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FCS playoff field announced; Furman, Mercer and Chattanooga earn bids
Paladins earn No. 7 seed, Bears host Gardner-Webb and Mocs travel to Austin Peay in first round
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The field of 24 teams competing for the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced Sunday by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. Southern Conference champion and automatic qualifier Furman earned the No. 7 national seed and are joined in the field by the two SoCon squads that tied for second in the league standings, Mercer and Chattanooga.
The Southern Conference put multiple teams in the field for the second straight season and the 34th time in the last 42 seasons.
The national seed gives Furman (9-2, 7-1 SoCon) a bye through next week’s first round. The Paladins won their first outright SoCon title since 1990 this season. Furman will host the winner of the game between Chattanooga and Austin Peay on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. The Paladins hosted their first playoff game last season, defeating Elon 31-6.
Furman’s nine victories mark the second straight season that the Paladins achieved that number of wins.
Mercer (8-3, 6-2), winner of four straight games, including a 28-21 triumph over the 2022 SoCon champion Samford on Nov. 11, are making their first trip to the FCS playoffs. The Bears will host Big South-OVC champion Gardner-Webb (7-4, 5-1 Big South/OVC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+. The two teams faced off last season, with Mercer coming out victorious, 45-14, on Sept. 24, 2022.
The Bears have won six of their last seven games entering the playoffs. Mercer outscored its 10 FCS opponents by an
average score of 29.3-19.0 and have a top-30 total defense in the FCS, yielding just 330 yards per contest.
Chattanooga (7-4, 6-2) will travel to Austin Peay (9-2, 6-0 UAC) for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The contest will air on ESPN+. The Mocs defeated the Governors, 30-20, in the two teams’ last meeting on Sept. 2, 2021. Austin Peay won the two previous matchups before that in 2013 and 2014.
The playoff berth is the fifth for Chattanooga, its first since 2016. This week’s game marks the sixth time this season that the Mocs face an FCS opponent on the road, going 4-1 in the previous five contests.
Top-ranked South Dakota State (11-0) is the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference at 8-0. The Jackrabbits will be looking for their second straight NCAA Championship.
The Southern Conference put multiple teams in the field for the second straight season and the 34th time in the last 42 seasons.
The national seed gives Furman (9-2, 7-1 SoCon) a bye through next week’s first round. The Paladins won their first outright SoCon title since 1990 this season. Furman will host the winner of the game between Chattanooga and Austin Peay on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. The Paladins hosted their first playoff game last season, defeating Elon 31-6.
Furman’s nine victories mark the second straight season that the Paladins achieved that number of wins.
Mercer (8-3, 6-2), winner of four straight games, including a 28-21 triumph over the 2022 SoCon champion Samford on Nov. 11, are making their first trip to the FCS playoffs. The Bears will host Big South-OVC champion Gardner-Webb (7-4, 5-1 Big South/OVC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+. The two teams faced off last season, with Mercer coming out victorious, 45-14, on Sept. 24, 2022.
The Bears have won six of their last seven games entering the playoffs. Mercer outscored its 10 FCS opponents by an
average score of 29.3-19.0 and have a top-30 total defense in the FCS, yielding just 330 yards per contest.
Chattanooga (7-4, 6-2) will travel to Austin Peay (9-2, 6-0 UAC) for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The contest will air on ESPN+. The Mocs defeated the Governors, 30-20, in the two teams’ last meeting on Sept. 2, 2021. Austin Peay won the two previous matchups before that in 2013 and 2014.
The playoff berth is the fifth for Chattanooga, its first since 2016. This week’s game marks the sixth time this season that the Mocs face an FCS opponent on the road, going 4-1 in the previous five contests.
Top-ranked South Dakota State (11-0) is the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference at 8-0. The Jackrabbits will be looking for their second straight NCAA Championship.