Though Villanova was not able to repeat as a Coastal Athletic Association Football champion in 2024, the Wildcats will have the opportunity to prove themselves in the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship.

The last time a CAA team won the FCS national title was 2016 (James Madison), while Richmond and Villanova achieved the feat in back-to-back years (2008, 2009).

Villanova is headed to the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and third in the last four years. 

The Wildcats will host Eastern Kentucky at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern. This will be the first meeting in history between the two programs.

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Eastern Kentucky and Villanova both were among the 14 at-large selections for the 24-team bracket, but they’re definitely not strangers to postseason action, as it will be the 23rd appearance for the Colonels and 16th time since 1989 for the Wildcats. Villanova moved up to the FCS level in 1985.

Villanova finished the regular season 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play. The Wildcats were upset by Monmouth on Nov. 16 but rebounded in the final week of the regular season with a 38-28 win over Delaware, which is departing the CAA.

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

In the latest American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches Poll, Villanova climbed three spots from No. 14 to No. 11. Eastern Kentucky received votes but is not ranked.

The Colonels finished their regular season with five consecutive wins, all United Athletic Conference games, to get to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in UAC contests. 

Abilene Christian won the UAC title, while Eastern Kentucky, Tarleton State and Southern Utah all finished at 6-2. The conference includes nine teams. AC, Tarleton State and EKU all made the playoffs. 

The last time Eastern Kentucky made the postseason was 2022, but the Colonels made a quick exit, losing to Gardner-Webb in the first round, 52-41.

Villanova had better luck last year, earning a first-round bye, then defeating Youngstown State 45-28, before losing to eventual national champion South Dakota State in the quarterfinals, 23-12.

The winner of Saturday’s Villanova-Eastern Kentucky game will face the University of the Incarnate Word, which won the Southland Conference title and earned a first-round bye for the 2024 playoffs.

How To Watch The Eastern Kentucky Football Vs. Villanova Playoff Game

The Eastern Kentucky vs. Villanova 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 

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. 

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