The Big Sky and Missouri Valley powers will be there, but who else? With many strong teams to pick from, here are FCS playoff bracket predictions following six weeks of games.
If the FCS football playoffs began today, they would look a lot different from last year.
Our bracket projection says so. Trust us, it’s never wrong.
Sure, you’ve noticed Gardner-Webb, ETSU and Austin Peay are in the bracket. Northern Arizona and Idaho State, too. Plus, Campbell and Richmond. Yup, a small handful of different teams from 2025.
But the reason the bracket has really taken on a new look is because late Friday night, winless Idaho took a wrecking ball to it and knocked down defending national champion Montana State.
The Road to Nashville has taken on a whole bunch of new twists and turns.
FCS Playoffs: Projected Bids by Conference
*-Automatic qualifier (11 overall); other teams projected as at-large selections (13 overall)
Big Sky (5): Idaho State, *Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, UC Davis
CAA Football (1): *Campbell
Ivy League (1): *Harvard
Missouri Valley (5): Illinois State, North Dakota, South Dakota, *South Dakota State, Youngstown State
Northeast (1): *Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley (1): *Gardner-Webb
Patriot League (2): *Lehigh, Richmond
Pioneer League (1): *Drake
Southern (2): *ETSU, Tennessee Tech
Southland (3): Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana, *Stephen F. Austin
United Athletic (2): Austin Peay, *Tarleton State
First Four Teams Out: Colgate, Mercer, Monmouth, North Alabama
Projected Pairings
Gardner-Webb at No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech, winner at No. 1 seed South Dakota State
ETSU at No. 9 seed Austin Peay, winner at No. 8 seed Youngstown State
Harvard at No. 15 seed Northern Arizona, winner at No. 5 seed Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Louisiana at No. 13 UC Davis, winner at No. 4 seed Montana State
Central Connecticut State at No. 14 seed Idaho State, winner at No. 3 seed Tarleton State
Campbell at No. 11 seed Lamar, winner at No. 6 seed Lehigh
Richmond at No. 10 seed South Dakota, winner at No. 7 seed North Dakota
Drake at No. 15 seed Illinois State, winner at No. 2 seed Montana
FCS Playoff Bracket: 2026 Key Dates to Know
ESPN Networks; Times ET
Playoff Selection Show: Nov. 22
First Round: Nov. 28
Second Round: Dec. 5
Quarterfinals: Dec. 11 (9 p.m., ESPN) and 12 (noon, and 8 p.m., ESPN; TBD, ESPN+)
Semifinals: Dec. 19 (4 p.m., ABC; 8 p.m., ESPN2)
Championship Game: Jan. 11 (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
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FCS Playoff Bracket Predictions: The Field Has a Different Look After Montana State’s Loss Opta Analyst.
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