Dec. 3 (Saturday)	Series	TV/Digital / Stats	Time
#11/11 Furman at #7/5 UIW	First meeting	ESPN+ / Stats	1 p.m. CT
#23/17 Southeastern Louisiana at #9/8 Samford	SLU leads 2-1	ESPN+ / Stats	2 p.m. CT

Notes
• Southern Conference champion and No. 6 national seed Samford and SoCon runner-up Furman are in action against the co-champions of the Southland Conference in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday.
 
• Both SoCon squads are riding lengthy winning streaks into the weekend. Samford has won a school-record nine straight games, while Furman’s current seven-game run is its longest since winning seven straight in 2017. The Paladins have not won eight straight since their school-record run of 12 straight wins in 1989 and are seeking their first six-game road winning streak in program history.
 
• The SoCon has gone 111-79 (.584) all-time in the FCS playoffs, winning eight national titles. Furman claimed the first of those in 1988, becoming the first private school to win what was then the I-AA championship.
 
• Samford went 10-1 overall and 8-0 in league play in the regular season to win its first-ever outright SoCon title and earn the No. 6 national seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Bulldogs’ lone loss this season has come at the hands of defending FBS national champion Georgia.
 
• The Bulldogs, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2017, are hosting a playoff game for the first time. Samford will be making its sixth playoff appearance and is 2-5 in the FCS playoffs all-time, winning both games in 1991, when it reached the semifinals.
 
• Samford’s opponent, Southeastern Louisiana, is 9-3 overall on the season and went 5-1 in the Southland, handing No. 7 national seed UIW its lone loss of the season and claiming the league’s automatic bid to the playoffs. The Lions topped Idaho 45-42 in the first round, overcoming a 21-10 second-quarter deficit and surviving a tying field-goal attempt with 11 seconds left.
 
• Samford is ranked No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. SLU is ranked No. 23 and No. 17, respectively. Samford is 3-0 against ranked FCS squads this season, while Southeastern is 2-0.
 
• Furman cruised past Elon in the first round of the playoffs, 31-6, to improve to 10-2 on the season for its first 10-win campaign since going 11-3 in 2005. Furman’s last appearance in the second round came in 2017.
 
• The Paladins, who went 7-1 in SoCon play, are now 20-17 all-time in the FCS playoffs, with the six points allowed to the Phoenix serving as the fewest Furman has ever allowed in a playoff game.
 
• Furman will visit No. 7 national seed UIW, which earned an at-large bid out of the Southland after sharing the league title with SLU. The Paladins will be playing in Texas for the first time in the 117-year history of their football program.
 
• UIW brings a 10-1 overall record into the playoffs, which includes a 55-41 win over FBS Nevada.
 
• The Cardinals are led on offense by Walter Payton Award finalist quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr., who leads the FCS in passing efficiency (218.1) and points responsible for per game (31.6) and ranks second in passing yards per game (344.6) and passing touchdowns (50). Buck Buchanan Award finalist linebacker Kelechi Anyalebechi paces the defense, while coach G.J. Kinne is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.
 
• Furman brings a consensus No. 11 ranking into the postseason, while UIW is ranked No. 7 in the AFCA poll and No. 5 in the Stats Perform poll. The Paladins are 4-1 against ranked FCS squads this season, while the Cardinals are 1-0.
 
• The Southern Conference has three finalists each for the Walter Payton Award and the Buck Buchanan Award. Mercer wide receiver Devron Harper, Samford quarterback Michael Hiers and Chattanooga running back Ailym Ford were named finalists for the Payton, while ETSU defensive back Alijah Huzzie, Chattanooga defensive lineman Jay Person and VMI linebacker Stone Snyder were tabbed finalists for the Buchanan.
 
• Western Carolina running back Desmond Reid is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award and Samford coach Chris Hatcher was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.
 
SoCon Points of Pride
• Since it began competing in FCS, the SoCon has amassed the second-most national championships with eight. Also boasting another eight national championship runner-up finishes, the league has 16 title-game appearances, the most among FCS conferences.
 
• The SoCon prides itself on quality and depth.
     • Eight of the nine current SoCon football members have participated in the FCS Playoffs with seven different schools receiving bids since 2016.
     • Overall, current SoCon football members have combined for 49 total FCS playoffs appearances.
     • Six of the nine SoCon teams appeared in an FCS top-25 national poll in the 2020-21 season and five of nine did so in the fall 2021 and 2022 campaigns.
 
• The SoCon has had seven Walter Payton Award winners, two Buck Buchanan Award winners and five Eddie Robinson Award winners. VMI Coach Scott Wachenheim won the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS National Coach of the Year) in 2020-21.
 
• Sixty-three former SoCon players and coaches have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
 
• The SoCon had 15 FCS All-America selections in fall 2021 season. Two of them were drafted into the NFL, with Chattanooga OL Cole Strange becoming the SoCon’s first first-rounder since 1974 when he was taken 29th overall by the New England Patriots. Samford WR Montrell Washington was selected in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos.
 
• The SoCon has been playing Division I FCS football since the 1982 season. The NCAA created two subdivisions for Division I football beginning in 1978 with the creation of I-A (now FBS) and I-AA (now FCS). The SoCon was shifted from I-A to I-AA along with the Ivy League and Southland Conference following the 1981 season, joining the Mid-Continent, Big Sky, MEAC, SWAC, OVC, and Yankee conferences, along with a number of independents, as I-AA participants.
 
• The 2022 campaign is the 101st season of SoCon football. Founded in 1921, the SoCon is the fifth-oldest Division I conference.
 
Recent news
Furman cruises past Elon in FCS opening round (11/26)
Furman hosts Elon in NCAA first round (11/24)
Furman’s Ashby named Student-Athlete of the Week (11/23)
UTC's Curtis named finalist for Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award (11/23)
All-Southern Conference coaches football teams announced (11/22)
All-Southern Conference media football teams announced (11/22)
Three named finalists for Buck Buchanan Award (11/22)
Three SoCon players tabbed Walter Payton Award finalists (11/22)
CSC Academic All-District football teams announced (11/22)
WCU's Reid named finalist for Jerry Rice Award (11/21)
Samford's Hatcher finalist for Eddie Robinson Award (11/21)