The college football season has so many layers, but the ultimate goal is to be the last team standing as the national champion. 

At the NCAA Division I FCS level, only 24 teams will get the chance to play for the top prize, but there are multiple ways to get there.

When the regular season concludes, 11 conference champions will have earned automatic bids to the playoffs. The other 13 teams in the bracket will be at-large selections made by the FCS Championship Committee.

That said, there’s no easing into the season or saving firepower for conference play. Upsets can happen, so every win matters. Records matter. Rankings matter. And, with the top eight teams all receiving a first-round bye, those things matter even more for the FCS hopefuls.

We’re only halfway through the 2025 season and just getting into conference play, but if the season ended today, which teams would be in the mix for the FCS Playoffs?

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With help from the latest rankings, current records, conference standings and our understanding of the playoff structure and rules, we’re going to try to paint the picture now and lay out the bracket after five intense weeks on the gridiron.

One major change to the FCS landscape for 2025 is that for the first time in 80 years, teams from the Ivy League are eligible for the FCS Playoffs. 

In an effort led by the student-athletes of the Ivy League, which included a lengthy and formal process, the schools have moved on from an agreement signed in 1945 that took their teams out of the running for postseason participation. As a result, one of the eight Ivy League teams will earn an automatic bid to the playoffs, and the others will be eligible for at-large selection.

Previously, there were 10 automatic bids and 14 at-large selections for the FCS Playoffs.

Two other FCS conferences still won’t compete in the playoffs – the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The winners of the MEAC and the SWAC advance to the only FCS bowl game each year, the Celebration Bowl, which also is known as the “Black National Championship.” It’s a battle to crown the nation’s best HBCU program.

Now, back to the business at hand. 

The bracket selections for the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS Championship will be on Sunday, Nov. 23. The bracket will be revealed via a selection show.

Until then, here’s an early look as things begin to unfold:

Big Sky Conference

Automatic Bid: Montana State

At Large Bids: Montana, UC Davis, Northern Arizona

The Big Sky Conference led all FCS leagues with five teams making the playoffs in 2024 – Montana State, UC Davis, Idaho, Montana and Northern Arizona. The first three earned first-round byes.

Montana State was 12-0 during the regular season, won its first outright Big Sky title since 2011 and rolled through to the championship game, where the Bobcats fell to North Dakota State, 35-32.

With that kind of momentum, it would tough to pick against MSU for the automatic bid in 2025, too. 

Sure, the Bobcats have lost twice, but those were to FBS title contender Oregon and fellow 2024 FCS semifinalist South Dakota State.

Right now, three Big Sky teams are 2-0 in conference play – Montana, Montana State and UC Davis. They’re also ranked No. 4, 5 and 6, respectively, in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, with plenty of time for anything to happen. 

Idaho (13) and Northern Arizona (16) also are ranked in the top 25, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another four or five Big Sky teams in the playoffs. The only difference might be who wins the automatic spot. Oh, and despite still being ranked, Idaho is on a downward slide at 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play, and the hole might already be too deep.

Montana State will end its season against UC Davis and Montana, so the champion likely won’t be determined until the final day of the regular season on Nov. 22.

Big South/Ohio Valley Conference

Automatic Bid: Tennessee Tech

At Large Bids: None

Last season, four teams in the Big South-OVC were 6-2 in conference play and named co-champions, but only three advanced to the FCS postseason – Southeast Missouri, UT Martin and Tennessee State. It was a record for the new-look conference, but many felt that perhaps Tennessee Tech was slighted by the selection committee. 

Tennessee Tech seems to have used the outcome as motivation, however.

The Golden Eagles are 5-0 in 2025, 2-0 in conference games and the favorite to win the Big South-OVC title, as voted on the league’s coaches prior to the start of the season. 

Winning it all this year and getting to represent the Big South-OVC in the playoffs would be bittersweet for Tennessee Tech, which is set for a move to the expanding Southern Conference for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Of last season’s three playoff teams, only UT Martin won a game in the postseason. In 2025, they’re a combined 3-13 overall and 1-4 in conference games. 

As of Oct. 6, Tennessee Tech is the only Big South-OVC team ranked in the top 25, having climbed to No. 7. The only other team receiving votes in the latest poll was Gardner-Webb, which is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Eastern Illinois (3-2 overall) and Lindenwood (3-3 overall) also are 2-0 so far in Big South-OVC contests.

