INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (November 24, 2008) The NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee has announced that the Texas State football team will travel to Missoula, Mont., and play the University of Montana in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship.
The Bobcats earned the bid as the automatic qualifier from the Southland Conference after Texas State won its first outright Southland Conference championship and second SLC title in the last four years with a 48-45 overtime victory at Sam Houston State last Saturday afternoon.
The field of 16 teams competing for the NCAA Division I FCS championship was announced Sunday night on a nationally-televised selection show on ESPNU.
James Madison (10-1) was named the top seed in the bracket after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes, who won the 2004 national championship, are making their ninth tournament appearance.
Second-seeded Appalachian State (10-2), the three-time defending Football Championship Subdivision national champion, is making its 16th appearance. The Mountaineers captured the Southern Conference automatic berth.
The University of Northern Iowa (10-2), which is making its 14th tournament appearance, is the number-three seed. The Panthers were the national runners-up to Appalachian State in 2005.
Montana (11-1) is the final seeded team with the number-four seed. The Grizzlies, who won the 1995 and 2001 national championship, are making their 16th straight appearance and 19th overall.
Other first-round hosts include Cal Poly (8-2), Richmond (9-3), Missouri Valley Football Conference automatic qualifier Southern Illinois (9-2), and Villanova (9-2).
Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include 2003 national runners-up Colgate (9-2), which earned the automatic bid from the Patriot League. Eastern Kentucky (8-3) was the automatic qualifier from the Ohio Valley Conference, while South Carolina State (10-2) earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s automatic bid, and Weber State University (9-3) was the automatic qualifier from the Big Sky Conference.
Other teams in the field are Maine (8-4), New Hampshire (9-2), University (9-3) and Wofford (9-2).
Eight conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Big Sky Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Conference.
ESPN’s family of networks will once again provide coverage of all rounds of the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship. In the first round, ESPNU/ESPNUHD will broadcast the South Carolina State at Appalachian State game live at Noon ET, Saturday, November 29.
The 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship game is slated for 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday, December 19, at W. Max Finley Stadium/Davenport Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ESPN2/ESPN2HD/ESPN360.com will televise the championship game.
More games may possibly be televised in the first round as well as additional rounds. Television schedules and games times for all rounds of the 2008 championship will be updated daily at the NCAA Sports web site (www.ncaa.com).
November 29
at Harrisburg, Virginia
Wofford (9-2) at No. 1 James Madison (10-1)
at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Colgate (9-2) at Villanova (9-2)
Missoula, Montana (at 1 pm (CT)
Texas St. (8-4) at No. 4 Montana (11-1)
San Luis Obispo, California
Weber St. (9-3) at Cal Poly (8-2)
Boone, North Carolina (ESPNU/ESPNUHD at 1 p.m. (CT)
South Carolina St. (10-2) at No. 2 Appalachian St. (10-2)
Richmond, Virginia
Eastern Kectucky (8-3) at Richmond (9-3)
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Maine (8-4) at No. 3 Northern Iowa (10-2)
Carbondale, Illinois
New Hampshire (9-2) at Southern Illinois (9-2)
The 2008 championship field consists of eight automatic qualifiers and eight at-large qualifiers.
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (8)
Weber St. - Big Sky Conference
James Madison - Colonial Athletic Association
South Carolina State - Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Southern Illinois - Missouri Valley Football Conference
Eastern Kentucky - Ohio Valley Conference
Colgate - Patriot League
Appalachian State - Southern Conference
Texas State - Southland Conference
AT-LARGE QUALIFERS (8)
Montana - Big Sky Conference
Maine - Colonial Athletic Association
New Hampshire - Colonial Athletic Association
Richmond - Colonial Athletic Association
Villanova - Colonial Athletic Association
Cal Poly - Great West Conference
Northern Iowa - Missouri Valley Football Conference
Wofford - Southern Conference
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