NCAA DIVISION I FCS

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FCS HEADLINES FIRST-ROUND GAMES (Saturday, Nov. 25) Lehigh (5-6) at Stony Brook (9-2) at Stony Brook, New York, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) A E Western Illinois (8-3) at Weber State (9-2) at Ogden, Utah, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) AEA E Monmouth (9-2) at UNI (7-4) at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 5 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Central Conn. St. (8-3) at New Hampshire (7-4) at Durham, NH, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) FACES of the FCS Samford (8-3) at Kennesaw St. (10-1) at Kennesaw, Georgia, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) South Dakota (7-4) at Nicholls St. (8-3) at Thibodaux, Louisiana, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Furman (7-4) at Elon (8-3) at Elon, North Carolina, 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) San Diego (9-2) at Northern Ariz. (7-4) at Flagstaff, Arizona, 8 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)

SECOND-ROUND GAMES (Saturday, Dec. 2) Lehigh/Stony Brook at #1 James Madison (11-0) at Harrisonburg, Va, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Western Ill./Weber St. at #8 Southern Utah (9-2) at Cedar City, Utah, 8 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Monmouth/UNI at #5 South Dakota St. (9-2) at Brookings, SD, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Central Conn. St./UNH at #4 Central Ark. (10-1) at Conway, Ark., 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Samford/Kennesaw St. at #3 Jacksonville St. (10-1) at Jacksonville, Ala., 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) USD at Nicholls St. at #6 Sam Houston St. (10-1) at Huntsville, Texas, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) Furman/Elon at #7 Wofford (9-2) at Spartanburg, South Carolina, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) One of the most celebrated players to com- San Diego/NAU at #2 North Dakota St. (10-1) at Fargo, ND, 3:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) pete at a current FCS school (Mississippi u FCS schools have 9 wins this season vs. FBS programs. The FCS had 10 wins against FBS teams Valley State) -- Jerry Rice had a 20-year last year, one more than 2015, and tied for the fourth-most in a single season in NCAA history. The NFL career and is regarded as the best receiver of all time. FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS schools. u More than two full NFL rosters could be filled with current FCS players in the National Football League (130). There are 36 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions, including recent inductee Kurt Warner (2017, Northern Iowa). u STATS announced its 2017 FCS Awards Finalists on Monday for the STATS FCS Award (FCS offensive player of the year), STATS FCS (FCS defensive player of the year), STATS FCS (FCS freshman player of the year) and STATS FCS Eddie Robin- son Award (FCS coach of the year). All four awards and the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented Jan. 5 in Frisco. u Longest Consecutive Tournament Appearances in the Championship, including 2017: New Hampshire – 14; North Dakota State – 8; Sam Houston State – 7; South Dakota State -- 6; Jacksonville St. – 5; James Madison – 4.

BIG SKY -- The same three teams that were battling for the Big Sky conference title in the final week of the regular season, are the same three teams representing the league in the 2017 FCS Playoffs. Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Weber State will all represent the Big Sky in postseason play with the hope of earning their first national title. The Big Sky announced its individual award winners for the 2017 season. UC Davis’ Keelan Doss was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while Weber State’s Taron Johnson earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades. UC Davis also received Newcomer of the Year honors with Jake Maier, while Montana State’s Troy Andersen was named the Freshman of the Year.

BIG SOUTH -- For the fourth time in the Big South’s eight-year AQ history, the conference is sending two teams to the FCS Playoffs in the same season. Third-year program Kennesaw State earned its first postseason berth as the league’s outright champion and automat- ic bid recipient, while Monmouth collected its first-ever playoff berth in the 25-year history of the program. The Big South is 8-11 in the postseason, and has advanced in five of the last six years. Monmouth’s at-large berth in the FCS Playoffs is the Big South’s fifth at-large entry into the postseason. The previous times were 2006 (Coastal Carolina), 2012 (Stony Brook), 2014 (Coastal Carolina) and 2015 (Coastal Carolina). Meanwhile, Monmouth and Kennesaw State mark the fifth and sixth different Big South members to qualify for the playoffs. The Big South is 5-4 all-time in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, but is looking to snap a two-game losing streak in the opening round of the postseason. Kennesaw State and Monmouth are making their playoff debuts this week, and will look to continue the Big South’s streak of postseason debut victories, which is currently at three. Stony Brook won its first-ever playoff game in 2011, followed by Liberty in 2014 and Charleston Southern in 2015. CAA FOOTBALL -- James Madison captured its third straight CAA Football championship, becoming the first conference team since Boston University (1982-84) to win three in a row. The Dukes also became the first team since UMass in 1977-78 to go undefeated in CAA play in back-to-back seasons. For the fourth year in row, four CAA Football teams were chosen to the NCAA Division I Football Championship field. CAA champion and automatic qualifier James Madison was joined by at-large selections Elon, New Hampshire and Stony Brook. This marks the 10th time in CAA Football history that the league has sent at least four teams to the FCS playoffs. The conference has now had multiple postseason selections in 27 consecutive years, and at least three teams make the field in 12 straight seasons. New Hampshire earned a berth in the FCS playoffs for the 14th consecutive year, extending the longest active streak in the nation. Under coach Sean McDonnell, the Wildcats have recorded 14 straight winning seasons with double-digit victory totals in six of them.

