On Saturday, the Missouri Valley Football Conference postponed their first game of the FCS Spring Football slate. There was a positive test in the North Dakota’s tier one personnel. Tier one consists of student-athletes, coaches, equipment managers and staff. Subsequent contact tracing protocols were put into place, and the MVFC made the decision to postpone the game. Not even a week later, the MVFC has made the decision to postpone the mammoth matchup of South Dakota State vs NDSU until April 17th as well.
Why MVFC Postponed South Dakota State vs NDSU
Unfortunately, it seems as if COVID has popped up again at a crucial time in the FCS Spring Football season. The conference decided to postpone the game after a positive COVID-19 test in the NDSU tier one personnel. Contact tracing took place soon there after, and the conference decided it was best for both teams to move the game to a later date.
Tickets for the game this weekend will be honored at the gate at the Fargodome on April 17th. Kickoff time for the game is 2:30 PM ET.
What This Means For the Postseason
Obviously, this FCS Spring Football season has been quite the showcase for some programs and players. However, the postseason will be much different in the FCS this year. Instead of the usual 24 teams in the postseason tournament, there will be only 16 this year. There will be eleven automatic bids given out to conference champions, with the two exceptions being the Ivy League and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The remaining five bids, will be at-large births. The at-large teams will be voted on by the FCS Playoff Selection Committee. The committee consists of one athletic director from each conference with an automatic bid,.
Selection Sunday is slated for April 18th, 2021. The selection show will be televised live on ESPN at noon, on that Sunday. First round games will begin on Saturday, April 24th, 2021. The quarterfinals will then take place the next Saturday, and so on until the Championship game. The Championship game is slated for either Saturday, May 15th, or Sunday, May 16th at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
If the FCS Spring Football Postseason Started Today
The biggest question surrounding the FCS Spring Football Playoffs at this point is how many teams will the Missouri Valley Football Conference send to the postseason? It seems pretty evident that both North Dakota teams will get in, along with South Dakota State. However, many out there believe the MVFC is strong enough to get four or five teams into the postseason. Personally, I think that’s a bit reckless. It seems only right that we do a bit of FCS Bracketology during March Madness.
Top Four Seeds (Conference Champions)
- North Dakota State (5-1,4-1) (MVFC Champions)
- Weber State (3-0, 3-0) (Big Sky Champions)
- James Madison (4-0, 2-0) (CAA Champions)
- Sam Houston State (3-0, 3-0) (Southland Champions)
Other Auto Bids
Big Sky: Kennesaw State (3-0, 1-0)
Northeastern Conference: Duquesne (4-0, 4-0)
Ohio Valley Conference: Murray State (5-0, 5-0)
Patriot League: Holy Cross (2-0, 2-0)
Pioneer League: San Diego (3-0, 2-0)
Southern Conference: VMI (5-0, 5-0)
At-Large Bids
South Dakota State (4-1, 4-1) (MVFC)
Delaware (3-0, 3-0) (CAA)
Jacksonville State (7-2, 4-1) (Ohio Valley Conference)
Nicholls State (4-1, 3-1) (Southland)
North Dakota (4-1, 4-1) (MVFC)
UC-Davis (3-1, 3-1) (Big Sky)
First Two Out
Richmond (3-0, 3-0) (CAA)
Idaho (2-1, 2-1) (Big Sky)
