2011 Division I Football Championship
(All games to be covered by the ESPN family of networks, see ESPN3 info below. All times Eastern.)
Various pregame and game photo galleries
Download the updated bracket
First Round — November 26
Stony Brook 31 @ Albany 28 - Social SB/UA - Recap - Stats
Central Arkansas 34 @ Tennessee Tech 14 - Social CA/TT - Recap - Stats
Norfolk State 18 @ Old Dominion 35 - Social NS/OD - Recap - Stats
James Madison 20 @ Eastern Kentucky 17 - Social JM/EK - Recap - Stats
Second Round — December 3
Stony Brook 27 @ #1 Sam Houston State 34 - Recap/Stats - Social SB/SH
New Hampshire 25 @ Montana State 26 - Recap/Stats - Social NH/MS
Wofford 21 @ #5 Northern Iowa 28 - Recap/Stats - Social WO/NI
Central Arkansas 14 @ #4 Montana 41 - Recap/Stats - Social CA/MO
Old Dominion 48 @ #3 Georgia Southern 55 - Recap/Stats - Social OD/GS
Maine 34 @ Appalachian State 12 - Recap/Stats - Social MA/AS
Lehigh 40 @ Towson 38 - Recap/Stats - Social LE/TO
James Madison 14 @ #2 North Dakota State 26 - Recap/Stats - Social JM/ND
Quarterfinals
(*Available on ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view)
December 9
#5 Northern Iowa 10 @ #4 Montana 48 Recap/Stats - Social NI/MO
December 10
Montana State 13 @ #1 Sam Houston State 49 Recap/Stats - Social MS/SH
Maine 23 @ #3 Georgia Southern 35 Recap/Stats - Social MA/GS
Lehigh 0 @ #2 North Dakota State 24 Recap/Stats - Social LE/ND
Semifinals
December 16
#4 Montana 28 @ #1 Sam Houston State 31 Recap/Stats - Social UM/SHSU
December 17
#3 Georgia Southern 7@ #2 North Dakota State 35 Recap/Stats - Social GSU/NDSU
2012 Championship Game — January 7, 2012
FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, TX
#2 North Dakota State 17, #1 Sam Houston State 6
NDSU is the designated Home Team
Game Notes SHSU/NDSU SLC/MVFC - Recap/Stats - Social SHSU/NDSU
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INFO
The top five teams in the 20-team bracket for the championship will be seeded. Team pairings will be determined according to geographical proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference will not be paired in games in which both teams are playing their first game of the championship.
Four first-round games will be conducted on the campus of one of the competing institutions, and the winners will advance to the second round. The second-round features eight games (including the 12 teams that received a first-round bye) on the campus of one of the competing teams. Second-round winners meet in the quarterfinals on the campus of one of the competing institutions. Quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals on the campus of one of the participating institutions. The winners of the semifinal games will play in the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, January 7, 2012.
Championship Game Tickets http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/
Ticket prices for the championship game start at: Midfield - $35, Sidelines - $30, and Family Four-Pack (hot dogs, drinks, sideline seats) - $99.
ESPN3
Since a large portion of the 2011 tournament will be available live on ESPN3, here is some general information about it.
-- ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network
-- A 24/7 destination delivering thousands of global sports events annually
-- Accessible online via WatchESPN.com
-- Currently available to approximately 70 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.
-- Also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
-- And, also accessible through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app through an affiliated provider.
-- If your current cable/internet provider does not offer ESPN3 access, call your provider and request ESPN3
Helpful links for more information on how to use ESPN3:
- FAQs: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/faq
- What is WatchESPN: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/about
- ESPN on XBOX: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/xbox
BRACKET ANNOUNCED
The field of 20 teams competing for the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced November 20, 2011 by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.
Sam Houston State University (11-0) tops the bracket as the top seed after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Southland Conference. The Bearkats, are making their fifth appearance and first since 2004.
Second-seeded North Dakota State University (10-1) is making its second consecutive appearance. The Bison captured the Missouri Valley Football Conference automatic berth.
Georgia Southern University (9-2), which is making its 18th overall tournament appearance, is the number-three seed. The six-time national champion Eagles captured the Southern Conference automatic berth.
The University of Montana (9-2) is the number-four seed after capturing the Big Sky Conference automatic berth. The Grizzlies, the 1995 and 2001 national champion, are making its 21st appearance.
