The 2025 FCS regular season has officially come to a close and the playoff bracket is now out. This year the 24-team field is one of the more interesting that there’s been in quite some time. Now the Ivy
League has decided to join in on the fun and they’ll be well-represented. The Missouri Valley again rules the roost as far as sheer numbers but some new blood is also in the mix. Here’s who’ll be vying for a trip to Nashville in January.
The Top Eight Seeds
1. North Dakota State Bison (12-0)
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. North Dakota State will run the whole show as far as the playoffs are concerned as the #1 overall seed in this year’s tournament. The defending national champs seem as though they’re on the fast track to their 11th… yes 11th… FCS championship since 2010. Second-year head coach Tim Polasek is doing what Bison coaches do best, build a contender year in and year out in spite of big losses. Big names like Cam Miller and CharMar Brown left after last season and all NDSU did was get better. Cole Payton took over at quarterback and helped the offense blow its way through the Missouri Valley once again. That defense is as smothering as ever too and, once more, the road to the championship runs straight through the Fargodome.
2. Montana State Bobcats (10-2)
Losing Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Tommy Mellott to graduation didn’t faze Montana State and neither did an 0-2 start. MSU rattled off ten straight wins to walk away with another Big Sky championship and again finds itself as a top two seed in the playoffs. New signal caller Justin Lamson has helped the Bobcats pick up right where they left off in 2024 and the rushing attack is as good as ever. The road to Nashville must go through Bozeman and that doesn’t bode well as Montana State has only lost two games in its building this decade (and both of those were in OT). Familiar faces like Adam Jones, Julius Davis and Taco Dowler make MSU one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament once more.
3. Montana Grizzlies (11-1)
Making their FCS-best 30th postseason appearance will be the Montana Grizzlies and, once again, they look like one of the toughest outs in the entire tournament. Checking in as the 3-seed, Montana nearly went unbeaten, just falling short in the final game of the season to rival Montana State. That, though, will likely only make them tougher in the weeks to come. Eastern Washington transfer Michael Wortham has been one of the most dynamic players in the entire country and his athleticism in unmatched. Sophomore quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was one of the best in the nation this year with 3,154 passing yards and 32 total touchdowns. Eli Gillman is still one of the best backs out there to boot. Washington-Grizzly is one of the toughest venues in all of college football at any level and it’s always a house of horrors for visitors this time of year.
4. Tarleton State Texans (11-1)
The ascension of Tarleton State as a Division I program has been something to watch and it has reached a new cracendo in 2025. The Texans come into the playoffs as the 5-seed in just their second-ever FCS playoff berth and they boast one of the more complete teams in the whole field. A veteran presence under center with Victor Gabalis, a tenacious defense that is keeping its opponents to 16 points per game and an electric running back corps have propelled TSU to its best season yet since moving up from DII. Todd Whitten’s group got itself on the map early with a massive upset win over Army back in September and never really looked back. They’ll be a handful for whoever the line up against and seem primed to make some real noise.
5. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-0)
The only other team to run the table besides NDSU this year was Patriot League champion Lehigh and, for the first time in school history, the Mountain Hawks will be a top eight seed. Behind a triple-threat rushing attack of Luke Yoder, Jaden Green and sophomore signal caller Hayden Johnson, the Lehigh offense is not one to take lightly. They average 430.8 yards and 33.8 yards per contest but the defense isn’t too shabby either. Matt Spatny is one of the best defensive lineman in the country and it’s finally all come together for a team that’s been on the cusp for a little while now. The Mountain Hawks have not had a home playoff game since 2004 but that will change this year. Kevin Cahill’s team will be in Pennsylvania at least through the quarterfinals.
6. Mercer Bears (9-2)
An inauspicious start had folks wondering if Mercer’s window was closing but that couldn’t have been further from the case. Once again the Bears romped their way through the SoCon to take the league title and they left most everyone in the dust along the way. Quarterback Braden Atkinson stepped in back in the early season and delivered one of the finest freshman seasons an FCS signal caller has ever seen with 3,463 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. He’s the clear favorite for the Jerry Rice Award but the team around him is pretty dominant, too. Andrew Zock keeps tearing it up on the defensive line and the secondary is extremely dangerous. Mercer again poses a tough matchup and the trip to Macon will not be an easy one for whoever has to make it in a couple of weeks.
7. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (10-2)
One of the more impressive and under-the-radar campaigns this fall has been that of Southland champion Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks quietly and effectively handled business all season long and strung together their first ten-win season since 2009. Sam Vidlak and Kylon Harris lead a high-powered offense that dominated most everyone it saw in 2025. Linebacker Jaydon Southard is no joke on the defense either with over 100 tackles this season. SFA has not been in the postseason since 2021 but now as a top eight seed in the tournament, the Lumberjacks could be a problem down the line if they can replicate their regular season success.
8. UC Davis Aggies (8-3)
The Aggies are back in after coming up short in the Big Sky title race again. A lot of questions surrounded this bunch after losing big names like Miles Hastings and Lan Larison but freshman Caden Pinnick has answered those questions emphatically. He’s been a phenom at quarterback for UC Davis. Losing All-American talent like Rex Connors on the other side certainly hurts but the Aggies are still one of the better teams out there and they receive the last of the bye weeks. Tim Plough’s second year has been full of hurdles but he’s managed to get over most of them. The playoffs will surely present some more challenges but UC Davis is as resilient as any out there.
