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Villanova earned a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs. Here’s their seed — and potential first opponents.

After their opener, things could get difficult for the Wildcats.

Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante holds the CAA trophy after 'Nova won the CAA championship game, 35-7, at Delaware Stadium.
Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante holds the CAA trophy after 'Nova won the CAA championship game, 35-7, at Delaware Stadium.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    by Colin Beazley
    Published 

After Saturday’s win over Delaware, Villanova (9-2, 7-1 CAA) knew it had qualified for the FCS playoffs. It just didn’t know whether it had done enough to earn a top-eight seed and a first-round bye.

During the FCS Selection Sunday show, those questions were answered. Villanova earned the No. 8 seed in the 24-team FCS bracket. The Wildcats also received a first-round bye, and will play the winner of Duquesne (7-4, 6-1 NEC) at Youngstown State (7-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley) at home on Saturday, Dec. 2.

“We know it’s a new season and we’ve got to go 1-0 each week if we want to keep playing football,” graduate quarterback Connor Watkins said Saturday after the Delaware win.

Though having Thanksgiving weekend off is the ideal scenario for Villanova, the No. 8 seed presents the toughest task moving forward in the bracket. If Villanova wins on Dec. 2, it will face the defending national champion, No. 1 South Dakota State (11-0, 8-0 Missouri Valley) on the road. The Jackrabbits have won 25 consecutive games, most recently losing to Iowa in September 2022, 7-3.

» READ MORE: Villanova wins share of CAA football title with 35-7 defeat of Delaware in the Battle of the Blue

“The fact that we have a bye this week is good, and the fact that we have a game at home following that bye is what we were hoping for,” coach Mark Ferrante told The Villanovan. " … They put us eighth, so we’d have to go to No. 1 if we’re fortunate enough to get a second-round win in our first game, and it is what it is.”

This is Villanova’s first playoff appearance since 2021. That year, it won the CAA and advanced to the national quarterfinals, where it lost to South Dakota State at home, 35-21.

More local representation

Villanova isn’t the only team in the region. Delaware (8-3, 6-2 CAA) earned one of 14 at-large bids, while Lafayette (9-2, 5-1 Patriot) advanced as the Patriot League champion. The two teams will face each other at Delaware on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2:00 p.m. The winner will head west to play at No. 2 Montana (10-1, 7-1 Big Sky) on Saturday, Dec. 2.