IVY LEAGUE -- The crowning of the 2017 Ivy League Champions came after a dominating defensive performance before a crowd of 51,426 in the 134th edition of The Game. Yale, which earned its first outright league title since 1980, sacked Harvard six times and limited its offense to 164 total yards in a 24-3 victory over the Crimson. The Bulldogs, whose con- secutive wins in The Game are the first for the school since 1999 and 2000, had champagne and cigars after putting together a complete, team effort that brought their record to 9-1, 6-1 Ivy. Yale freshman Zane Dudek (Kittanning, Pa.) was a unanimous decision for Rookie of the Year after becoming the first freshman ever to lead the League in rush- ing. Columbia head coach Al Bagnoli led the Lions to an 8-2 season, 5-2 in Ivy play, marking their best overall and conference records since 1996. Columbia was 4-36 in the four years prior to Bagnoli’s arrival. He earned Coach of the Year honors, announced Tuesday.

MEAC -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will be well-represented with seven finalists on the various FCS Awards Ballots. N.C. A&T needed to defeat North Carolina Central after three straight defeats to their No. 1 football nemesis cost them three outright conference titles, a playoff berth in 2014 and a Celebration Bowl bid and an undefeated MEAC season in 2016. And defeat NCCU is what the Aggies did Saturday evening in a 24-10 win at Aggie Stadium that led to Aggie fans storming the field to celebrate both an undefeated regular season (11-0) and their first undefeated MEAC season (8-0) in 18 years. In the process, the Aggies also captured their first outright title in 14 years. The Aggies, who knew they were headed to the Celebration Bowl last week, will go there with a chance to complete the first-ever undefeated season by a MEAC team since the league started in 1971.

MISSOURI VALLEY -- The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs three times (2014, 2015, and this year). In the past four seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 19 bids - more than any other league. The league is 92-63 in the NCAA FCS playoffs. Included in that overall record is a .500 or better performance against nine of the 11 conferences it has faced. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has recorded a 44-19 record since 2010 in the playoffs -- better than any other league. Over the last two-plus years the MVFC has a 25-12 record in the playoffs, which includes six intraconference games, meaning the league is 19-6 vs. the rest. In the past seven playoffs (2010-16), five leagues (Big Sky, CAA Football, MVFC, Southern and Southland) have combined to win 126 of 149 total games. The MVFC has 44 of those wins (35 percent).

NORTHEAST -- Central Connecticut will put its eight-game win streak on the line at CAA member New Hampshire in the NCAA FCS Playoffs First Round on Saturday, November 25. The Blue Devils will make their first-ever FCS championship appearance after becoming the first team since 2008 (Albany) to post a perfect Northeast Conference recoord. Pete Rossoman- do’s Blue Devils eclipsed the 26-point mark for the eighth game in a row, posting a 42-14 win over Robert Morris in the regular season finale. CCSU’s trip to New Hampshire means that the NEC champion will face an at-large selection from the CAA for the third year in a row. Saint Francis dropped a 31-21 decision at Villanova in 2016. One year earlier, Duquesne jumped out to a 14-0 lead at William & Mary before falling, 52-49. Central Connecticut is the seventh different team to acquire the Northeast Conference’s FCS playoffs berth since the league gained automatic access into the championship bracket in 2010.

