Four blueblood FCS programs. Two great venues. And the opportunity to play for a national championship.
The semifinals of the FCS playoffs are set.
No. 2 seed North Dakota State hosts No. 3 seed James Madison at 8:15 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2. Two FCS titans go at it. The Bison won eight national titles in the 2010s. JMU appeared in the 2016, 2017, and 2019 championship games and is the only team to win a playoff game in the Fargodome, doing so in the 2016 semifinals en route to a national title.
On Saturday, unseeded South Dakota State heads to No. 8 seed Montana State for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN2. The Jacks have ascended as a top FCS program in the later 2010s, reaching the 2016 quarterfinals, 2017 semifinals, 2018 semifinals, and the 2021 spring national championship game, where they lost 23-21 to Sam Houston.
MSU just beat that SHSU team, knocking the No. 1 seed out of the playoffs. The Bobcats did not play in the spring season, but they reached the 2019 semifinals. The FCS is looking at the two Montana schools to step into national competitiveness as JMU, SHSU, and Jacksonville State depart for the FBS after this season.
Be sure to bookmark HERO Sports FCS for coverage of this week’s games.
Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 17
#3 JMU @ #2 NDSU (8:15 p.m. CT on ESPN2)
Saturday, Dec. 18
SDSU @ #8 Montana State (1 p.m. CT on ESPN2)
Championship
Saturday, Jan. 8
Frisco, Texas
11 a.m. CT on ESPN2
