CAA Football Makes History As Six Teams Selected To FCS Playoff Field
Rob Washburn
2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship Bracket
RICHMOND, Va. (November 18, 2018) – CAA Football made history on Sunday as six teams were selected to the 24-team field for the 2018 Division I Football Championship, a feat that’s never been achieved by any FCS conference.
CAA champion and automatic qualifier Maine was joined by at-large selections Delaware, Elon, James Madison, Stony Brook and Towson.
CAA Football’s previous record for teams in the playoff field was five, which occurred in 2007, 2008 and 2011. The conference had four teams selected for the past four years.
Maine (8-3), which edged Elon 27-26 on Saturday to claim its first CAA Football title since 2013, received the No. 7 overall seed and a first-round bye. The Black Bears, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2013 and eighth overall, will host either Jacksonville State or East Tennessee State at Noon on Saturday, December 1.
There will be a head-to-head first-round matchup between CAA Football members as Delaware (7-4) travels to James Madison (8-3) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Blue Hens return to the FCS playoff field for the first time since 2010 when they reached the national championship game. The Dukes received a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive year. JMU has advanced to the national championship game for the past two seasons, winning the title in 2016. The winner of that contest will face #8 Colgate.
Elon (6-4) received an FCS playoff berth for the second year in a row and third overall. The Phoenix travel to Southern Conference member Wofford (8-3) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of that game will meet #4 Kennesaw State.
Stony Brook (7-4) also garnered a berth in the playoffs for the second year in a row and will visit Ohio Valley Conference member Southeast Missouri State (8-3) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The winner advances to play #2 Weber State.
Towson (7-4) earned a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2013 when it reached the national championship game. The Tigers host Northeast Conference champ Duquesne (8-3) at 2 p.m. on Saturday with the winner taking on #5 South Dakota State.
All first and second-round FCS playoff games will be televised on ESPN3.
This marks the 11
th time in CAA Football history that the league has sent at least four teams to the FCS playoffs. The conference has now had multiple postseason selections in 28 consecutive years, and at least three teams make the field in 13 straight seasons.
Over the last 13 years, eight league teams have reached the national title game and 14 have advanced to the national semifinals.
CAA Football’s six playoff selections were two more than any other FCS conference. The Big Sky Conference was second with four teams in the field.
The NCAA Division I Football National Championship will take place at Noon (ET) on Jan. 5 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship
First Round (Nov. 24)
Elon at Wofford, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Stony Brook at Southeast Missouri State, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Duquesne at
Towson, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Delaware at James Madison, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Second Round (Dec. 1)
Jacksonville State/
ETSU at
#7 Maine, 12 p.m. (ESPN3)
Delaware/James Madison at #8 Colgate, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Elon/Wofford at #4 Kennesaw State, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Towson/Duquesne at #5 South Dakota State, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Southeast Missouri/
Stony Brook at #2 Weber State, 4 p.m. (ESPN3)