For the second consecutive year, the Coastal Athletic Association is sending four teams into the NCAA Division I FCS postseason. 

Among those advancing from the CAA will be co-conference champion Rhode Island, which will be making its first postseason appearance since 1985, this time as one of the 14 at-large selections for the 24-team bracket.

The Rams will host Central Connecticut State at Meade Stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island, on Saturday at noon Eastern. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs.

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Rhode Island enters the playoffs having closed the regular season with a pair of conference wins, a surge that helped secure a share of the CAA title. 

Though the Rams finished 7-1 in CAA play (and 10-2 overall), they were named co-champions with undefeated Richmond (8-0) because their only conference blemish came against Delaware, which is transitioning to the FBS level. 

This will be the fourth playoff appearance for Rhode Island, with the first three coming in 1981, 1984 and 1985. The Rams are 2-3 all-time in the postseason, but they’re 2-0 at Meade Stadium. 

Central Connecticut State also has limited experience in the playoffs, but the Blue Devils have been there much more recently. They advanced to the postseason in 2017 and 2019, but have yet to pick up a playoff victory. 

The Blue Devils finished the 2024 regular season at 7-5 overall and 5-1 in the Northeast Conference, including a four-game winning streak at the end, and though that sounds mediocre, it was a huge improvement from 2023, and it was enough to earn a share of the NEC title and the conference’s automatic bid to the 2024 playoffs. 

Central Connecticut State and Duquesne (8-3, 5-1) are co-champions in the NEC this year, but their head-to-head showdown last week was a winner-take-all contest for the automatic bid. The Blue Devils won 21-14. Duquesne did not earn an at-large nod to the postseason. 

The Blue Devils were 3-8 last year and 1-6 in conference play, which came after a 2-9/2-5 performance in 2022.

After the previous four meetings between Rhode Island and CCSU (2004, 2005, 2013, 2014), the Rams hold a 3-1 advantage in the series, though the Blue Devils won their last contest, 38-14. 

The winner of the CCSU-Rhode Island game will meet Mercer, which won the Southern Conference title outright for the program's first league title since 1932. The successful year also earned the Bears a first-round bye for the 2024 playoffs.

The other CAA teams headed to the playoffs are Richmond, New Hampshire and Villanova. 

How To Watch The Central Connecticut State Football Vs. Rhode Island Playoff Game

The Central Connecticut State vs. Rhode Island playoff football game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Highlights, breaking news and full coverage of the FCS playoffs will be available on FloFootball. 

Complete 2024 FCS Championship Schedule

• First round: Saturday, Nov. 30
• Second round: Saturday, Dec. 7
• Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 13 through Saturday, Dec. 14
• Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 21 
• National championship: Monday, Jan. 6 on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET

2024 FCS Football Playoff Bracket

View the teams that made the 2024 FCS playoffs bracket and see which teams will meet en route to the championship. 

The top eight seeds received byes into the second round. The remaining 16 teams will play in the first round Saturday.

First Round - Saturday, Nov. 30

All Times Eastern

• Noon - No. 12 Illinois State at Southeast Missouri State
• Noon - Central Connecticut State at No. 10 Rhode Island
• 1 p.m. - UT Martin at No. 16 New Hampshire 
• 2 p.m. - Lehigh at No. 9 Richmond
• 2 p.m. - Eastern Kentucky at No. 11 Villanova 
• 3 p.m. - Northern Arizona at No. 15 Abilene Christian
• 3 p.m. - Drake at No. 13 Tarleton State
• 10:15 p.m. - Tennessee State at No. 14 Montana | ESPN2

Second Round - Saturday, Dec. 7

All Times Eastern

• 2 p.m. | Winner of Eastern Kentucky/No. 11 Villanova at No. 6 UIW
• 2 p.m. | Winner of Central Connecticut State/No. 10 Rhode Island at No. 7 Mercer
• 2 p.m. | Winner of Tennessee State/No. 14 Montana at No. 3 South Dakota State
• 3 p.m. | Winner of UT Martin/No. 16 New Hampshire at No. 1 Montana State
• 3 p.m. |Winner of Northern Arizona/No. 15 Abilene Christian at No. 2 North Dakota State
• 3 p.m. | Winner of Drake/No. 13 Tarleton State at No. 4 South Dakota
• 4 p.m. | Winner of No. 12 Illinois State/Southeast Missouri State at No. 5 UC Davis
• 9 p.m. | Winner of Lehigh/No. 9 Richmond at No. 8 Idaho

The bracket is SET 🙌🏈#FCSPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/mCIWIC4lWZ

— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 24, 2024

Here’s What The FCS Playoffs Look Like

The NCAA FCS Playoffs consist of 24 teams in a single-elimination bracket, including: 

• 10 automatic qualifiers: Teams automatically qualify for the 2024 playoffs by winning their conferences. The conferences include: ASUN-WAC, Big Sky, Big South-OVC, CAA, MVFC, NEC, Patriot, Pioneer, SoCon and Southland.
   
• 14 at-large bids: The FCS Playoff Committee determines which 14 teams advance to the playoffs based on a combination of overall record, record against Division I opponents, record against FBS opponents, head-to-head matchups and other comparative data.

How Are Teams Seeded For The FCS Playoffs?

Once the field is set, the committee seeds the top eight teams and submits them to the top eight pool. A team must receive at least 30% of the votes to be included in the seed pool.

Once that is complete, each member ranks the teams in the seed pool via poll vote. After review and further discussions, the seeds are finalized. 

These eight teams receive a first-round bye, while the remaining 16 are paired according to geographic proximity and placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity to the top eight seeds.

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.

AFCA Division I FCS Football Rankings

As of Nov. 24, 2024

Others Receiving Votes: Stony Brook, 44; Eastern Kentucky, 32; Drake, 29; Lehigh, 19; Dartmouth, 16; Harvard, 16; Central Connecticut State, 12; Chattanooga, 6; Butler, 4; Southeastern Louisiana, 4; Columbia, 2.

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 

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

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