The final two weeks of the 2024 regular season promise plenty of chaos in the ongoing race to the FCS Playoffs. Coming up in the penultimate Saturday before the playoff bracket is revealed, the teams sporting the nation's two longest winning streaks — UC Davis at nine games and Montana State at 10 — clash in a de facto Big Sky Conference championship game. 

Their high-stakes matchup is the result of a thrilling Week 11, capped when UC Davis scored a dominant, 30-14 win at Montana. The Aggies' victory complicated the Griz path to a potential 1st Round bye — and Montana was not the only team hoping for one of the FCS Playoffs coveted top-eight seeds knocked from its perch in Week 11. 

• Subscribe To FloCollege To Watch The 2024 College Football Season
• FCS Football Rankings For Week 11
• CAA Week 11 Takeaways: Road to a Championship Paved for Richmond
• FCS Football Scores In Week 10: Montana State Remains Undefeated

In one of the most stunning results of the season so far, previously rolling SEMO hit a roadblock at Lindenwood. The 24-12 shocker marked the biggest win in Lindenwood history, and certainly in its brief time as a Div. I program. It also opened the door for fierce competition to land one of the top eight seeds in the FCS Playoffs. 

.@LindenwoodFB takes the Game Ball Brawl 🏆#FCS x 🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/avNbKBp2en

— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 9, 2024

Big Sky rivals Idaho and Montana, CAA-leading Richmond and its nearest challengers Villanova and Rhode Island, and United Athletic Conference contenders Abilene Christian and Tarleton are all among the teams to watch in pursuit of a 1st Round bye. 

This and other storylines headline the FCS Playoffs picture through Week 11. 

Automatic Bids 

Big Sky: Montana State (2)

Rivaling last month's North Dakota State-South Dakota State showdown as the biggest matchup of the 2024 FCS regular season, Montana State takes its perfect record to UC Davis in Week 12. 

The winner seals no worse than a share of the Big Sky Conference championship and guarantees the league's automatic berth into the FCS Playoffs. 

Big South/OVC: SEMO

SEMO’s Week 11 stumble is a reminder that anything can happen this time of year in college football. The Redhawks, seemingly cruising to a perfect Big South/OVC season and possible top-four ranking in the final FCS Playoffs bracket, instead 

SEMO remains atop the league by virtue of its head-to-head win over UT Martin, but the Redhawks may be completely out of the running for a 1st Round bye unless some truly chaotic results ensue around the nation these next two Saturdays.

CAA: Richmond

Richmond can close its tenure in the Coastal Athletic Association before heading to the Patriot League with a crescendo. The Spiders are in position to claim the conference’s first outright championship since 2019 after eking out a last-second win at Campbell, while Rhode Island lost a heartbreaker at Delaware. 

Richmond visits recently sputtering Hampton in Week 12, then closes out hosting William & Mary. The Tribe could be playing for their playoff lives in the annual rivalry game, while the Spiders should have an outright CAA title — and potential top-eight seed — within reach. 

MVFC: North Dakota State (1)

The North Dakota State dynasty looks to add its 10th national championship since 2011 with the road to Frisco going through Fargo. The Bison close the regular season with a challenging pair of games, facing an 8-2 Missouri State team at home before visiting a national title contender in its own right, South Dakota.

NEC: Duquesne

With a 31-6 rout of crosstown rival Robert Morris in Week 11, Duquesne moved one step closer to repeating as Northeast Conference champion. The Dukes face Central Connecticut State in the Nov. 23 finale, and if both teams win in Week 12, the Week 13 outcome will determine the NEC's automatic berth into the FCS Playoffs. 

Patriot: Lehigh 

Moving into the playoff forecast for the first time this season is Lehigh by virtue of its 10-7 win at Holy Cross in Week 11. 

The Mountain Hawks' victory forced a three-game tie atop the Patriot League, with each of Bucknell, Holy Cross, and Lehigh at 3-1 in league play. Bucknell beat Lehigh in a double-overtime thriller on Sept. 28; however, in the case of a three-way tie like the conference currently has, its tiebreaker methods elevate Lehigh with Bucknell's loss having come against 2-2 Georgetown. 

