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TOWSON, Md. - After four weeks of action an 18 games, the NCAA FCS playoffs will match the top two seeds as No. 1 Sam Houston State (13-0) faces No. 2 North Dakota State (12-1) in the national championship game on Jan. 7 in Plano, Texas.
The Tigers and 19 other teams began their quest for the national championship in late November. Since then, there have been 18 games played and there have been very few upsets. The top four seeds reached the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, No. 1 Sam Houston State edged No. 4 Montana, 31-28 while No. 2 North Dakota State ripped No. 3 Georgia Southern, 35-7. Georgia Southern had been the number one-ranked team in the nation for most of the season.
Not surprisingly, the Tigers' game against Lehigh on Dec. 3 was one of the best games of the playoffs. Only four games were decided by three points or less.
The closest game of the playoffs was Montana State's 26-25 win over New Hampshire in the second round as the Wildcats lost on a missed conversion kick with seven seconds left.
The Tigers' 40-38 loss to Lehigh in the second round was the second-closest game of the playoffs and the second highest-scoring contest. The Towson-Lehigh game, which was tied six times, featured 78 points, a mark topped only by Georgia Southern's 55-48 win over Old Dominion.