Coastal Athletic Association

Automatic Bid: Monmouth

At Large Bids: Rhode Island, Villanova

The CAA was another well-represented conference in the 2024 FCS bracket, with Richmond, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Villanova all earning bids.

By virtue of some formalities and technicalities with departing Delaware, tiebreakers, etc., Rhode Island and Richmond shared the CAA title in 2024, while Richmond earned the automatic bid to the playoffs.

With Delaware (moved up to FBS) and Richmond (moved to Patriot League) now gone, there are 14 teams left to fight for the CAA championship in 2025. Among them, three are ranked in the top 25 as of Oct. 6 – Monmouth (11), Villanova (17), Rhode Island (18) – and Elon received votes.

In the CAA’s preseason poll (voted on by the head coaches), URI, Monmouth and Villanova were selected to finish 1-2-3, respectively.

Early in the conference slate, Rhode Island and Elon are 2-0, Monmouth is 1-0 and Villanova, William & Mary and Maine all are 2-1. 

Monmouth’s win came against Villanova, but because there are so many teams in the conference, they don’t all get to see each other. In fact, Monmouth won’t face Elon, Rhode Island, William & Mary or Maine this season. 

That means seven of the Hawks’ eight conference games will be against teams currently in the bottom half of the early CAA standings. That really makes it sound like the title is Monmouth’s to lose, while favorite Rhode Island still has Elon and Maine ahead on the schedule.

There’s no reason to think Rhode Island and Villanova won’t earn bids coming out of a tough conference, but Elon just isn’t there yet. The Phoenix are on the rise, but still just below the CAA’s top tier.

Ivy League 

Automatic Bid: Harvard

At Large Bids: None

For decades, Ivy League football teams have been strict about maintaining 10-game schedules and have opted out of any postseason opportunities. All that will change in 2025.

This year, the Ivy League champion will earn an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, and the other teams will be eligible for at-large selection. 

Since the pandemic-canceled 2020 campaign, the Ivy League football champions have been: 2021 – Dartmouth, Princeton; 2022 – Yale; 2023 – Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale; 2024 – Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard.

With the wealth spread around like that, it should make for a pretty competitive season, though there will need to be tiebreakers in place to decide which team gets the automatic spot.

As of Oct. 6, all of the Ivy League teams have played one conference game. Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale are 1-0, while Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia and Cornell are 0-1.

Overall, Harvard is 3-0 and earned the No. 25 spot in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, while Brown is 2-1 and received votes after upsetting top-10 Rhode Island on Oct. 3 (28-21).

In the 2025 Ivy League Football Preseason Poll, Harvard was the clear favorite to win this year’s title, while Brown was a distant eighth among the eight teams. 

Harvard already handled Brown in September, and there’s no reason the first part of the prediction shouldn’t hold up. Brown seems to have some momentum and the potential to surprise the voters, but maybe not enough to land in the postseason bracket.

Unless there’s a reason why there would need to be more than one Ivy League team in the playoffs, the league just doesn’t seem strong enough yet to also earn an at-large spot in the playoffs.

Missouri Valley Football Conference

Automatic Bid: North Dakota State

At Large Bids: South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, North Dakota

To say the MVFC has been dominant in recent FCS history would be an understatement, as teams from the conference have claimed 12 of the last 15 FCS national championships, including the last four, with North Dakota State being responsible for 10 of the victories.

A team from the MVFC has played for the title every year since 2011.

In 2024, for the first time in FCS history, three of the four semifinalists – North Dakota State (national champion), South Dakota and South Dakota State – hailed from the same conference. Again, it was the MVFC earning a spot in the record book.

In the title tilt, North Dakota State defeated top-seeded Montana State 35-32.

With NDSU or South Dakota State having played for the national championship the last four seasons (they even played each other in the final in 2022, with SDSU winning 45-21), there’s no reason to think their run of success is going to end. Therefore, North Dakota State and South Dakota State remain atop for AFCA FCS Coaches Poll at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Of the 10 teams in the MVFC, six are ranked in the top 25 – NDSU, SDSU, Southern Illinois (No. 9), Illinois State (No. 10) North Dakota (No. 12), Youngstown State (No. 20) – and South Dakota received votes in the latest poll. 

