NCAA Division I FCS Championship Interactive Bracket
NCAA Division I FCS Information
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League will send two teams to the NCAA Division I FCS Championship for the first time since 2015, with League champion Holy Cross (11-0, 6-0 PL) and Fordham (9-2, 5-1 PL) making the field when it was announced during the FCS Selection Special on ESPNU.
The Patriot League champion Crusaders received the No. 8 seed and a first-round bye after becoming the first League team since 2003 to finish the regular season undefeated. The Crusaders collected the program’s 10th League title and fourth in a row under head coach Bob Chesney.
The Rams will travel to Durham, N.H., to take on CAA co-champion New Hampshire (8-3, CAA) in the first round at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. Fordham and head coach Joe Conlin make the championship field for the first time since 2015 behind the FCS’s highest-scoring offense.
The winner of the Rams and Wildcats will play the Crusaders at Fitton Field in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday, Dec. 3.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: HOLY CROSS | FORDHAM
2022 DI NCAA FCS First Round – Saturday, Nov. 26
| Game |
Time |
Coverage |
| Fordham Rams at New Hampshire Wildcats |
2 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
2022 DI NCAA FCS Second Round – Saturday, Dec. 3
| Game |
Time |
Coverage |
| Fordham or New Hampshire at No. 8 Holy Cross |
Noon |
ESPN+ |
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
Patriot League teams are 8-14 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one postseason game in seven seasons during that span. The Crusaders fell to Villanova (21-16) in the second round last season after defeating NEC champion Sacred Heart (13-10) in the first round. Colgate fell to eventual FCS Champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinal round in 2018 after defeating James Madison (23-20) in the second round. Colgate leads the Patriot League with six postseason victories, while Lehigh (5), Fordham (3) and Holy Cross (1) have all earned victories in the playoffs.
PATRIOT LEAGUE COLLECTS MULTIPLE BIDS FOR THE SIXTH TIME
The Patriot League has received multiple bids to the FCS Playoffs six times since 1997. Before this season, the last time the League had two programs make the field was in 2015, when Colgate and Fordham made the playoffs. Lafayette and the Rams both made the tournament in 2013. In 2005, Colgate and Lafayette made the playoffs after the Leopards and Lehigh were selected in 2004. Colgate and Lehigh made the postseason in 1998, marking the first time the Patriot League received two bids.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete 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.