INDIANAPOLIS — The field of 16 teams competing for the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.
South Dakota State (5-1), winners of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, earned the top seed in their 10th appearance in the championship.
Sam Houston (6-0) is the number two seed earning the automatic qualifying berth from the Southland Conference. The Bearkats are making their 12th overall appearance and first since 2017 in the championship.
James Madison (5-0) is the number three seed after winning the CAA’s south division title. The Dukes will make their seventh consecutive appearance in the championship and 17th overall.
Jacksonville State (9-2) rounded out the top four seeds after capturing its ninth Ohio Valley Conference title and its sixth in the last seven years.
UPDATES: Live coverage for the 2020-21 FCS football championship
During the previous 43 years of the championship, 21 schools have won a national title, five of which earned a place in this year’s bracket.
The 2020 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and six at-large qualifiers. Team pairings are determined 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 against each other during the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first round).
2020 NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (10)
Conference Team Record Previous App. Won Lost Last App.
Big Sky Weber State 5-0 8 7 8 2019
Big South Monmouth 3-0 2 1 2 2019
Colonial Delaware 5-0 16 22 15 2018
Missouri Valley Football South Dakota State 5-1 9 8 9 2019
Northeast Sacred Heart 3-1 2 0 2 2014
Ohio Valley Jacksonville State 9-2 9 6 9 2018
Patriot Holy Cross 3-0 3 0 3 2019
Pioneer Football Davidson 4-2 FIRST APPEARANCE
Southern VMI 6-1 FIRST APPEARANCE
Southland Sam Houston 6-0 11 19 11 2017
2020 NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AT-LARGE SELECTIONS (6)
Team Conference Record Previous App. Won Lost Last App.
Eastern Washington Big Sky 5-1 13 19 12 2018
James Madison Colonial 5-0 16 20 14 2019
North Dakota MVFC 4-1 2 0 2 2019
North Dakota State MVFC 6-2 10 36 2 2019
Missouri State MVFC 5-4 2 1 2 1990
Southern Illinois MVFC 5-3 8 8 7 2009
Longest Consecutive Tournament Appearances in the Championship (Including 2020)
North Dakota State – 11
South Dakota State – 10
James Madison – 7
Weber State – 5
Consecutive Tournament Appearances in the Championship Ending
San Diego – 4
Wofford– 4
UNI– 3
Most Tournament Appearances in the Championship (Including 2020)
Delaware – 17
James Madison – 17
Eastern Washington – 14
Sam Houston – 12
North Dakota State – 11
Schools Making the Championship for the First Time
Davidson
VMI
Longest Stretch between Championship Appearances
Missouri St.– 1990
Southern Ill. – 2009
Sacred Heart – 2014
Schools by Conference
Missouri Valley Football Conference – 5
Big Sky Conference – 2
Colonial Athletic Association- 2
DATES/SITES/PAIRINGS-FIRST-ROUND GAMES
April 24 at Brookings, South Dakota, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross (3-0) at #1 South Dakota St. (5-1)
April 24 at Ogden, Utah, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Southern Ill. (5-3) at Weber St. (5-0)
April 24 at Newark, Delaware, 7 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Sacred Heart (3-1) at Delaware (5-0)
April 24 at Jacksonville, Alabama, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Davidson (4-2) at #4 Jacksonville St. (9-2)
April 24 at Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
VMI (6-1) at #3 James Madison (5-0)
April 24 at Grand Fork, North Dakota, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Missouri St. (5-4) at North Dakota (4-1)
April 24 at Fargo, North Dakota, 3:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Eastern Wash. (5-1) at North Dakota St. (6-2)
April 24 at Huntsville, Texas, Noon (ET) (ESPN3)
Monmouth (3-0) at #2 Sam Houston (6-0)
Television schedules and game times for all rounds of the 2020 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 Saturday, April 24 and concluding with the national championship game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, Sunday, May 16 at 2 p.m. (ET) on ABC.