Clearly, the reigning national champions have all the momentum right now, and most predictions reflect that. 

The Bison were a nearly unanimous selection within the MVFC to win the conference title this year, taking 39 of the 42 first-place votes, and they’ve kept up their end of the bargain with a 5-0 start to the season, including conference wins over South Dakota (51-13) and Illinois State (33-16).

The North Dakota State-South Dakota State showdown that could determine this year’s champion will take place Oct. 25 in South Dakota, but it seems to be NDSU’s title to lose. 

The Bison won the last two meetings, and the two teams shared the 2024 MVFC crown with South Dakota. All three teams were 7-1. 

NDSU had the opportunity to take the title outright but lost to South Dakota 29-28 in the final game of the regular season to create the three-way tie.

SDSU took the automatic bid to the playoffs through the mathematical tiebreaker, but there was no way NDSU, South Dakota and Illinois State would be left out – and the first three teams were ranked among the top eight seeds, which earned them first-round byes.

With the way the 2025 season is unfolding, it’s very likely the MVFC will exceed last year’s effort and send a quintet of teams into the playoffs. If Youngstown can get things going, could that number grow to six? 

Is South Dakota not being ranked in the AFCA poll a fluke, as the Coyotes were recognized elsewhere? Could seven MVFC teams to the playoffs be possible?

Northeast Conference

Automatic Bid: Central Connecticut State

At Large Bids: None

With the automatic bids for conference champions, there definitely will be someone from the Northeast Conference in the 2025 FCS Playoffs. 

Last season, it was Central Connecticut State, which defeated Duquesne in the final game of the regular season to claim the automatic spot in the bracket, though the two programs shared the NEC title. Despite finishing the regular season ranked in the top 25, Duquesne did not earn a playoff berth.

The 2024 playoff run for CCSU and the NEC was short-lived, with the Blue Devils losing to Rhode Island in the opening round, 21-17.

Again this year, Central Connecticut State and Duquesne appear to be the teams to beat in the NEC, having picked up all but one of the first-place votes in the 2025 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. CCSU earned five votes, Duquesne got two and Robert Morris grabbed the last one.

Early in the conference schedule, CCSU, Duquesne and Mercyhurst all are 1-0 in NEC action. 

The Central Connecticut State-Duquesne matchup that should determine the title once again, is scheduled for Nov. 15 in Pittsburgh. Both teams are 3-3 to start the 2025 campaign.

None of the nine NEC teams were ranked or received votes in the latest AFCA poll.

Patriot League

Automatic Bid: Lehigh

At Large Bids: None

After dominating the Coastal Athletic Association with an 8-0 conference record in 2024, expectations were high for the Richmond Spiders after their move to the Patriot League for the 2025 season.

The Spiders were picked to finish second via the 2025 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll, though well behind Lehigh on the eight-team list, while even jumping ahead of Holy Cross, which shared the Patriot League title last year with Lehigh for its sixth consecutive championship. 

With six weeks of action in the books for the Patriot League teams, Richmond is a mediocre 3-3 overall and still in search of its first win in its new league (0-2). Holy Cross hasn’t won a game at all, as the Crusaders are 0-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Lehigh, however, is delivering as expected. The Mountain Hawks are 6-0 to start the year, including a season-opening win over Richmond, and 2-0 in Patriot League contests.

Lafayette also is 2-0, and should both squads continue their winning ways, their Nov. 22 season-ending showdown could become that much more important.

As it stands now, No. 8 Leigh also is the only team from the Patriot League that’s ranked or received votes in the latest AFCA FCS poll. 

This could be another conference where only the champion sees the postseason.

Pioneer Football League

Automatic Bid: Presbyterian

At Large Bids: None

Though the Pioneer Football League is among the largest in the FCS with 11 teams, and one of the most spread out, with teams from California to South Carolina, only Presbyterian has found the national spotlight lately, landing at No. 23 on this week’s AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.

The Blue Hose have earned their way into the top 25 with a 5-0 start that includes outscoring their last two opponents 117-3. The stretch featured a 76-3 win over Bluefield on Sept. 20 and a 41-0 PFL-opening victory against Morehead State on Sept. 27. That was the first of eight consecutive conference games for Presbyterian.