The Opening Round
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (9-3) at 16. Illinois State Redbirds (8-4)
Illinois State looked as though it would be in the conversation for a top eight seed for most of the year but season finale blowout loss to SIU changed those plans. Still, the Redbirds will host on opening weekend and with guys like quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, ISU has to like its chances at home against Southeastern Louisiana. SLU comes in a an at-large out of the Southland and, had it not been for a two-point loss to Lamar earlier this month, the Lions could have possibly been a bye week team. They will look to get it done on the road with the chance to see the top overall seed North Dakota State.
Yale Bulldogs (8-2) at 15. Youngstown State Penguins (8-4)
For the first time ever the Ivy League is participating in the playoffs and Yale will be its first auto bid representative. The Bulldogs snatched the conference championship away from Harvard on the last day to steal their spot but there’s some real talent in New Haven this year. Running back Josh Pitsenberger is the best in the Ivy and quarterback Dante Reno has been deadly accurate as of late. They’ll travel to Youngstown State next weekend to take on the Penguins. YSU has won five of its last six and has not scored less than 35 points in a contest since mid October. The winner here will go to Montana State in the second round.
New Hampshire Wildcats (8-4) at 14. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-4)
It was a tale of two seasons for South Dakota State after starting 7-0 then losing four of their last five games. An injury to Chase Mason changed the entire trajectory of what was shaping up to be another great Jackrabbits season. Despite the doom and gloom, though, first-year head coach Dan Jackson and his team are in but will find themselves in the unfamiliar position of having to play on Thanksgiving weekend. The Jacks will welcome in New Hampshire out of the CAA. UNH will bring in dual-threat quarterback Matt Vezza who has accounted for over 3,000 all purpose yards this year. Whoever prevails in Brookings will take a trip West to face 3-seed Montana.
North Dakota Hawks (7-5) at 13. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (11-1)
Arguably one of the bigger snubs of the whole bracket, Tennessee Tech will have to suit up during the first round despite an 11-1 overall record with their only loss coming to FBS Kentucky. The Golden Eagles have had a season unlike any other this fall thanks in large part to big name transfers like QB Kekoa Visperas. TTU is also the top sack-getting team in the FCS and they rode that combination to a Big South-OVC title. They’ll see North Dakota at home to open the playoffs. The Hawks snuck in despite an overtime loss in the finale. First-year head coach Eric Schmidt and UND faced one of the toughest schedules of anyone this year and still managed seven wins. The winner gets Tarleton State.
Harvard Crimson (9-1) at 12. Villanova Wildcats (9-2)
It seemed as though the Ivy League crown was destined to reside in Boston this year but a loss to Yale dropped Harvard to at-large status. Still, the Crimson are in and bring with them experience at QB in Jaden Craig and explosiveness on the outside with guys like Brady Blackburn. The defense is also tough and it will need to be as Harvard gets paired up with Villanova who quietly put together another strong season. ‘Nova rides the nation’s longest active home winning streak of 22 games into this one and will be looking to punch their ticket to he second round for the third straight season. If they do, they’ll get a date with Lehigh.
Drake Bulldogs (8-3) at 11. South Dakota Coyotes (8-4)
Drake took home the Pioneer League championship once again and, for the third straight season, will represent the conference in the playoffs. Running back Nick Herman has been deadly as of late; just ask Morehead State who gave up 253 yards to him in the finale. The Bulldogs will play a team they saw earlier this year in South Dakota. The Coyotes, who made a run to the semifinals last year, are back as the 11-seed. Aidan Bouman is still flinging it around and L.J. Phillips Jr. has over 1,500 rushing yards on the season. The ‘Yotes and the Bulldogs will battle again with the chance to go see Mercer.
Lamar Cardinals (8-4) at 10.Abilene Christian Wildcats (8-4)
Abilene Christian is back in the playoffs after claiming the UAC auto bid thanks to their massive upset over Tarleton State earlier this month. The Wildcats have gotten a lot of production from Stone Earle who’s thrown for 19 touchdowns and 2,756 yards. Wideout Javon Gipson has been on the receiving end of 49 of those passes and has 786 yards of his own. ACU will host a Lamar squad that was at risk of falling out of the playoffs altogether after losing three of its final four games. The Cardinals are in, though, and will have a strong defense led by standout DB Paul Omodia who has 12 PBUs this season. The winner will take on Stephen F. Austin in the second round.
Central Connecticut Blue Devils (8-4) at 9. Rhode Island Rams (10-2)
It will be a rematch of last year’s first round game when Central Connecticut travels to Rhode Island for a dance with the Rams. Rhode Island was the outright CAA champ for the first time in 40 years (and back then it was called the Yankee Conference) thanks to another big season from Devin Farrell who threw for more than 3,000 yards. Antwaun Little ran for 1,100 yards also to help propel Rhody back into the postseason. CCSU, meanwhile, won the NEC title with a 6-1 league record. Brady Olson and Elijah Howard piloted the offense while Christopher Jean again locked it down on defense. Either the Blue Devils or the Rams will advance to take on UC Davis.