There's much to untangle in the final two weeks of Patriot League play, including Bucknell facing Holy Cross in what could effectively be an elimination game. 

Pioneer: Drake

Drake extended its winning streak to six games in Week 11, outlasting St. Thomas in a nail-biter. The Bulldogs now own a two-game lead over Butler and San Diego, both of which Drake beat head-to-head, and Morehead State. 

Morehead State travels to Drake in Week 12, and a Bulldogs win seals back-to-back FCS Playoffs bid for them. 

Southern: Mercer (7)

Mercer clinched at least a share of its first-ever SoCon championship with its 34-0 rout of VMI in Week 11. The Bears face the unenviable task of visiting Alabama in Week 12, but close out at home against Furman on Nov. 23 with an opportunity to claim an outright conference title before a Five Star Stadium audience. 

Southland: UIW (6)

UIW concluded its home schedule in Week 11 with a 41-20 romp against Lamar, maintaining the Cardinals' perfect record in Southland Conference play. They are on target to a return to the FCS Playoffs — and may well be locked into an at-large bid no matter what happens — but beating Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M Commerce on the road should guarantee UIW a 1st-round bye. 

UAC: Abilene Christian  

 Abilene Christian heads into Week 12 with a pretty clear scenario: Win and the Wildcats are in their first-ever FCS Playoffs. 

Defeating Tarleton gives ACU the UAC automatic berth no matter what goes down in Week 13 by virtue of the Wildcats finishing out conference play early. They wrap up with Stephen F. Austin out of the Southland on Nov. 23. 

At-Large By Conference

Big Sky: UC Davis (4), Idaho (8), Montana, Northern Arizona  

UC Davis looked like a national championship contender in its 30-14 win at Montana late Saturday night. The Aggies hold firm at No. 4, but have a straight shot to the top two with its upcoming home date against undefeated Montana State on Saturday. 

 Idaho holds steady in the top eight after surviving a scare at Portland State. If the Vandals hold off Weber State and Idaho State in the next two weeks, they should give the Big Sky three of the eight 1st Round byes. 

Montana's loss to UC Davis might make getting that all-important top-eight spot more difficult, possibly requiring a win over Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild.   

Northern Arizona moves onto the right side of the bubble this week, benefiting from William & Mary, Central Arkansas and North Dakota losing in Week 11. The Lumberjacks have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, drawing road games with UIW, Idaho and Montana over a four-week stretch. They now finish out with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado teams languishing near the bottom of the Big Sky. 

NAU should be able to get to eight wins, which would lock up an at-large bid. 

Big South/OVC: UT Martin

 A 40-14 blowout win over Charleston Southern extended UT Martin’s winning streak to six games. The Skyhawks have recovered nicely from a 1-3 start to sit tied atop the Big South/OVC with SEMO.

Wins over Tennessee Tech and Lindenwood in the final two weeks would lock UT Martin into the field, and possibly elevate the Skyhawks to a 1st Round home game depending on how the rest of the landscape shapes up.  

CAA: Rhode Island, Villanova, Stony Brook

Rhode Island’s nail-biting loss at Delaware in Week 11 snapped the Rams’ seven-game winning streak, marked URI’s first defeat against FCS competition, and took the team’s CAA championship fate out of its control. 

Although the Rams need help to claim a share of the Coastal crown, they are in control of ending their 39-year playoff drought. A win in either of its next two games vs. UAlbany and Bryant makes nine for the season and presumably assured Rhode Island a berth — though getting to 10 wins for the first time since 1985 and likely sealing a home game for the 1st Round gives the Rams motivation to close out strong against struggling opponents the next two weeks. 