Prior to the season, San Diego was picked by the PFL coaches to take the title in 2025, while Presbyterian landed at No. 7 on the list. Defending league champion Drake was picked to finish second.

Dayton (4-1 overall) and Butler (4-2 overall) both have opened league play at 2-0, while Presbyterian and Drake are 1-0. 

With 40 or more points in four of five games this season, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping Presbyterian’s momentum right now. The team’s rise in the rankings will continue, and the Blue Hose will see the postseason as the PFL’s automatic qualifier, though not as one of the eight teams getting a first-round bye.

Southern Conference

Automatic Bid: Mercer

At Large Bids: None

Did the Mercer Bears stumble on a strategy for success by frontloading their schedule with conference games?

Four of the first six games on Mercer’s 2025 schedule pitted the Bears against a Southern Conference opponent, and it has paid off. Mercer is 4-0 in SoCon games and already has set the bar high for the other nine teams. 

The next-closest teams in the standings are Furman and Western Carolina, which are 2-0 in conference play.

Overall, Mercer, which was picked by the conference’s coaches to win a second consecutive SoCon title this year, is 4-1, plus a no-contest due to weather in the Bears’ season-opening game against UC Davis. 

The Bears’ 2024 conference championship was their first since winning the Dixie Conference in 1932 and came with the Southern Conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs, a No. 7 national seed and a first-round bye. 

Mercer then beat Rhode Island in the second round and fell to eventual national champion North Dakota State.

In the latest AFCA poll, Mercer is ranked No. 19, while Furman received votes. 

This year likely will be another instance where only the league champion makes the playoffs, and Mercer has a pretty good head start.

Southland Conference

Automatic Bid: Southeastern Louisiana 

At Large Bids: Stephen F. Austin

The Southland Conference now has 10 teams with the addition of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to the mix, and all of the teams will play an eight-game conference schedule in 2025, along with four nonconference games.

The last two Southland champions were the University of the Incarnate Word (2024) and Nicholls (2023).

In winning the title and automatic playoff bid in 2024, UIW also was tabbed as the No. 6 seed and received one of the eight first-round byes. The Cardinals picked up a win against Villanova but bowed out a week later in a blowout loss to South Dakota State.

Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin finished second and third, respectively, in the Southland Conference last season, but they were not selected for postseason play. Southeastern Louisiana was named as one of the first four teams out. 

In this year’s preseason Southland poll, UIW earned 15 of the 20 first-place votes cast. The Cardinals won the conference title outright in 2021, shared it with Southeastern Louisiana in 2022 and won it again in 2024, but this is the first time they’ve been the preseason favorite.

UIW entered the 2025 campaign 28-6 in conference games since 2020, but the Cardinals seem to have had their wings clipped this year. They’re now 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Southland play, leaving them well behind Southeastern Louisiana and SFA, which both are 2-0.

The Cardinals actually were ranked No. 4 in the preseason AFCA poll, but they have fallen out of the top 25. Through Oct. 6, they’re still receiving votes, along with Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin.

Lamar has moved in the opposite direction, however, and has gone from the receiving votes column to No. 24 after a 4-1 start that includes a 1-0 mark in Southland play. 

At this point, it looks like a perfect recipe for redemption for Southeastern Louisiana and SFA. One will win the conference, and the other will finish strong to earn an at-large bid. Lamar will fall just short and miss the playoffs, along with UIW.

United Athletic Conference

Automatic Bid: Tarleton State

At Large Bids: Austin Peay, West Georgia, Abilene Christian

The UAC is relatively new on the scene, debuting in 2023 as a football-only partnership between the Western Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Sun Conference, but eligible for an automatic bid and potential at-large selections to the FCS Playoffs.

The first year of UAC play included nine teams, and while Stephen F. Austin left the next year for the Southland Conference, West Georgia was added to the UAC list of teams.

Austin Peay won the 2023 UAC football title and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Abilene Christian won in 2024 and advanced to the second round.

The preseason poll for the United Athletic Conference saw Tarleton State picked to win it all for the first time, while Abilene Christian was second and followed by Eastern Kentucky. All three teams advanced to the 2024 FCS Playoffs, with ACU taking the conference’s automatic spot.

The UAC coaches and voters clearly knew what they were talking about, as Tarleton State has coming flying out of the gates this year on the way to a 6-0 overall record and 2-0 mark in conference games.

