SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Four Southern Conference football teams earned bids to the 2016 NCAA FCS Playoffs it was announced Sunday morning (Nov. 20). The Citadel, Samford, Chattanooga and Wofford all earned berths in the 24-team field which was announced by the FCS selection committee Sunday morning (Nov. 20).
Chattanooga (8-3, 6-2 SoCon) will host Weber State (7-4, 6-2 Big Sky) Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Mocs are making their third straight appearance in the playoffs. The winner of the UTC-Weber State game will advance to face Sam Houston State on December 3.
Samford (7-4, 5-3 SoCon) is making its return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Bulldogs visit Youngstown State (8-3, 6-2 Missouri Valley). That game will kick off at 5:00 p.m. The winner of that contest will visit Jacksonville State on December 3.
Wofford (8-3, 6-2 SoCon) earned the league’s fourth bid. The Terriers closed the season with four straight wins and will play host to Charleston Southern (7-3, 4-1 Big South) Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The winner between the Terriers and Bucs will visit The Citadel on December 3.
The Citadel (10-1, 8-0 SoCon ) earned the No. 6 overall seed in the 24-team field after winning the league championship outright. The Citadel is making its second straight appearance in the playoffs after earning an at-large selection last fall.
The Southern Conference joined the Big Sky, Missouri Valley and Colonial Athletic Association as the four conferences that each earned four bids. It was the first time the SoCon garnered four bids.
The league’s three opening round games (Nov. 26) will all be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
North Dakota State earned the No. 1 overall seed, while Eastern Washington was seeded second. Jacksonville State from the OVC earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs while James Madison was seeded fourth. Sam Houston State was slotted fifth. North Dakota earned the No. 7 national seed and South Dakota State was seeded eighth. All eight national seeds earned a bye to the round of 16.
Southern Conference teams are 103-66 (.609) in the NCAA playoffs, the best mark among FCS Conferences.
The FCS National Championship game will be held January 7, 2017 in Frisco, Texas.