The engine is all revved as FCS football heads up the on-ramp to the second season. Here are capsule previews of first-round playoff games on No. 2 Montana State’s side of the bracket.
Defending national champion North Dakota State is the No. 1 seed and last year’s runner-up Montana State the No. 2 seed, but with some new qualifiers and a new city hosting the title game, who’s to say there won’t be change in the 2025 FCS playoffs.
The other 22 playoff qualifiers are already convinced of it.
Division I’s largest football playoff – for 48 years running! – kicks off on Saturday with eight first-round games. There are familiar matchups, first-time meetings and a lot of anticipation surrounding the Road to Nashville.
Following are preview capsules of first-round games on Montana State’s side of the bracket. There are also four first-round games on North Dakota State’s side of the bracket. (All times are ET Saturday and games streaming on ESPN+)
#FCSPlayoffs On Montana State’s side of the bracket, which road team is the most likely to win in the first round on Saturday?
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) November 25, 2025Yale (8-2) at No. 15 Seed Youngstown State (8-4)
Kickoff – Noon at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio
Series – First meeting
Coaches – Yale: Tony Reno (82-48, 13th season); Youngstown State: Doug Phillips (31-34, sixth season)
3 Players to Watch – Yale: Josh Pitsenberger (123.8 rush yards per game, 15 TDs), LB Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye (96 tackles, 3 PBU), S Abu Kamara (65 tackles, 5 takeaways); Youngstown State: QB Beau Brungard (2,917 pass yards, 1,378 rush yards, 48 pass/rush/receive TDs), WR/PR Max Tomczak (219 receptions, 2,919 yards, 12 TDs in career), LB Michael Wells (47 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 8.5 sacks)
Notable – Yale defeated previously unbeaten Harvard last Saturday to secure the Ivy League’s first-ever automatic playoff bid (Harvard earned an at-large bid). … QB Dante Reno, the coach’s son, is coming off a season-high 273 yards, while WR Nico Brown also had his high of 189 yards (his sixth game of 100+ yards). … Bulldogs DE Ezekiel Larry (10.5 sacks) has the FCS’ fifth-highest per-game average (1.05). … YSU has averaged 42.0 points while winning five of its last six games. In the loss, the Penguins scored 30 against No. 1 NDSU (no other Bison opponent scored more than 17). … Brungard is the 16th different FCS QB (but 17 overall times) to gain 1,000+ rushing yards and 2,000+ passing yards in a season. … These are the only D-I football programs that begin with the letter Y.
Up Next – The winner will play at No. 2 seed Montana State (10-2) in the second round on Dec. 6.
Prediction – Youngstown State 35, Yale 28
Lamar (8-4) at No. 10 Seed Abilene Christian (8-4)
Kickoff – 1 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium in Abilene, Texas
Series – Lamar leads 13-10 (last meeting: Abilene Christian won 28-14 at home on Sept. 1, 2022)
Coaches – Lamar: Pete Rossomando (21-14, third season; 80-63 overall); Abilene Christian: Keith Patterson (29-19, fourth season; 29-20 overall)
3 Players to Watch – Lamar: WR/PR Kyndon Fuselier (44 receptions; 14.8 PR average), DB Kristian Pugh (83 tackles, 4 INTs, 2 FF), PK Ben Woodard (14 of 18 FGs, including 57-yarder as one of three 50+); Abilene Christian: QB Stone Earle (2,771 pass yards, 19 TDs, 9 INTs; 10 rush TDs), LB Rashon Myles Jr. (103 tackles, 8 TFL, 5 FR, 1 INT), LB Will Shaffer (98 tackles, 3.5 TFL)
Notable – The last meeting between the two Texas programs was Patterson’s first game as ACU coach. … Lamar has utilized two QBs: Aiden McCown (son of 17-year NFL QB Josh McCown) and Robert Coleman (29 career starts, including seven this season). … The Cardinals have the lowest point (22.7) and offensive yardage (299.8) averages in the playoff field. … ACU has won nine straight home games. … Rovaughn Banks Jr. leads the Wildcats in rushing yards (604), but E.J. Wilson has averaged 92.3 during their four-game winning streak entering the FCS playoffs.
