As expected, championship week delivered in FCS college football.
A number of conference titles were clinched over the final full weekend of the regular season, including head-to-head matchups that determined the champions in the Big South (Kennesaw State beat Monmouth 49-17) and Southern Conference (ETSU edged Mercer 38-35).
Conference Champions
AQ7: Sam Houston (10-0, 6-0)
Big Sky: Sacramento State (9-2, 8-0)
Big South: Kennesaw State (10-1, 7-0)
CAA: Villanova (9-2, 7-1) and James Madison (10-1, 7-1) are co-champs
Ivy: Dartmouth (9-1, 6-1) and Princeton (9-1, 6-1) are co-champs
MEAC: South Carolina State (6-5, 5-0)
Missouri Valley: North Dakota State (10-1, 7-1)
Northeast: Sacred Heart (8-3, 6-1)
Ohio Valley: UT Martin (9-2, 5-1)
Patriot: Holy Cross (9-2, 6-0)
Pioneer: Davidson (8-2, 7-1) and San Diego (7-4, 7-1) are co-champs
Southern: ETSU (10-1, 7-1)
Southland: UIW (9-2, 7-1)
SWAC: West Division champ Jackson State (10-1, 8-0) or East Division champ Prairie View A&M (7-3, 6-1), TBD
—
All FCS conferences except the Ivy League participate in a postseason. The 24-team national playoffs are composed of 11 conference champions that have automatic bids and 13 at-large bid selections, with the pairings to be announced on Sunday (12:30 p.m. EST, ESPNU). The MEAC and SWAC champions will meet in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 in Atlanta.
NCAA Playoffs – Automatic Qualifiers
AQ7: Sam Houston
Big Sky: Sacramento State
Big South: Kennesaw State
CAA: Villanova
Missouri Valley: North Dakota State
Northeast: Sacred Heart
Ohio Valley: UT Martin
Patriot: Holy Cross
Pioneer: Davidson
Southern: ETSU
Southland: UIW
Celebration Bowl
MEAC: South Carolina State
SWAC: Prairie View A&M vs. Jackson State in conference championship game on Dec. 4