Kats to meet Stony Brook/Albany winner
11/20/2011 10:41:00 AM | Football
The Bearkats will receive a bye in Saturday's first round Nov. 26, then play host to the winner of the Stony Brook versus Albany first round game on Saturday Dec. 3.
Stony Brook earned the Big South Conference championship Saturday with a 41-31 victory over Liberty. The Seawolves are 8-3 for the year and went through league play unbeaten 6-0.
Albany is the Northeast Conference co-champion and earned its playoff berth with a 7-3 overall season mark.
Sam Houston is making its fifth NCAA Division I playoff appearance. The Bearkats reached the national semifinals in their most recent appearance in 2004. They were quarterfinals in 2001 and lost in the first round in 1986 and 1991.
Central Arkansas (8-3), runner-up in the Southland Conference behind the Bearkats, also earned one of the 20 spots in the NCAA Division I playoffs. SHSU and UCA's selections mark the 17th time the Southland Conference has put multiple teams into the playoffs. Central Arkansas will play Tennessee Tech (7-3) in the first round
North Dakota State (10-1) is the No. 2 seed in the championship playoff. Georgia Southern (9-2), Montana (9-2) and Northern Iowa (9-2) are No. 3, 4 and 5 seeds, respectively.
The Sam Houston vs. Stony Brook/Albany matchup will face either Montana (9-2) or New Hampshire (8-3) on either Friday or Saturday, Dec. 9-10, in the quarterfinals.
As the No. 1 seed, the Bearkats are guaranteed home games through the semifinals. The national championship game will be played in Frisco, Texas, at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 12 noon.
Kickoff time for Sam Houston's second round game on Dec. 3 is yet to be announced. The game will be televised on ESPN3.
Other first round matchups see Old Dominion (9-2) meet Norfolk State (9-2) and Eastern Kentucky (7-4) play James Madison (7-4).
Second round matchups of teams receiving first round byes have North Dakota State against the Eastern Kentucky/James Madison winner, Towson (9-2) versus Lehigh (10-1), Appalachian State (8-3) versus Maine (8-3), Georgia Southern against the ODU/Norfolk State winner, Montana hosting the Tennessee Tech/UCA winner, Northern Iowa (9-2) against Wofford (8-3) and Montana State (9-2) hosting New Hampshire (8-3).
Tickets for Sam Houston's NCAA Division I FCS playoff games go on sale online at 10 a.m. Sunday and at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium at 8 a.m. Monday. The athletic ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
NCAA Division I Championship Playoffs Schedule
First Round:
Albany (8-3) at Stony Brook (8-3)
Central Arkansas (8-3) at Tennessee Tech (7-3)
Norfolk State (9-2) at Old Dominion (9-2)
James Madison (7-4) at Eastern Kentucky (7-4)
Second Round:
Albany/Stony Brook winner at #1 Sam Houston (11-0)
New Hampshire (8-3) at Montana State (9-2)
Wofford (8-3) at #5 Northern Iowa (9-2)
Tenn. Tech/UCA winner at #4 Montana (9-2)
ODU/Norfolk St. winner at #3 Georgia Southern (9-2)
Maine (8-3) at Appalachian St. (8-3)
Lehigh (10-1) at Towson (9-2)
EKU/JMU winner at #2 North Dakota St. (10-1)
Quarterfinals Friday or Saturday, Dec. 9-10 Campus sites
Semifinals Friday or Saturday, Dec. 16-17 Campus sites
Finals Saturday, Jan. 7 12 noon Frisco Texas