OHIO VALLEY -- Jacksonville State, who won its fourth-straight OVC Championship, is appearing in its fifth-straight and eighth overall Division I playoff this season. The Gamecocks, who advanced to the 2015 National Championship game, have won 32-straight OVC games and 41-straight regular season contests against non-FBS opponents. The team enters the playoffs ranked No. 2 in total defense (230.5 yards/game). Despite being the first team out of the 24-team FCS Playoff field, Austin Peay, who entered the year having lost 47 of its previ- ous 48 games, finished the season 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the OVC. The eight wins tied the school’s all-time record while the seven Conference wins are the most in program history. The Govs improved from 120th nationally in total defense in 2016 to 16th this season. PATRIOT -- The 2017 All-Patriot League First and Second Teams and major award winners were announced by the League office on Tuesday. Lehigh RB Dom Bragalone was selected as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NCAA Division I Football Championship Series in scoring (11.5 points per game), total touchdowns (21) and rushing touch- downs (18), while helping the Mountain Hawks earn their second-straight berth in the FCS Playoffs. Bragalone, who rushed for a League leading 1,313 yards, is also a candidate for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, given annually to the nation’s best offensive player. The Patriot League is 6-9 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one game in the postseason in five of the last seven seasons. In 2016, Lehigh fell at New Hampshire, 64-21. The Mountain Hawks have earned a pair of playoff victories in recent history, defeating Towson (40-38) in 2011 and Northern Iowa (14-7) in 2010.

PFL -- The San Diego Toreros (9-2, 8-0 PFL) will make its third appearance in the championship and is the only PFL team to ® make multiple appearances since the league gained an automatic bid in 2013. Last season, San Diego won its first-round contest at Cal Poly, becoming the first PFL program to win in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Pioneer Football League Commissioner Patty Viverito announced the league’s presidents’ council has agreed to accept Presby- terian College’s request for membership, effective for the 2021 season.

SOUTHERN -- The Southern Conference earned three bids to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, with league champion and automatic qualifier Wofford claiming the No. 7 national seed and a first-round bye. Furman and Samford earned at large berths and first-round dates at Elon and Kennesaw State, respectively. Both of those contests represent rematches from early season games. The Southern Conference put multiple teams in the field for the third-straight season and the 30th time in the last 36 years. SoCon teams are 6-2 in the opening round of the playoffs since the current format was adopted in 2013. Furman’s playoff berth is its 17th, which is tops among current SoCon schools. The Paladins, who won the national championship in 1988, are in the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Paladins, who were picked seventh in the preseason SoCon poll but entered the final day of the regular season with a chance to clinch a share of the league title, won seven straight after opening the season 0-3 before wrapping up the regular season with a 26-20 loss at No. 13 Samford. Samford’s playoff appearance will be its fifth, as the Bulldogs previously earned bids in 1991, 1992, 2013 and 2016. The program’s longest run in the playoffs came in 1991, when the Bulldogs reached the semifinals. Wofford earned a first-round bye for the first time since 2012 and will face the Elon/Furman winner on Dec. 2.

SOUTHLAND -- The Southland Conference announced the 2017 All-Conference Teams on Tuesday with UCA senior QB Hayden Hildebrand named Player of the Year and Sam Houston State leading with 13 overall selections. (Full Release and Teams) For just the sixth time in league history, the Southland Conference is sending three teams to the FCS Playoffs. Central Arkansas enters as a No. 4 seed while Sam Houston State comes in at No. 6. Both have secured first-round byes. Nicholls earned an at-large bid and will host South Dakota in the opening round. The Bears face the winner of the first-round matchup between New Hampshire and Central Connecticut State, two teams which UCA has never played in its history. Sam Houston State hosts the winner of Nicholls-South Dakota in the second round. The Bearkats posted a fourth-straight 10-win season and 2017 will be their 11th all-time playoff appearance. The Kats are 14-6 all-time in the FCS postseason, second only to North Dakota State.

