FCS Playoffs 2021: Second-round games schedule, TV, bracket

By Kevin Kelley -

The 2021 FCS Playoffs continue this weekend with eight second-round games on the schedule. The top eight seeds each host the winners from the eight first-round matchups.

All eight second-round games of the FCS Playoffs will be available to stream via ESPN+. The service is available on a per-month subscription basis and through The Disney Bundle, which also include Hulu and Disney+.

Second-round action begins Friday evening at 7:00pm ET with the fifth-seed Villanova Wildcats hosting the Holy Cross Crusaders. Then at 9:00pm ET, the Eastern Washington Eagles visit the sixth-seed Montana Grizzlies.

The action on Saturday kicks off at 2:00pm ET with two games. The seventh-seed ETSU Buccaneers play host to the Kennesaw State Owls, while the Southeastern Louisiana Lions travel to face the third-seed James Madison Dukes.

At 3:00pm, the top-seed Sam Houston Bearkats host the UIW Cardinals. That contest is followed by the Southern Illinois Salukis traveling to face the second-seed North Dakota State Bison at 3:30pm ET and the eighth-seed Montana State Bobcats hosting the UT Martin Skyhawks at 4:00pm ET.

Second-round FCS Playoff action wraps up late Saturday evening with one contest. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits travel south to take on the Sacramento State Hornets at 9:00pm ET.

Winners will move on to the quarterfinals and will play on Friday, Dec. 10 (three games) or Saturday, Dec. 11 (one game). The FCS Semifinals will be played the following weekend, with one game on Friday, Dec. 17 and the other on Saturday, Dec. 18.

The Division I Football Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, and it will be televised by ESPN2 at noon ET.

SECOND-ROUND GAMES (DEC. 3-4)
*All games EST and on ESPN+.

Villanova 21, Holy Cross 16 (Fri.)
Montana 57, Eastern Washington 41 (Fri.)
ETSU 32, Kennesaw State 31
James Madison 59, Southeastern La. 20
Sam Houston 49, UIW 42
NDSU 38, Southern Illinois 7
Montana State 26, UT Martin 7
South Dakota St. 24, Sacramento St. 19

QUARTERFINAL-ROUND GAMES (DEC. 10-11)

Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
Montana at James Madison – 7pm, ESPN2

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
ETSU at North Dakota St. – 12pm, ESPN
South Dakota St. at Villanova – 2pm, ESPN+
Montana St. at Sam Houston – 8:30pm, ESPN+

FCS Playoff Schedule

FCS Playoff Bracket

Comments (3)

@KevinKelley,

Woohoo! Let the Gladiators begin their colossal Matches!

This will be an even more intense weekend than last.

Conference Foes playing each other for all the marbles, MVFC VS MVFC, BigSky VS BigSky. Former Conference Foes’ U of Incarnate Word @ Sam Houston St U.

As a Westerner; I’m most interested in the Midwestern, SW & Mountain western Playoff Titans. All the rest will be Interconference, Region VS Region Games except 1.

NEC Champ Holy Cross U VS CAA runnerup Villanova U. could be as intense as last week’s Sacred Heart U VS Holy Cross U Catholic school VS Catholic School Contest.

Holy Cross is representing the Patriot League, not the NorthEast Conference. Their rep was Sacred Heart whom Holy Cross beat last weekend.

@SpencerColdburn,

Dan-ke Spencer Coldburn,

I do mix up some of the 1-AA Conferences. My Apologies to HCU Fans. It’s too bad these 1st Rate University FB Programs are relegated socially economically to 2nd Class State behind 1-A C ollusive F ive P rivilege Administration LLC Trust’s Feudal Playoff System.

The coming Weekend’s Quarterfinal Games in the championship Playoff Round could be even better than last Week’s.