Dakota (6-4), South
Dakota State (7-2), Southern Illinois (6-3)
NEC Football (1): *Central Connecticut State
(6-3)
OVC-Big South (1): *Tennessee Tech (9-0)
Patriot League (1): *Lehigh (9-0)
Pioneer League (1): *Drake (6-2)
Southern (2): *Mercer (7-1), Western Carolina
(6-3)
Southland (3): *Stephen F. Austin (7-2), Lamar
(7-2), Southeastern Louisiana (7-2)
United Athletic (2): *Abilene Christian (5-4),
Tarleton State (9-1)
First Teams Outside the Bracket: Presbyterian
(8-1), Austin Peay (5-4), Youngstown State (5-4), Northern Arizona
(5-4)
Projected
Pairings
Southeastern Louisiana at No. 16 seed Stephen F. Austin, winner
at No. 1 seed North Dakota State
Central Connecticut State at No. 9 seed Harvard, winner at No. 8
seed Tennessee Tech
South Dakota at No. 12 seed UC Davis, winner at No. 5 seed
Lehigh
Western Carolina at No. 13 seed Villanova, winner at No. 4 seed
Tarleton State
Southern Illinois at No. 14 seed Rhode Island, winner at No. 3
seed Montana State
Illinois State at No. 11 seed North Dakota, winner at No. 6 seed
South Dakota State
Drake at No. 10 seed Mercer, winner at No. 7 seed Monmouth
Lamar at No. 15 seed Abilene Christian, winner at No. 2 seed
Montana
FCS Playoff Bracket: 2025 Key
Dates to Know
Selection Committee Top 10 (second reveal):
Nov. 5 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Playoff Selection Show: Nov. 23 (noon ET,
ESPNU)
First Round: Nov. 29 (ESPN Networks)
Second Round: Dec. 6 (ESPN Networks)
Quarterfinals: Dec. 12-13 (ESPN Networks)
Semifinals: Dec. 20 (ESPN Networks)
Championship Game: Jan. 5 at FirstBank Stadium
in Nashville, Tennessee (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
For more FCS coverage,
follow on social media at X, Facebook, Instagram
and Bluesky.