The 2025-26 FCS football playoffs unfold in a 24-team bracket, kicking off on Saturday, November 29, and reaching a thrilling conclusion on Monday, January 5. The top 16 teams are seeded, with the top eight seeds earning automatic byes to the second round. The remaining 16 teams compete in the first round to determine the rest of the field.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Division I Football Championship postseason.
FCS championship bracket
Click or tap here to view the bracket (https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/football/fcs/2025)
FCS championship schedule (All times Eastern)
Quarterfinals
Friday, December 12
No. 2 Montana State 44, No. 7 Stephen F. Austin 28
Saturday, December 13
12 p.m. ET | No. 12 Villanova at No. 4 Tarleton State
3:30 p.m. ET | No. 11 South Dakota at No. 3 Montana
5 p.m. ET | Illinois State at No. 8 UC Davis
Semifinals
Saturday, December 20
Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
National Championship
Monday, January 5
Played at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, TN | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
FCS championship rounds, dates
Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
First-round results included several notable games, such as Rhode Island 27, Central Connecticut State 19; Villanova 52, Harvard 7; Abilene Christian 38, Lamar 20; South Dakota 38, Drake 17; North Dakota 31, Tennessee Tech 6; South Dakota State 41, New Hampshire 3; Illinois State 21, Southeastern Louisiana 3; Yale 43, Youngstown State 42.
Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
Villanova 14, Lehigh 7; South Dakota 47, Mercer 0; Tarleton State 31, North Dakota 13; Illinois State 29, North Dakota State 28; Stephen F. Austin 41, Abilene Christian 34; Montana State 21, Yale 13; Montana 50, South Dakota State 29; UC Davis 47, Rhode Island 26.
Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20
National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET
FCS selections
Bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship were announced on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was revealed via a 12 p.m. ET selection show on ESPNU, with the official selections release available at https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2025-11-23/2025-ncaa-division-i-fcs-football-championship-field-announced.
Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.
AUTOMATIC BIDS: See the list of all 11 clinched auto-bids at https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2025-11-22/2025-fcs-playoffs-automatic-bid-tracker-and-scenarios
FCS championship history
North Dakota State was the reigning national champion, claiming its 10th title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State in Frisco, Texas. Here are the champions and runners-up from the past decade:
Year Champion Coach Score Runner-Up Site
2024 North Dakota State Tim Polasek 35-32 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2023 South Dakota State Jimmy Rogers 23-3 Montana Frisco, Texas
2022 South Dakota State John Stiegelmeier 45-21 North Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2021 North Dakota State Matt Entz 38-10 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2020 Sam Houston K.C. Keeler 23-21 South Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2019 North Dakota State Matt Entz 28-20 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2018 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 38-24 Eastern Washington Frisco, Texas
2017 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 17-13 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2016 James Madison Mike Houston 28-14 Youngstown State Frisco, Texas
2015 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 37-10 Jacksonville State Frisco, Texas
You can view the complete list of champions dating back to 1978 at https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fcs
Other noteworthy items
Ferris State’s Tim Anderson won the 2025 Gene Upshaw Award, recognizing the top senior or graduate offensive or defensive lineman in Division II. Read more at the NCAA site: https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2025-12-12/ferris-states-tim-anderson-wins-2025-gene-upshaw-award
Additionally, coverage highlights ranking the performances of first-year FBS head coaches and discusses popular lower-seed upset picks in the College Football Playoff, among other NCAA features.
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