UC Davis Ranked No. 3 in FCS Committee’s Top 10
Nov 1, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Feb 27, 2020, 10:02 am
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
DAVIS, Calif. – With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the FCS Committee slotted UC Davis No. 3 in its top 10 rankings. This is the only announcement the group will make prior to Nov. 18, also known as Selection Sunday, when this year’s postseason bracket is revealed on ESPNU, starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.
The 2018 championship field consists of 24 teams: 10 automatic qualifiers, a group that includes the Big Sky Conference’s regular season champion, and 14 at-large qualifiers.
This is what makes Wednesday’s announcement an important one: The top eight seeds from this year’s playoff field will automatically earn a bye during the first week of postseason competition while the other teams compete in one of eight First Round games taking place on Nov. 24.
All games in this postseason tournament are single elimination and will take place at non-predetermined campus sites until the final two teams meet on Jan. 5, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas — site of the 2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
First Round winners will advance to one of eight Second Round games (Dec. 1) and face one of those top eight seeds — teams that enjoyed a weekend off and an extra time to prep for their inaugural postseason game.
Four, two-team Quarterfinal Round games (Dec. 7 or 8) will involve the final eight remaining teams; winners will earn a spot in the Semifinal Round (Dec. 14 or 15) and compete for one of two coveted spots in this year’s national championship, broadcasted on ESPN2
With sole possession of first place, thanks to its 7-1 overall and perfect 5-0 league record, UC Davis led the way for a conference that saw three of its teams named within the top 10. Weber State and Eastern Washington were ranked No. 4 and No. 9.
Top-seeded North Dakota State, national champions in six of the last seven seasons, and James Madison, the other national champion during that timespan, are the only two teams ranked ahead of the Aggies by the FCS Committee.
UC Davis, known across the nation as one of the country’s most dangerous teams, thanks to its deep, talented and well-balanced roster, will compete at Aggie Stadium in two of its last three games of the regular season.
Coming off an attention-grabbing victory at Montana — they scored 46 straight points in one of the most hostile environments in the country, against one of the sport’s blue bloods — the Aggies will host Northern Arizona in Saturday’s 1 p.m. game.
Witness history firsthand by purchasing your tickets for this Big Sky clash today!