2025 FCS playoffs automatic bid tracker and scenarios

The 2025 FCS playoffs are approaching, and 11 automatic bids are up for grabs.

Eleven teams automatically qualify for this year's playoffs via conference affiliation. An additional 13 teams earn at-large bids selected by the FCS Playoff Committee. The complete 24-team bracket will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 23. The FCS playoffs conclude with the national championship in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, Jan. 5, 2025.

We will fill in the winner of each conference's automatic bid below as they are decided:

STANDINGS: See the latest FCS standings from every conference 

Conference winners who abstain from the FCS playoffs are as follows:

• MEAC
  • Champion TBD
• SWAC
  • SWAC East: Champion TBD
  • SWAC West: Prairie View A&M

How every team clinched an automatic bid

Stay tuned as we'll recap how every automatic bid was clinched as they happen.

Missouri Valley Football Conference

North Dakota State clinched the MVFC auto-bid in Week 11 by beating North Dakota, 15-10.

SoCon

Mercer clinched the SoCon auto-bid in Week 11 by beating Western Carolina, 49-47

Southland

Stephen F. Austin clinched the Southland auto-bid in Week 12 if with a win over Lamar. The win clinched them a share of the conference title and since Lamar is a common opponent between the Lumberjacks and Southeastern Louisiana, SFA gets the automatic qualifying bid.

SWAC West

Prairie View A&M clinched the SWAC West title in Week 12 with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Clinching scenarios

Here are the scenarios for every team that can clinch a conference title in Week 13.

ASUN-WAC (UAC)

Abilene Christian can clinch the ASUN-WAC auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Abilene Christian beats Central Arkansas
• OR Abilene Christian loses to Central Arkansas
  • AND Tarleton State loses to Austin Peay
  • AND Southern Utah loses to North Alabama

Tarleton State can clinch the ASUN-WAC auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Tarleton State beats Austin Peay
  • AND Abilene Christian loses to Central Arkansas

Southern Utah can clinch the ASUN-WAC auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Southern Utah beats North Alabama
  • AND Abilene Christian loses to Central Arkansas
  • AND Austin Peay beats Tarleton State
    • This would create a three-way tie atop the UAC standings between Southern Utah, Abilene Christian and Tarleton State. With all three teams beating each other, it would come down to a tiebreaker scenario.
    • The tiebreaker would be: Compare tied teams' win-loss percentage vs. the top ranked team (or teams as a group in the event that they are tied), descending to the next highest placed teams) until an advantage is gained. If an advantage is gained in a tiebreaker of three or more teams, that team or teams is pulled out, and the remaining tied teams go back to head-to-head.

Big Sky

The winner of Week 13's Montana State at Montana game will determine this year's Big Sky champion.

CAA

Rhode Island can clinch the CAA auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Rhode Island beats Hampton
• OR Rhode Island loses to Hampton
  • AND Monmouth beats UAlbany
    • This would create a three-way tie between Rhode Island, Monmouth and Villanova. While all three would be declared co-champs, a tiebreaker would need to be used to determine an AQ bid.
    • Since Villanova lost head-to-head to Monmouth, the tiebreaker would be between Rhode Island and Monmouth.
    • A tiebreaker would come down to point differential in conference games as both Rhode Island and Monmouth would have losses to common opponents (Hampton and New Hampshire, respectively). Entering Week 13, Rhode Island is +144 and Monmouth is +126. That's an 18-point difference favoring Rhode Island.
    • If still tied after point differential, the next tiebreaker would be the best combined conference ranking among the teams in points scored and points allowed.

Villanova can clinch the CAA auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Monmouth loses to UAlbany
  • AND Rhode Island loses to Hampton
    • This would create a tie between Rhode Island and Villanova atop the standings. While both teams would be named co-champs, Villanova would earn the auto-bid thinks to a win over a common opponent, Hampton.

Monmouth can clinch the CAA auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Monmouth beats UAlbany
  • AND Rhode Island loses to Hampton
    • This would create a three-way tie between Rhode Island, Monmouth and Villanova. While all three would be declared co-champs, a tiebreaker would need to be used to determine an AQ bid.
    • Since Villanova lost head-to-head to Monmouth, the tiebreaker would be between Rhode Island and Monmouth.
    • A tiebreaker would come down to point differential in conference games as both Rhode Island and Monmouth would have losses to common opponents (Hampton and New Hampshire, respectively). Entering Week 13, Rhode Island is +144 and Monmouth is +126. That's an 18-point difference favoring Rhode Island.
    • If still tied after point differential, the next tiebreaker would be the best combined conference ranking among the teams in points scored and points allowed.

Ivy League

The winner of Week 13's Harvard at Yale game will determine this year's Ivy League champion.

MEAC

The winner of Week 13's South Carolina State at Delaware State game will determine this year's MEAC champion.

NEC

Central Connecticut State can clinch the NEC auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Central Connecticut State beats Mercyhurst
• OR Central Connecticut State loses to Mercyhurst
  • AND Duquesne loses to Robert Morris
    • Mercyhurst is ineligible for the playoffs and Central Connecticut State would hold the head-to-head advantage over Wagner regardless of what happens in the Wagner-LIU game.

Duquesne can clinch the NEC auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Duquesne beats Robert Morris
  • AND Central Connecticut State loses to Mercyhurst

OVC-Big South

The winner of Week 13's UT Martin at Tennessee Tech game will determine this year's OVC-Big South champion.

Patriot

The winner of Week 13's Lehigh at Lafayette game will determine this year's Patriot League champion.

Pioneer

Drake can clinch the Pioneer auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Drake beats Morehead State
• OR Drake loses to Morehead State
  • AND Presbyterian loses to Marist
• OR Drake loses to Morehead State
  • AND Presbyterian beats Marist
  • AND San Diego beats Stetson
    • In this scenario, Drake and San Diego would eliminate Presbyterian from a three-way tie since Drake and San Diego would both be 5-1 against common opponents. From there, Drake would win the AQ thanks to a head-to-head win over San Diego.
• OR Drake loses to Morehead State
  • AND Presbyterian beats Marist
  • AND San Diego loses to Stetson
    • This scenario would create a tie between Drake and Presbyterian atop the standings. The two would have identical records against common league opponents so the next tiebreaker would be each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the league standings  — which won't be determined until all Week 13 Pioneer games are completed.

Presbyterian can clinch the Pioneer auto-bid in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Presbyterian beats Marist
  • AND Drake loses to Morehead State
  • AND San Diego loses to Stetson
    • This scenario would create a tie between Drake and Presbyterian atop the standings. The two would have identical records against common league opponents so the next tiebreaker would be each team’s record against the next highest common opponent in the league standings  — which won't be determined until all Week 13 Pioneer games are completed.

SWAC East

Jackson State can clinch the SWAC East title in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Jackson State beats Alcorn State
• OR Alabama State loses to Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Alabama State can clinch the SWAC East title in Week 13 if the following happens:

• Alabama State beats Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • AND Jackson State beats Alcorn State