SWAC -- Winners of four of their last five games, Alabama State looks to put an exclamation point on the 2017 season Thurs- day afternoon when they host Edward Waters College in the 94th annual Turkey Day Classic. Kickoff is set for 2 pm. Brad Woodard rushed 27 times for 128 yards and a touchdown, Elijah Odom added 92 yards on the ground with a score and also found Mario Smalls for a 25-yard touchdown and the Texas Southern defense held the Golden Lions to 189 total yards of offense to pick up a road conference victory. The Tigers will now get set to host Prairie View A&M on Saturday, November 25th at 6:00 pm at BBVA Compass Stadium in what will be the season finale for both teams. The Grambling State Tigers (9-1 overall, 6-0 SWAC) dropped on spot to No. 12 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll and remained No. 13 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll. Grambling State remained in the top spot in the SBN Sports Network Black Poll and in the Urban Media Today Black College Football Poll. In the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll, the Tigers kept its position at No. 2 behind North Carolina A&T State. Grambling State will take on rival Southern in the 44th Annual Bayou Classic on Saturday from the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Kick- off is set for 4 p.m. and the game can be seen live on NBC Sports. Big Sky Conference Standings Ohio Valley Conference Standings Team W L W L Streak Team W L W L Streak STATS FCS TOP-25 RANKINGS Southern Utah (12) 7 1 9 2 Won 7 Weber State (11) 7 1 9 2 Won 5 Jacksonville State (2) 8 0 10 1 Won 9 Team Pts. Prev. Eastern Washington (17) 6 2 7 4 Won 2 Austin Peay 7 1 8 4 Won 3 Eastern Illinois 5 3 6 5 Lost 1 1 James Madison (11-0) 3825 1 Northern Arizona (25) 6 2 7 4 Lost 1 2 Jacksonville State (10-1) 3591 2 Sacramento State 6 2 7 4 Won 3 UT Martin 4 4 6 5 Won 1 Southeast Missouri State 3 5 3 8 Won 1 3 Central Arkansas (10-1) 3456 3 Montana State 5 3 5 6 Won 1 4 North Dakota State (10-1) 3359 4 Montana 5 3 7 4 Lost 1 Eastern Kentucky 3 5 4 7 Won 1 UC Davis 3 5 5 6 Lost 2 Tennessee State 2 5 6 5 Lost 1 5 Sam Houston State (10-1) 3186 5 North Dakota 2 6 3 8 Lost 2 Murray State 2 5 3 8 Lost 1 6 South Dakota State (9-2) 3110 6 Northern Colorado 2 6 3 7 Won 1 Tennessee Tech 1 7 1 10 Lost 3 7 North Carolina A&T (11-0) 2706 8 Idaho State 2 6 4 7 Lost 3 8 Wofford (9-2) 2684 7 Cal Poly 1 7 1 10 Lost 2 Patriot League Standings 9 Western Illinois (8-3) 2443 9 Portland State 0 8 0 11 Lost 11 Team W L W L Streak 10 Stony Brook (9-2) 2287 10 11 Weber State (9-2) 2218 12 Big South Conference Standings Lehigh 5 1 5 6 Won 3 12 Southern Utah (9-2) 2046 14 Colgate 5 1 7 4 Won 5 13 Grambling State (9-1) 1843 13 Team W L W L Streak Lafayette 3 3 3 8 Lost 2 14 Samford (8-3) 1781 17 Kennesaw State (18) 5 0 10 1 Won 10 Holy Cross 3 3 4 7 Lost 1 Fordham 3 3 4 7 Won 1 15 Elon (8-3) 1719 11 Monmouth 4 1 9 2 Lost 1 16 South Dakota (7-4) 1332 15 Charleston Southern 3 2 6 5 Won 1 Bucknell 2 4 5 6 Lost 1 Georgetown 0 6 1 10 Lost 10 17 Eastern Washington (7-4) 1316 18 Presbyterian 1 4 4 7 Won 1 18 Kennesaw State (10-1) 1223 22 Gardner-Webb 0 5 1 10 Lost 6 Pioneer Football League Standings 19 McNeese (9-2) 1203 19 Liberty 2 3 6 5 Lost 1 20 UNI (7-4) 931 24 Team W L W L Streak 21 New Hampshire (7-4) 656 16 CAA Football Conference Standings San Diego 8 0 9 2 Won 8 22 Furman (7-4) 613 20 23 Illinois State (6-5) 416 21 Team W L W L Streak Drake 6 2 7 4 Won 2 Jacksonville 5 3 7 4 Lost 1 24 Yale (9-1) 364 NR James Madison (1) 8 0 11 0 Won 11 Campbell 