SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Two Southern Conference football teams earned bids to the 2013 Division I FCS Playoffs the NCAA announced Sunday morning (Nov. 24). Furman and Samford both earned invites to the 24-team field, giving the league multiple teams in the field for the tenth consecutive year.
Furman (7-5, 6-2 SoCon) will visit South Carolina State (9-3) in the opening round on Nov. 30 at 1:00 p.m. The winner of the matchup between the Bulldogs and Paladins will face top-seeded North Dakota State (11-0) on December 7. Furman is making its 16th playoff appearance and its first since 2006. The Paladins own a 17-14 record in the postseason and won the 1988 FCS National Championship. The Paladins enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in FCS as Furman has won five of its last six games with the only setback coming at FBS LSU.
Samford (8-4, 6-2 SoCon) will travel to face Jacksonville State (9-3) at 8:00 p.m. next Saturday. The winner between the Bulldogs and Gamecocks will advance to face McNeese State (10-2) on December 7. The Bulldogs are making their first postseason appearance since joining the SoCon. Samford last made the FCS playoffs in 1992. Samford is 2-2 all-time in the postseason.
Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3.
North Dakota State earned the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, while Eastern Illinois was seeded second. Eastern Washington earned the No. 3 seed with Southeast Louisiana slotted fourth.
Southern Conference teams are 99-61 (.619) in the NCAA playoffs, the best mark among FCS Conferences.
The FCS National Championship game will be held January 4, 2014 in Frisco, Texas.