The Tarleton State Texans have been dominant, scoring more than 40 points five times and more than 50 in each of their last four games. The run of success has landed the Texans at No. 3 on the newest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll behind two of the most successful teams the sport has seen – North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

The other UAC hopefuls haven’t been forgotten, however, and the conference again should be well-represented in the playoff bracket. Austin Peay is ranked No. 15, and Abilene Christian is tied for No. 21 with West Georgia.

Last Four In

South Dakota, Northern Arizona, West Georgia, Abilene Christian, 

First Four Out  

Youngstown, Furman, Lamar, UIW

First-Round Matchups 

• Harvard at No. 16 Rhode Island
• Southeastern Louisiana at No. 9 Southern Illinois
• Abilene Christian at No. 12 North Dakota
• Mercer at No. 13 Austin Peay
• Stephen F. Austin at No. 14 Northern Arizona
• Presbyterian at No. 11 Monmouth
• West Georgia at No. 10 Illinois State
• Central Connecticut State at No. 15 Villanova

Second-Round Matchups

• Harvard/URI at No. 1 North Dakota State
• Southeastern Louisiana/Southern Illinoi at No. 8 Lehigh 
• Abilene Christian/North Dakota at No. 5 Montana State
• Mercer/Austin Peay at No. 4 Montana
• SFA/Northern Arizona at No. 3 Tarleton State
• Presbyterian/Monmouth at No. 6 UC Davis
• West Georgia/Illinois State at No. 7 Tennessee Tech
• CCSU/Villanova at No. 2 South Dakota State

About The 2025 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs 

The 2025 FCS Playoffs will feature a 24-team bracket. The top 16 teams will be seeded, and the top eight seeds will receive first-round byes. 

The rest of the field (the remaining 16 teams) will play in the first round, with the No. 9 through No. 16 expected to host, if possible. Their opponents are selected by regional proximity, if possible, to ensure the shortest trip possible for the teams. 

However, the first round also will try to avoid any matchups featuring conference teams that have played each other.

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Latest Division I FCS Rankings 

AFCA FCS Coaches Poll For Oct. 6, 2025

• 1. North Dakota St. (5-0) - Previous Rank: 1
• 2. South Dakota St. (5-0) - Previous Rank: 2
• 3. Tarleton St. (6-0) - Previous Rank: 3
• 4. Montana (5-0) - Previous Rank: 4
• 5. Montana St. (4-2) - Previous Rank: 5
• 6. UC Davis (4-1) - Previous Rank: 7
• 7. Tennessee Tech (5-0) - Previous Rank: 9
• 8. Lehigh (6-0) - Previous Rank: 8
• 9. Southern Illinois (4-1) - Previous Rank: 11
• 10. Illinois St. (3-2) - Previous Rank: 6
• 11. Monmouth (N.J.) (4-1) - Previous Rank: 12
• 12. North Dakota (3-2) - Previous Rank: 14
• 13. Idaho (2-3) - Previous Rank: 15
• 14. Jackson St. (4-1) - Previous Rank: 17
• 15. Austin Peay (4-2) - Previous Rank: 21
• 16. Northern Arizona (4-2) - Previous Rank: 13
• 17. Villanova (3-2) - Previous Rank: 19
• 18. Rhode Island (4-2) - Previous Rank: 10
• 19. Mercer (4-1) - Previous Rank: 22
• 20. Youngstown St. (3-2) - Previous Rank: 18
• 21t. ACU (3-3) - Previous Rank: 23
• 21t. West Georgia (5-1) - Previous Rank: 16
• 23. Presbyterian (5-0) - Previous Rank: 24
• 24. Lamar (4-1) - Previous Rank: 25
• 25. Harvard (3-0) - Previous Rank: NR

Dropped Out: UIW (20)

Others Receiving Votes: Southeastern Louisiana, 52; Furman, 38; Stephen F. Austin, 33; South Dakota, 21; UIW, 19; Gardner-Webb, 12; Alabama St., 9; Brown, 6; Elon, 6; North Carolina Central, 5; UT-Rio Grande Valley, 4; Lafayette, 3; Cal Poly, 2.

When Do The 2025 FCS College Football Playoffs Start?

The FCS Playoffs begin Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, featuring 24 teams. 

The 2025 Division I FCS College Football Championship game will be played on Jan. 5, 2026, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

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