NCAA Division I Football Championship Bracket
NCAA Division I Football Championship Information
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Patriot League Champion Colgate (9-1, 6-0 PL) will begin NCAA Division I Football Championship play on Saturday, Dec. 1 when they host the winner of Delaware (7-4, CAA) at James Madison (8-3, CAA). The Raiders’ second-round matchup at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The Blue Hens and Dukes will play in the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 24
Colgate finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and 6-0 in the Patriot League to capture the program’s 10th League title. For the Raiders, this will be the program’s 11th NCAA post-season appearance and second under head coach Dan Hunt. Colgate is the first Patriot League team to receive a first-round bye since Lehigh in 2011.
The Raiders defense has been among the nation’s best, leading the FCS in scoring defense (5.7 points allowed/game), total defense (201.7 yards/game), team passing efficiency defense (82.02) and placing third in rushing defense (77.1 yards/game). Colgate tied South Carolina State’s 40-year old FCS record for shutouts in a single season with five. The Raiders played 29-consecutive quarters from Sept. 1 to Nov. 10 without allowing an opposing touchdown, and only allowed seven touchdowns through the season.
Junior defensive lineman Nick Wheeler is second in the Patriot League and 18th in the FCS with 8.0 sacks to go along with 14.0 tackles for loss. Senior defensive back Tyler Castillo leads the Patriot League and is among the nation’s leaders with four interceptions. Senior running back James Holland Jr. headlines the Raiders’ offense, rushing for 1,065 yards through 10 games this season. Holland, a four-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, leads the League in rushing yards per game (106.5) and rushing touchdowns (12).
Patriot League teams are 6-10 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one game in the postseason in five of the last eight seasons. Colgate advanced to the quarterfinal round by defeating New Hampshire (27-20) and James Madison (44-38), before falling to Sam Houston State (48-21) in their last trip to the postseason in 2015. Colgate advanced to the championship game in 2003.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.