5 3 6 5 Lost 1 25 Northern Arizona (7-4) 354 23 Stony Brook (10) 7 1 9 2 Won 5 Valparaiso 5 3 6 5 Won 2 Elon (15) 6 2 8 3 Lost 2 Dayton 4 4 5 6 Lost 1 Delaware 5 3 7 4 Lost 1 Butler 4 4 6 5 Lost 1 New Hampshire (21) 5 3 7 4 Lost 1 Marist 3 5 4 7 Lost 1 Richmond 4 4 6 5 Won 1 Morehead State 3 5 4 7 Won 1 FCS COACHES TOP-25 RANKINGS Villanova 3 5 5 6 Won 1 Stetson 1 7 2 9 Lost 4 Team Pts. Rec. Prev. Towson 3 5 5 6 Won 2 Davidson 0 8 2 9 Lost 8 1 James Madison (26) 650 1 11-0 Maine 3 5 4 6 Lost 3 2 Jacksonville State 612 2 10-1 Rhode Island 2 6 3 8 Lost 1 Southern Conference Standings 3 Central Arkansas 588 3 10-1 Albany 2 6 4 7 Won 1 Team W L W L Streak 4 North Dakota State 547 6 10-1 William & Mary 0 8 2 9 Lost 8 5 Sam Houston State 538 4 10-1 Wofford (8) 7 1 9 2 Lost 1 6 South Dakota State 537 5 9-2 Ivy League Standings Samford (14) 6 2 8 3 Won 3 7 North Carolina A&T 481 T-7 11-0 Team W L W L Streak Furman (22) 6 2 7 4 Lost 1 8 Weber State 438 9 9-2 Western Carolina 5 3 7 5 Lost 2 9 Wofford 430 T-7 9-2 Yale (24) 6 1 9 1 Won 6 Mercer 4 4 5 6 Lost 1 10 Western Illinois 410 10 8-3 Columbia 5 2 8 2 Won 2 Citadel 3 5 5 6 Lost 3 11 Stony Brook 364 12 9-2 Dartmouth 5 2 8 2 Won 3 Chattanooga 3 5 3 8 Won 1 12 Grambling State 357 11 9-1 Penn 4 3 6 4 Won 4 ETSU 2 6 4 7 Lost 2 13 Southern Utah 326 18 9-2 Cornell 3 4 3 7 Lost 3 VMI 0 8 0 11 Lost 11 14 Samford 317 13 8-3 Harvard 3 4 5 5 Lost 2 15 McNeese 242 19 9-2 Princeton 2 5 5 5 Lost 4 Southland Conference Standings 16 Kennesaw State 224 21 10-1 Brown 0 7 2 8 Lost 7 Team W L W L Streak 17 Elon 209 15 8-3 18 South Dakota 201 16 7-4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings Central Arkansas (3) 9 0 10 1 Won 10 19 Eastern Washington 189 20 7-4 Team W L W L Streak Sam Houston State (5) 8 1 10 1 Won 7 20 New Hampshire 142 14 7-4 Nicholls 7 2 8 3 Lost 1 21 Northern Iowa 138 RV 7-4 North Carolina A&T (7) 8 0 11 0 Won 11 McNeese (19) 7 2 9 2 Won 3 22 Nicholls 115 17 8-3 Howard 6 2 7 4 Lost 1 Southeastern Louisiana 6 3 6 5 Won 1 23 Monmouth 65 22 9-2 Bethune-Cookman 6 2 7 4 Won 4 Northwestern State 4 5 4 7 Won 1 24 Yale 58 RV 9-1 North Carolina Central 5 3 7 4 Lost 2 Stephen F. Austin 4 5 4 7 Lost 2 25 Furman 57 24 7-4 Hampton 5 3 6 5 Won 1 Abilene Christian 2 7 2 9 Lost 6 Norfolk State 4 4 4 7 Won 1 Incarnate Word 1 7 1 10 Lost 5 Savannah State 3 5 3 8 Won 1 Lamar 1 8 2 9 Lost 1 South Carolina State 2 6 3 7 Lost 1 Houston Baptist 0 9 1 10 Lost 9 Florida A&M 2 6 3 8 Lost 2 Delaware State 2 6 2 9 Lost 1 Southwestern Athletic Conference Standings Morgan State 1 7 1 10 Lost 5 Team W L W L Streak Missouri Valley Football Conference Standings East Team W L W L Streak Alcorn State 5 2 7 4 Lost 1 Alabama State 4 3 4 6 Won 1 North Dakota State (4) 7 1 10 1 Won 2 Jackson State 3 4 3 8 Won 2 UNI (20) 6 2 7 4 Won 3 Alabama A&M 3 4 4 7 Won 1 South Dakota State (6) 6 2 9 2 Won 5 Mississippi Valley State 1 6 2 9 Lost 4 Western Illinois (9) 5 3 8 3 Won 3 West Illinois State (23) 4 4 6 5 Lost 3 Grambling State (13) 6 0 9 1 Won 9 South Dakota (16) 4 4 7 4 Lost 3 Southern University 5 1 7 3 Won 6 Youngstown State 4 4 6 5 Won 3 Prairie View A&M 3 3 5 5 Won 2 Missouri State 2 6 3 8 Lost 2 Texas Southern 2 4 2 8 Won 1 Southern Illinois 2 6 4 7 Lost 4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1 6 2 9 Lost 7 Indiana State 0 8 0 11 Lost 11

Northeast Conference Standings Team W L W L Streak Central Connecticut State 6 0 8 3 Won 8 Bryant 4 2 6 5 Won 4 Duquesne 4 2 7 4 Lost 3 Saint Francis U 3 3 5 6 Lost 3 Wagner 2 4 4 7 Won 1 Sacred Heart 2 4 4 7 Lost 1 Robert Morris 0 6 2 9 Lost 8