College football: Undefeated Sac State earns No. 2 seed in FCS playoffs; UC Davis left out
Sacramento State’s dream season will continue at Hornet Stadium as the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs, meaning as many as three home games in its quest to reach the national championship Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas.
The 11-0 Hornets entered the week ranked second nationally in FCS polls, behind Missouri Valley Conference champion South Dakota State, which secured the top FCS playoff spot. South Dakota State defeated Sacramento State 24-19 in the 2021 playoffs.
Hornets players, coaches, alums and fans packed into University Union Ballroom for a watch party Sunday to celebrate when brackets were released on ESPNU.
UC Davis (6-5) did not secure its third FCS playoff berth in five years despite pushing South Dakota State in a two-point loss and Sacramento State to the wire in a 27-21 Causeway Classic loss on Saturday.
Sacramento State will have a first-round bye and then, at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3, will play the winner of the Davidson vs. Richmond opener. Those teams have 8-3 records.
North Dakota State, a nine-time FCS national champion since 2011, is the No. 3 seed. Montana State, which tied Sacramento State for the Big Sky title this season with matching 8-0 records, is the No. 4 seed.
“We’re excited,” Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor said. “The guys earned it. The tournament begins for us in a couple of weeks. We have two good teams in front of us we could possibly play. We are excited to be in the tournament.”
Hornets players celebrated their victory over UC Davis on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium and then immediately turned their focus to what’s next.
Said Hornets quarterback Jake Dunniway: “We started the season with the goal of winning the Big Sky first. Check that off the list. We know there’s other hurdles. We’re on to the playoffs now. We have the team that can win the national championship.”
Added Hornets star linebacker Armon Bailey, “Most definitely, the job is not finished. We have to keep growing, improving, and we can’t get lackadaisical.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 10:49 AM.