2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Field Announced

INDIANAPOLIS — The field of 24 teams competing for the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. For the first time in its history, 16 teams were seeded in the bracket, and each of them got the opportunity to host their first playoff game.

The top eight receiving byes are:

Montana State (12-0)winners of the Big Sky Conference, earned the top seed in their fourth consecutive championship appearance. The Bobcats, ranked second in 2021, are the nation’s top-scoring offense at 40.7 points per game. game and has a Football Bowl Subdivision win.

North Dakota State (10-2) is no. 2 seed as an at-large from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bisons are making their 15th straight appearance, the longest active streak of any team in the field.

South Dakota State (10-2) is no. 3 seed after securing automatic qualification from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Jackrabbits are the two-time defending champions and are looking for their 13th consecutive championship.

South Dakota (9-2) rounds out the top four seeds after a three-way tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Coyotes have the nation’s second-best scoring defense, allowing just 14.9 points per game. This will be their fourth appearance in the playoffs.

UC Davis (10-2) secured no. 5 seed after a runner-up finish in the Big Sky Conference. The Aggies will make their third FCS Championship appearance and first since 2021.

Incarnate Word (10-2) will be the sixth seed after winning the Southland Conference title with a 7-0 record. The Cardinals are making their fourth playoff appearance and have won their last nine games.

Mercer (10-2) got no. 7 the seed. The Bears earned automatic qualification from the Southern Conference and are making their second appearance in the FCS Championship.

Idaho (9-3) rounding out the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes. The Vandals are in third place in the Big Sky Conference and will be making their third straight appearance in the FCS Championship and 14th overall.

Over the previous 47 years of the championship, 23 schools have won a national title, seven of which earned a spot in this year’s bracket.

The 2024 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and 14 qualifiers. Unseeded teams are paired in the first round with teams seeded 9-16 primarily according to geographical proximity.

Teams from the same conference will not be paired for first-round games (except for teams from the same conference that did not play each other in the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first round).

2024 NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (10)

Conference	Team	Record in 2024	Previous appearances (Years, Wins, Losses)	Last appearance
ASUN/WAC	Abilene Christian	8-4		First
Big Sky	Montana St.	12-0	13, 14, 12	2023
Coastal	Richmond	10-2	13, 17, 12	2023
Missouri Valley Football	South Dakota St.	10-2	13, 22, 11	2023
Northeast	Central Conn. St.	7-5	2, 0, 2	2019
Ohio Valley/Big South	Southeastern Mo. St.	9-3	4, 1, 4	2022
Patriot	Lehigh	8-3	11, 6, 11	2017
Pioneer	Drake	8-2	1, 0, 1	2023
South	Mercer	10-2	1, 1, 1	2023
Southland	UIW	10-2	3, 3, 3	2022

2024 NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BY LARGE SELECTION (14)

Team	Conference	Record in 2024	Previous appearances (YEAR, WINS, LOSSES)	Last appearance
Eastern Ky.	ASUN/WAC	8-4	22, 16, 20	2022
Idaho	Big Sky	9-3	13, 7, 13	2023
Illinois St.	MVFC	9-3	8, 9, 8	2019
Montana	Big Sky	8-4	27, 38, 25	2023
New Hampshire	Coastal	8-4	17, 15, 17	2022
North Dakota St.	MVFC	10-2	14, 47, 5	2023
Northern Ariz.	Big Sky	8-4	5, 1, 5	2017
Rhode Island	Coastal	10-2	3, 2, 3	1985
South Dakota	MVFC	9-2	3, 2, 3	2023
Tarleton St.	ASUN/WAC	9-3		First
Tennessee St.	OVC/Big South	9-3	4, 2, 4	2013
UC Davis	Big Sky	10-2	2, 1, 2	2021
UT Martin	OVC/Big South	8-4	2, 1, 2	2021
Villanova	Coastal	9-3	15, 14, 14	2023

Longest consecutive tournament appearances in the Championship (including 2024)

North Dakota State – 15th
South Dakota State – 13
Montana – 4
Montana St. – 4

Consecutive tournament appearances at the end of the championshipg
Sacramento State – 3rd
Gardner-Webb – 2
North Dakota – 2nd

Most tournament appearances in the Championship (including 2024)
Montana – 28
Eastern Kentucky – 23
New Hampshire – 18
Villanova – 16
North Dakota State – 15th

Schools making the championship for the first time
Abilene Christian
Tarleton State

Longest stretch between championship appearances
Rhode Island – 1985
Tennessee State – 2013
Lehigh – 2017
Northern Arizona – 2017
Central Conn State – 2019
Illinois State – 2019

Schools by conference
Big Sky Conference – 5
Missouri Valley Football Conference – 4
Coastal Sports Association – 4
ASUN/WAC Conference – 3
Ohio Valley/Big South Conference – 3rd

Dates/Sites/Pairings-First Round Games

November 30 in Durham, New Hampshire, at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
UT Martin (8-4) at New Hampshire (8-4)

November 30 in Richmond, Virginia, at 14 ET (ESPN+)
Lehigh (8-3) at Richmond (10-2)

Nov. 30 at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Noon ET (ESPN+)
Illinois State (9-3) at Southeast Mo. State (9-3)

November 30 in Stephenville, Texas, at 15 ET (ESPN+)
Drake (8-2) at Tarleton State (9-3)

Nov. 30 at Missoula, Montana, 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Tennessee State (9-3) at Montana (8-4)

Nov. 30 at Villanova, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m. 14 ET (ESPN+)
Eastern Kentucky (8-4) at Villanova (9-3)

Nov. 30 at Kingston, Rhode Island, Noon ET (ESPN+)
Central Connecticut State (7-5) at Rhode Island (10-2)

Nov. 30 in Abilene, Texas, at 15 ET (ESPN+)
Northern Arizona (8-4) at Abilene Christian (8-4)

Television schedules and game times for all rounds of the 2024 championship will be updated at www.NCAA.com/fcs. All rounds of the FCS playoffs can be seen on ESPN’s family of networks, with first-round games taking place on Saturday, Nov. 30 and concluding with the national championship game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Monday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. 19.00. ET on ESPN.