Rounding out this year’s seeded teams is the University of Northern Iowa (9-2) with the number-five seed. The Panthers are making its 16th overall appearance.
First-round hosts include Big South automatic qualifier Stony Brook University (8-3), Ohio Valley Conference automatic qualifier Tennessee Technological University (7-3), Old Dominion University (9-2) and Eastern Kentucky University (7-4).
The top four national seeds will host winners from the first round match-ups. Others hosting second rounds game will be Northern Iowa, Appalachian State University (8-3), the Bobcats of Montana State University (9-2) and the Colonial Athletic Association automatic qualifier, Towson University (9-2).
Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include University of Albany (8-3), the Northeast Conference champion, who clinched its first trip into the championship. Also making its first trip into the championship is Norfolk State University (9-2), winner of the automatic bid from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Winning the Patriot League was the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University (10-1).
Other teams in the field: first time participant, University of Central Arkansas (8-3); James Madison University (7-4); Maine (8-3); University of New Hampshire (8-3); and Wofford College (8-3).
Ten conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Conference.
The combination of www.NCAA.com and ESPN’s family of networks will once again provide coverage of all rounds of the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Television schedules and games times for all rounds of the 2011 championship will be updated daily at the NCAA Sports web site (www.NCAA.com/fcs).
The 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game is slated for 1 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, January 7, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. ESPN2HD/ESPN3will televise the championship game.
FIRST ROUND GAMES
November 26 at Stony Brook, N.Y.
Albany (NY) (8-3) at Stony Brook (8-3)
November 26 at Cookeville, Tenn.
Central Ark. (8-3) at Tennessee Tech (7-3)
November 26 at Norfolk, Va.
Norfolk St. (9-2) at Old Dominion (9-2)
November 26 at Richmond, Ky.
James Madison (7-4) at Eastern Ky. (7-4)
SECOND ROUND GAMES
December 3 at Huntsville, Texas
Albany (NY)/Stony Brook winner at #1 Sam Houston State (11-0)
December 3 at Bozeman, Montana
New Hampshire (8-3) at Montana State (9-2)
December 3 at Cedar Falls, Iowa
Wofford (8-3) at Northern Iowa (9-2)
December 3 at Missoula, Montana
Central Arkansas/Tennessee Tech winner at Montana (9-2)
December 3 at Statesboro, Georgia, 2 p.m. (ET)
Norfolk State/Old Dominion winner at Georgia Southern (9-2)
December 3 at Boone, North Carolina
Maine (8-3) at Appalachian State (8-3)
December 3 at Towson, Maryland
Lehigh (10-1) at Towson (9-2)
December 3 at Fargo, North Dakota
James Madison/Eastern Kentucky winner at North Dakota State (10-1)
The 2011 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and 10 at-large qualifiers.
Big Sky Conference – #4 Montana (9-2)
Big South Conference - Stony Brook (8-3)
Colonial Athletic Association - Towson (9-2)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - Norfolk State (9-2)
Missouri Valley Football Conference - #2 North Dakota State (10-1)
Northeast Conference - Albany (New York) (8-3)
Ohio Valley Conference - Tennessee Tech (7-3)
Patriot League - Lehigh (10-1)
Southern Conference - #3 Georgia Southern (9-2)
Southland Conference- #1 Sam Houston State (11-0)
At-Large:
Big Sky Conference - Montana St. (9-2)
Colonial Athletic Association - James Madison (7-4)
Colonial Athletic Association - Maine (8-3)
Colonial Athletic Association - New Hampshire (8-3)
Colonial Athletic Association - Old Dominion (9-2)
Missouri Valley Football Conference - #5 Northern Iowa (9-2)
Ohio Valley Conference - Eastern Kentucky (7-4)
Southern Conference - Appalachian State (8-3)
Southern Conference - Wofford (8-3)
Southland Conference- Central Arkansas (8-3)
The championship game, hosted by the locally-based Southland Conference, the City of Frisco and the Hunt Sports Group, is the culmination of a 20-team championship bracket.
The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is comprised of the conferences and institutions that compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship - Big Sky, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Missouri Valley Football, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Pioneer, Southern and the Southland. The Ivy League and Southwestern Athletic Conference are in the FCS as well, but neither chooses to participate in the football championship.
EVEN MORE INFORMATION
Source: NCAA
Headlines Around The FCS-Forum
2012 D-I Football Championship