Up Next – The winner will play at No. 7 seed Stephen F. Austin (10-2) in the second round on Dec. 6. ACU beat SFA and Lamar fell to Lumberjacks during the regular season.
Prediction – Abilene Christian 28, Lamar 20
Drake (8-3) at No. 11 Seed South Dakota (8-4)
Kickoff – 1 p.m. at DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota
Series – Drake leads 11-10 (last meeting: South Dakota won 42-21 at home on Sept. 20)
Coaches – Drake: Joe Woodley (8-3, first season; 80-8 overall); South Dakota: Travis Johansen (8-4, first season)
3 Players to Watch – Drake: RB Nick Herman (960 rush yards, 6 TDs), LB Sean Allison (120 tackles, 2 INTs), LB J.R. Flood (87 tackles. 3.5 sacks); South Dakota: QB Aidan Bouman (8,545 pass yards, 60 TD passes in career), RB L.J. Phillips Jr. (1,556 rush yards, 18 TDs), LB Nate Ewell (78 tackles, 3 PBU)
Notable – Phillips rushed for 143 yards and four TDs to fuel USD’s regular season win over Drake. … Woodley and Johansen coached together as assistants at NAIA Grand View under Woodley’s father, Mike Woodley. … USD finished the regular season with three straight Top 25 wins, defeating North Dakota, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois. The Coyotes, 2024 national semifinalists, are 6-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points. … Herman and Drake QB Logan Inagawa (8 TD passes, 8 rush TDs) are both true freshmen. … The visiting Bulldogs allow just 15.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the FCS. … The combined winning percentage of USD’s regular season opponents was .535 – the third highest of teams in the FCS playoffs.
Up Next – The winner will play at No. 6 seed Mercer (9-2) in the second round on Dec. 6.
Prediction – South Dakota 35, Drake 17
New Hampshire (8-4) at No. 14 Seed South Dakota State (8-4)
Kickoff – 1 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota
Series – South Dakota State leads 1-0 (only meeting: SDSU won 56-14 at home in a 2017 playoff quarterfinal)
Coaches – New Hampshire: Rick Santos (37-23, fifth season); South Dakota State: Dan Jackson (8-4, first season)
3 Players to Watch – New Hampshire: QB Matt Vezza (266.0 total yards per game, 27 total TDs), LB Trevor Barry (75 tackles, 1 TFL), PK Nick Reed (24 of 31 FGs, 102 points); South Dakota State: RB Julius Loughridge (4,038 rush yards, 51 receptions, 35 TDs in career), WR Alex Bullock (63 receptions, 801 yards, 4 TDs), LB Cullen McShane (81 tackles, 7.5 TFL)
Notable – Ball control is huge with both teams: UNH (33:28) ranks second in the FCS in average time of possession and SDSU (33:12) is fifth. … UNH enter the FCS playoffs off five straight wins, producing a plus-5 turnover margin and an average 36:28 TOP in that time. … Reed’s 24 field goals are six more than any other FCS kicker. … SDSU has reached at least the semifinal round in seven of the last eight seasons, winning national championships in the 2022 and ’23 campaigns. The Jackrabbits also have made 188 straight appearances in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. … SDSU has been without No. 1 QB Chase Mason since its seventh game due to a foot injury. Freshman Jack Henry has made the last three starts, going 51 of 92 for 525 yards, four TDs and five INTs, with one rushing TD.
Up Next – The winner will play at No. 3 seed Montana (11-1) in the second round on Dec. 6.
Prediction – South Dakota State 28, New Hampshire 17
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FCS Playoffs: First-Round Preview & Predictions (Montana State Side of Bracket) Opta Analyst.
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