Villanova to play Stony Brook in FCS playoffs

Villanova will open on the road in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, but senior safety Ronnie Akins of North Penn doesn't mind - and for good reason.

The 20-team FCS playoff field was announced on Sunday, and Villanova (8-3) will visit Stony Brook (9-2) in a first-round matchup 3 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of that game will play at Montana State on Dec. 1.

Villanova earned the automatic berth for winning the Colonial Athletic Association, yet it earned them neither a first-round bye nor a home game. There are four first-round games, with the other 12 teams earning byes.

This season in CAA games, Villanova was 4-0 on the road, including a win 38-14 win at Old Dominion. That was the only loss by ODU, which was ineligible to win the conference title because it is leaving the league after this year.

"I think we play better on the road," Akins said on Sunday. "We bond together, and I am excited to be going on the road."

This is the fourth time in the last five years that Villanova has made the playoffs. That means redshirt senior receiver Norman White will have competed in the playoffs in each of his four seasons. White was a medical redshirt last year with a foot injury when Villanova went 2-9.

Villanova, which won the 2009 national championship, is making its 10th postseason appearance.

"It's just an honor to be in the playoffs four years," White said.

The CAA, considered among the best conferences in the country, received three bids, with New Hampshire joining Villanova and ODU.

Stony Brook, which beat an FBS team, Army, earned an at-large big.

"We're excited about the opportunity to compete in the playoffs," Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore said in an e-mail response. "The opportunity to play against a team with a rich tradition like Villanova is something we look forward to."

Priore served as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Penn from 1992 to 1999.

Defending national champion North Dakota State earned the top seed.

The FCS title game will be Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.

Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs

Saturday

Colgate (8-3) at Wagner (8-3), Noon

Coastal Carolina (7-4) at Bethune-Cookman (9-2), 2 p.m.

Eastern Illinois (7-4) at South Dakota State (8-3), 3 p.m.

Villanova (8-3) at Stony Brook (9-2), 3 p.m.

SECOND ROUND

Dec. 1

New Hampshire (8-3) at Wofford (8-3), 2 p.m.

Central Arkansas (9-2) at Georgia Southern (8-3), 2 p.m.

Coastal Carolina-Bethune-Cookman winner at Old Dominion (10-1), 2 p.m.

Illinois State (8-3) at Appalachian State (8-3), 2 p.m.

Cal Poly (9-2) at Sam Houston State (8-3), 4 p.m.

Eastern Illinois-South Dakota State winner at North Dakota State (10-1), 4 p.m.

Colgate-Wagner winner at Eastern Washington (9-2), 6 p.m.

Villanova-Stony Brook winner at Montana State (10-1), 7 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS

Dec. 7 or Dec. 8

Eastern Illinois-South Dakota State-North Dakota State winner vs. New Hampshire-Wofford winner, TBD

Central Arkansas-Georgia Southern winner vs. Coastal Carolina-Bethune-Cookman-Old Dominion winner, TBD

Villanova-Stony Brook-Montana State winner vs. Cal Poly-Sam Houston State winner, TBD

Illinois State-Appalachian State winner vs. Colgate-Wagner-Eastern Washington winner, TBD

SEMIFINALS

Dec. 14 or Dec. 15

Quarterfinals winners , times TBD

Championship

Jan. 5

At FC Dallas Stadium Frisco, Texas

Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.