Abilene Christian entered the final week of regular season play uncertain of what lay beyond its final game versus Central Arkansas.
Even after the Wildcats beat the Bears 49-28 on the road Saturday to lock up the United Athletic Conference championship and seize an automatic bid to the 2025 FCS Playoffs, their postseason path remained murky and unclear.
ACU, which finished the regular season with an 8-4 record, was ranked No. 17 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll entering the final week of conference play, putting it near the cutoff line to host a first-round playoff game.
In the FCS Playoffs, 24 teams qualify for the field with the top eight national seeds receiving first-round byes and the No. 9-16 national seeds earning the right to host their first-round playoff matchups.
During a watch party at their team facilities Sunday morning, though, the Wildcats learned that they were selected as the No. 10 national seed and had earned the privilege of hosting their first round FCS Playoffs game for the second straight season.
ACU won its inaugural FCS playoff game in a 24-0 victory over Northern Arizona last year during its first appearance in the FCS Playoffs in school history.
The Wildcats were rewarded by the FCS Playoffs selection committee for their tough strength of schedule and quality wins over several ranked opponents like Tarleton State and Stephen F. Austin earlier this season.
ACU is one of seven teams nationally to boast wins against multiple teams in the FCS Playoffs field earlier this year alongside North Dakota State, Lamar, Montana State, South Dakota State, Illinois State and South Dakota.
No. 10 Abilene Christian (8-4) will kick off the first round of the 2025 FCS Playoffs against the Lamar Cardinals (8-4) at noon Saturday, Nov. 29, at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
Lamar holds a 13-10 all-time series lead over ACU in their previous meeting on the football field since 1953, but the Wildcats have won three straight games against the Cardinals.
In the Wildcats’ last meeting against Lamar, Keith Patterson earned his first win as Abilene Christian’s head football coach in a 28-14 victory in September 2022 in Abilene.
The winner of ACU and Lamar’s first-round clash will advance to face the SFA Lumberjacks (10-2) in the second round of the FCS Playoffs at noon Saturday, Dec. 6, at Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches.
The FCS national championship game is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: ACU earns national seed, home matchup in first round of FCS Playoffs
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
