NCAA-- The field of 16 teams competing for the 2005 Division I-AA Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee.
The University of New Hampshire (10-1) tops the bracket as the top seed after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Atlantic-10 Conference. The Wildcats, who are making their fourth tournament appearance, will be looking to make it past the quarterfinal round for the first time in school history.
Appalachian State University (8-3), which is making its 13th tournament appearance, is the number-two seed. The Mountaineers finished the regular season as the outright champion of the Southern Conference for the first time since 1995.
Third-seeded Hampton University (11-0) is the only undefeated team in the field. The Pirates, which captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference automatic berth, are making their fourth appearance and looking for their first victory.
Rounding out this year?s seeded teams is Texas State University (9-2) with the number four seed. The Bobcats, who are making their first appearance in the I-AA football championships, were co-champions from the Southland Conference along with Nicholls State University.
Other first-round hosts include the University of Northern Iowa (8-3), the University of Montana (8-3), Furman University (9-2) and Eastern Illinois University (9-2).
Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include Nicholls State (6-3), which earned the automatic bid from the Southland Conference. Eastern Illinois was the automatic qualifier from the Ohio Valley Conference. Colgate University (8-3) earned the Patriot League?s automatic bid. Eastern Washington University (7-4) was the winner of the automatic bid from the Big Sky Conference and Northern Iowa was the Gateway Football Conference champion.
Other teams in the field are California Polytechnic State University (8-3), Georgia Southern University (8-3), the University of Richmond (8-3) and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (8-3).
Eight conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Atlantic 10 Conference, Big Sky Conference, Gateway Football Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Football Conference.
Following are the match-ups for the first round of competition to be played Saturday, November 26. Game times will be released Monday, November 21, via the NCAA Championships web site (
www.ncaasports.com).
ESPN?s family of networks will televise three first round games live. ESPN2 will show the Colgate at New Hampshire contest at Noon ET and the Georgia Southern at Texas State at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPNU will broadcast the Richmond at Hampton game at 8 .m. ET.
The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship game is slated for 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday, December 16, at W. Max Finley Stadium/Davenport Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ESPN2 will televise the championship game while the Westwood One Radio Network will also broadcast the championship game nationally.
More games may possibly be televised in the first round as well as additional rounds. Television schedules for all rounds of the 2005 championship will be updated daily at the NCAA Sports web site (
www.ncaasports.com).
November 26 at Durham, New Hampshire (ESPN2 at Noon ET)
Colgate (8-3) at No. 1 New Hampshire (10-1)
November 26 at Cedar Falls, Iowa
Eastern Washington (7-4) at Northern Iowa (8-3)
November 26 at Missoula, Montana
Cal Poly (8-3) at Montana (8-3)
November 26 at San Marcos, Texas (ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. ET)
Georgia Southern (8-3) at No. 4 Texas State (9-2)
November 26 at Hampton, Virginia (ESPNU at 8 p.m. ET)
Richmond (8-3) at No. 3 Hampton (11-0)
November 26 at Greenville, South Carolina
Nicholls State (8-3) at Furman (9-2)
November 26 at Charleston, Illinois
Southern Illinois (8-3) at Eastern Illinois (9-2)
November 26 at Boone, North Carolina
Lafayette (8-3) at No. 2 Appalachian State (8-3)
The 2005 championship field consists of eight automatic qualifiers and eight at-large qualifiers.
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (8)
Northern Iowa Gateway Football Conference
Appalachian State Southern Conference
New Hampshire Atlantic 10 Conference
Eastern Washington Big Sky Conference
Hampton Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Eastern Illinois Ohio Valley Conference
Colgate Patriot League
Nicholls State Southland Conference
AT-LARGE QUALIFERS (8)
Georgia Southern Southern Conference
Montana Big Sky Conference
Cal Poly Great West Conference
Richmond Atlantic 10 Conference
Southern Illinois Gateway Football Conference
Furman Southern Conference
Lafayette Patriot League
Texas State Southland Conference
-- Courtesy NCAA