Villanova and Stony Brook also have 10 wins in their sights with two games remaining. For Villanova, it would mark the third time in four seasons that the Wildcats reached the double-digit-win milestone. For Stony Brook, the symbolism of turning around from a double-digit loss season to a double-digit win campaign would underscore just how historic the Seawolves’ transformation has been in Year 1 under Billy Cosh. 

Stony Brook faces a tough challenge in Week 12, however, visiting a New Hampshire team that has revived its own playoff aspirations with back-to-back wins. 

MVFC: South Dakota State (3), South Dakota (5), Illinois State

South Dakota State’s blowout of North Dakota kept the two-time reigning national champion Jackrabbits on pace for home-field advantage through the quarterfinals. It also complicated North Dakota’s hope of returning to the Playoffs, dropping the Fighting Hawks to 5-5 on the season. 

UND winning its final two games would presumably sneak it into the field based on strength of schedule and sporting a variety of quality wins. If the Fighting Hawks get to seven wins, three of them will include Montana, South Dakota and Illinois State.

However, anything less means UND is out of the Playoffs for just the second time in the last six seasons. 

On the flip side, Illinois State's Week 11 rout of Northern Iowa put the Redbirds likely just one win away from guaranteeing themselves a postseason berth. Illinois State travels to Indiana State in Week 12, then hosts UND to close out the regular season. 

Southern: Chattanooga, ETSU

Every week became an elimination week for SoCon playoff hopefuls Chattanooga and ETSU. The Mocs and Bucs both responded with big wins in Week 11. Their victories over Western Carolina and The Citadel improved each to 6-4, which — coupled with other bubble teams like North Dakota, William & Mary and Central Arkansas losing — moved them back to the right side of the bubble.

Chattanooga is 6-1 since opening the season 0-3, among its wins a 17-10 defeat of ETSU. The Mocs defense is among the best in the nation, which makes them an especially tough out for any playoff opponent. 

ETSU has also proven capable of hanging with any playoff team, taking current top eight-ranked teams Mercer and North Dakota State to the wire in losses of three and six points. Should the Buccaneers navigate the final two weeks with wins over Furman and VMI, they'll be a dangerous opponent in the 1st Round and beyond. 

UAC: Tarleton

Tarleton is tied atop the UAC loss column with Abilene Christian. That puts a high premium on Saturday's matchup at Tarleton's Memorial Stadium. A Texans wins guarantees them at least a share of the conference title, even with Tarleton facing one more remaining UAC game than Abilene Christian. 

The Texans wrap up on Nov. 23 hosting Central Arkansas, which has faded fast this month after flirting with the top eight coming into November. 

New Additions

Chattanooga, ETSU, Lehigh, Northern Arizona 

Dropped Out

Central Arkansas, Holy Cross, North Dakota, William & Mary 

Last Four In 

 ETSU, Chattanooga, Northern Arizona 

First Four Out

Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, William & Mary, South Carolina State*

* = The MEAC champion plays the SWAC champion in the annual Celebration Bowl. However, a MEAC team can earn an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs. North Carolina Central, which currently leads the MEAC, played in the 2023 Playoffs.

1st Round Matchups

9. Montana vs. Drake

10. Richmond vs. Lehigh 

11. Villanova vs. Duquesne 

12. SEMO vs. ETSU

13. Abilene Christian vs. Northern Arizona  

14. Rhode Island vs. Stony Brook 

15. Tarleton vs. UT Martin

16. Illinois State vs. Chattanooga

What Are The Top Conferences In The FCS?

Curious about the top performers and strongest conference within the FCS ranks? We’ve got you covered.

See the FCS conferences ranked using a unique system that was originally developed for chess.

When Do The 2024 FCS College Football Playoffs Start?

The FCS playoffs begin on November 30, 2024.

The 2024 Division I FCS College Football Championship game will be played on January 6, 2025, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Watch The 2024 College Football Season On FloFootball 

FloFootball is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the latest games. 

Join the College Football Conversation

• Follow us on Twitter @FloFootball
• Follow us on Instagram @FloFootball
• Follow us on TikTok @FloFootball
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook