The FCS Playoffs kick off with eight first-round games around the country today.

Northern Iowa plays host to Monmouth at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to face fifth-seeded South Dakota State in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Brookings.

Two other Missouri Valley Football Conference teams are in action as Western Illinois travels to Weber State and South Dakota heads to Nicholls State for 3 p.m. matchups.

No. 2 North Dakota State also earned a bye.

All games are on ESPN3.

First Round

Saturday, Nov. 25

Lehigh at Stony Brook

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Kenneth P LaValle Stadium (Stony Brook, N.Y.).

Records: LU 5-6 (5-1, Patriot champions). SBU 9-2 (7-1, Colonial second).

Mountain Hawks: The team averages 36.45 points per game but gives up 39.36. Dominick Bragalone leads the way with 1,313 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns while adding three TD catches in 10 games. He missed the team’s third contest of the year. Brad Mayes is solid in the passing game with 3,553 yards and 28 scores with 12 picks. Troy Pelletier is having a big year, racking up 95 receptions as he has 1,198 yards and nine touchdowns. Griffin Casey has added 49 catches covering 747 yards with 11 TDs. Keith Woetzel paced the ‘D’ with 79 stops and Mark Walker has three takeaways.

Seawolves: SBU has won five consecutive games and is ranked 10th in the STATS poll. Stacey Bedell has rushed for 694 yards and seven touchdowns while Donald Liotine has added 561 yards and eight TDs. Joe Carbone has thrown for 1,995 yards with 20 scores and three INTs. Ray Bolden paces the receivers with 780 yards and nine TDs on 66 receptions. Four players have at least 72 tackles, as Tyrice Beverette and Noah McGinty lead the way with 79 apiece. Travon Reid-Segure has a team-best four picks.

Up next: The winner takes on top-seeded and defending-champion James Madison (11-0), the Colonial Athletic Association champ.

LU SBU

Points 36.45 28.55

Points allowed 39.36 19.36

Yards 476.8 330.2

  Rushing yards 152.1 148.8

  Passing yards 324.73 181.36

Yards allowed 463.5 316.9

  Rushing yards allowed 232.2 99.9

  Passing yards allowed 232.36 217

Turnover margin minus-9 plus-8

Time of possession 30:59 30:04

Western Illinois at Weber State

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: Stewart Stadium (Ogden, Utah).

Records: WIU 8-3 (5-3, MVFC fourth). WSU 9-2 (7-1, Big Sky co-champions).

Leathernecks: WIU’s only losses came to playoff teams, including NDSU and SDSU. The Leathernecks are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 35.5-22.3 and are plus-15 in turnover margin. Sean McGuire has thrown for 2,650 yards and 24 TDs with six INTs. Jaelon Acklin has 74 receptions for 1,253 yards and 10 TDs while adding 228 rushing yards and four scores. Max Norris has run for 610 yards and five TDs. Steven McShane’s added 552 yards on the ground with seven touchdowns, and also has three TD catches and a punt return to paydirt. MVFC Defensive Player of the Year Brett Taylor leads the nation with 150 tackles. Justin Fitzpatick has five of the team’s 18 picks.

Wildcats: Weber State’s losses came to FBS California and 32-16 to Big Sky co-champion Southern Utah on Oct. 14. The Wildcats are plus-10 in turnover margin and possess the ball for more than 34 minutes per game. They allow just 16.6 points per contest. Stefan Cantwell has 2,255 passing yards with 18 TDs and five INTs, while running for 400 yards and six touchdowns. Treshawn Garrett leads a balanced rushing attack with 671 yards and six scores. Kevin Smith has run for 416 yards and five TDs. Four different players have at least two TD catches, led by Drew Batchelor’s five. LeGrand Toia’s tallied 61 tackles. Jordan Preator has four interceptions, including a pick-six. Rashid Shaheed has two kick returns for scores.

Up next: The winner hits the road to take on No. 8 Southern Utah (9-2).

WIU WSU

Points 35.5 35.7

Points allowed 22.3 16.6

Yards 405.2 408.5

  Rushing yards 160.3 196.5

  Passing yards 244.9 212

Yards allowed 343.2 338.2

  Rushing yards allowed 119.9 117.3

  Passing yards allowed 223.3 220.9

Turnover margin plus-15 plus-10

Time of possession 31:57 34:18

Monmouth at Northern Iowa

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: UNI-Dome (Cedar Falls, Iowa).

Records: MU 9-2 (4-1, Big South second). UNI 7-4 (6-2, MVFC tie-second).

Hawks: Monmouth dropped its regular-season finale 52-21 at Kennesaw State in what acted as the Big South title game. Pete Guerriero has 1,017 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Devell Jones (287 yards) has added 11 TDs, Eric Zokouri (497 yards) six and Michael Jolly (396) three. Kenji Bahar is 190-of-303 for 2,227 yards with 15 TDs and nine INTs. Reggie White Jr. has 793 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches. Kamau Dumas has a punt return for a TD and a pick-six, while Gerron Pendarvis also has a pick-six and Guerriero’s returned a kick for a score. Mike Basile has 113 tackles and Teddie Martinez has intercepted five passes.

Panthers: UNI went 1-2 in nonconference games but bounced back in league play, winning five of their final six games. The Panthers lost to FBS Iowa State, Southern Utah, WIU and NDSU. UNI is averaging 28.5 points and just 338.4 yards per game. Eli Dunne is 180-of-296 for 2,157 yards with 21 TDs and 10 INTs in 10 games. Daurice Fountain has 53 catches for 776 yards and nine scores. Marcus Weymiller has rushed for 676 yards and eight TDs in eight contests. UNI has four defensive touchdowns – pick-sixes by Elijah Campbell, Keelon Brookins and Seth Thomas, and a scoop-and-score by Jared Farley. Farley has 109 tackles and Duncan Ferch 80. Rickey Neal has 9.5 sacks and Campbell’s come up with four interceptions.

Up next: The winner faces No. 5 South Dakota State (9-2) in Brookings.

MU UNI

Points 35.18 28.5

Points allowed 25.9 23.9

Yards 413.3 338.4

  Rushing yards 210.8 110.9

  Passing yards 202.5 227.5

Yards allowed 380.1 373.6

  Rushing yards allowed 131 130.1

  Passing yards allowed 249.1 243.5

Turnover margin minus-1 plus-4

Time of possession 30:22 32:12

Central Connecticut State at New Hampshire

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Wildcat Stadium (Durham, N.C.).

Records: CCSU 8-3 (6-0, Northeast champions). UNH 7-4 (5-3, Colonial tie-fourth).

Blue Devils: CCSU beat Duquesne 28-27 on Nov. 11 in Pittsburgh, Pa., to clinch the Northeast Conference’s automatic bid to the postseason. Cameron Nash has run for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jake Dolegala has thrown for 1,953 yards with 13 TDs and seven INTs. Drew Jean-Guillaume’s run for 490 yards and six touchdowns while adding 32 catches for 366 yards with four scores in 10 games. Courtney Rush has 512 yards on 23 catches – a 22.3 average – with five TDs. The Blue Devils are plus-13 in turnover margin and have six defensive touchdowns – Jarrod Cann, Tymir Hinton (100 yards), Najae Brown and Seth Manzanares each have a pick-six, and Hintin and Brown both have a scoop-and-score. Tajik Bagley added a 95-yard kick return to the end zone. Randall Laguerre has 83 tackles and Kenneth Keen 73. Cann has four of the team’s 14 interceptions.

Wildcats: New Hampshire is allowing 20.91 points per game. On offense, the Wildcats rely on the pass to move the ball. Trevor Knight is 239-of-381 for 2,851 yards with 23 TDs and six INTs. Neil O’Connor has had a big year with 87 catches for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns. Evan Gray has run for 469 yards and six scores. UNH has 25.5 sacks but has given up 45.5. Quinlen Dean paces the defense with 101 tackles. Isaiah Perkins has four of the squad’s 13 interceptions.

Up next: The winner gets No. 4 Central Arkansas (10-1), the Southland Conference champ.

CCSU UNH

Points 32 23.64

Points allowed 27.2 20.91

Yards 372.4 374.5

  Rushing yards 189.8 105.3

  Passing yards 182.5 269.27

Yards allowed 404 355.5

  Rushing yards allowed 179.4 121.1

  Passing yards allowed 225.6 234.36

Turnover margin plus-13 plus-3

Time of possession 31:14 30:59

Samford at Kennesaw State

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium (Kennesaw, Ga.).

Records: SU 8-3 (6-2, Southern tie-second). KSU 10-1 (5-0, Big South champions).

Bulldogs: Devlin Hodges leads pass-heavy Samford, going 308-of-462 for 3,587 yards with 30 TDs and 10 INTs in the regular season. Kelvin McKnight has 79 catches for 1,130 yards and 12 TDs, while Chris Shelling has added 61 catches for 721 yards and six touchdowns. Andrew Harris has added 31 catches covering 449 yards with four scores. Moise Satine leads the running backs with 264 yards and two TDs. Hodges has three touchdowns on the ground. Ahmad Gooden has 95 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, while Shaheed Salmon’s added 91 and Deion Pierre 82. Omari Williams, who has a pick-six, and Kori Freeman both have three interceptions.

Owls: Kennesaw State is outscoring its opponents an average of 31.73-14.45 and has a potent rushing attack with 339 yards per game and 36 touchdowns. The Owls are plus-23 in turnover margin and possessing the ball for an average of 33 1/2 minutes per game. Quarterback Chandler Burks leads the charge with 912 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Jake McKenzie has 616 yards and three TDs, Darnell Holland 550 and six, Shaquil 499 and three, Bronson Rechsteiner 405 and two, and TJ Reed 311 and two. Trey Chivers has three touchdowns. Burks is 56-of-116 for 1,007 yards with six TDs and two INTs. Justin Sumpter has 24 receptions covering 476 yards with three scores. Bryson Armstrong led the defense with 82 tackles, 10 sacks and three interceptions. The Owls have 21 picks, as Keon Roman’s added four and Taylor Henkle three.

Up next: No. 3 Jacksonville State (10-1), the Ohio Valley Conference champ, awaits the winner.

SU KSU

Points 29 31.73

Points allowed 21.7 14.45

Yards 409.2 445.3

  Rushing yards 81.5 339

  Passing yards 327.7 106.27

Yards allowed 386.3 281.5

  Rushing yards allowed 183.7 100.5

  Passing yards allowed 202.5 181

Turnover margin plus-5 plus-23

Time of possession 27:45 33:34

South Dakota at Nicholls State

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium (Thibodaux, La.).

Records: USD 7-4 (4-4, MVFC tie-fifth). NSU 8-3 (7-2, Southland tie-third). 

Coyotes: South Dakota is making its postseason debut in the Division I era but enters the postseason having lost four of its last five games. The Coyotes were 6-0 at one point, which included wins over FBS opponent Bowling Green and three top-13 FCS teams. Three of their four losses came to playoffs qualifiers – at UNI (34-29 on Nov. 4), at NDSU (49-14 on Oct. 11) and SDSU (31-28 on Nov. 18). USD is averaging 520.3 yards per game. MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Chris Streveler is 258-of-390 for 3,236 yards with 23 TDs and five INTs to go with 635 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Brandt Van Roekel (36 receptions-490 yards) has five TD grabs, Alonge Brookings (23-252) four and Kody Case (21-368) both four, and Shamar Jackson (46-650), Josh Hale (22-370) three apiece. Michael Fredrick leads the team with 686 rushing yards. He’s scored six times, as has Kai Henry (578 yards). Andrew Gray has 68 tackles and Jim Litrenta 67. Darin Greenfield has seven of the squad’s 35 sacks. Phillip Powell has a team-best three interceptions as he, Gray (97 yards) and Mike Johnson each have a pick-six.

Colonels: NSU lost a close game at Texas A&M – 24-14 – but was drubbed by Sam Houston State – 66-17 – and later dropped its regular-season finale 21-17 at Southeastern Louisiana. The Colonels are minus-10 in turnover margin and outscoring opponents just 28-24. They’re limiting opponents to 343.1 yards per game. Chase Fourcade has 2,084 passing yards with 14 TDs and 10 INTs. Kyran Irvin has run for 676 yards and seven touchdowns, while Dontrell Taylor’s added 464 yards and four scores. Damion Jeanpiere has 35 catches for 735 yards – a 21 average – with four scores. Dai’Jean Dixon has five TD catches. Allen Pittman has 78 tackles and Corey Abraham 72. Kenny Dotson and Sully Laiche both have 6.5 sacks, and Marcel Andry and Terrell Encalade have added 5.5 apiece as the team has totaled 32. Three of NSU’s nine interceptions have ended in paydirt as Pittman, Laryon James and Jonavon Lewis each have a pick-six. Nine different Colonels have recorded an INT.

Up next: The winner heads to No. 6 Sam Houston State (10-1).

USD NSU

Points 37.8 28

Points allowed 23.5 24

Yards 520.3 395.9

  Rushing yards 208.2 196.4

  Passing yards 312.1 199.5

Yards allowed 382.9 343.1

  Rushing yards allowed 137.5 152.4

  Passing yards allowed 245.4 190.7

Turnover margin plus-7 minus-10

Time of possession 29:48 29:33

Furman at Elon

Time: Noon.

Location: Rhodes Stadium (Elon, N.C.).

Records: FU 7-4 (6-2, Southern tie-second). EU 8-3 (6-2, Colonial third).

Paladins: Furman started the season 0-3, rattled off seven consecutive wins and then fell 26-20 at Samford to close out the regular season. Three of its losses came to postseason qualifiers, with the other coming against FBS North Carolina State. Antonio Wilcox leads a solid rushing attack with 698 yards and 13 touchdowns. Kealand Dirks has 671 yards and nine scores in 10 games. Darius Morehead’s added 546 yards and five TDs. PJ Blazejowski is 112-of-181 for 2,028 yards with 16 TDs and just four INTs. Andy Schumpert (23 receptions-483 yards) has seven touchdowns and Logan McCarter (25-501) four. Thomas Gordon leads the team with 30 catches and 591 yards; he’s scored once. Reynard Ellis paces a balanced defense with 72 tackles, while Bryan Okeh’s added 69, Elijah McKoy 64, Chris Washington 62 and Joe Farrer 60. Aaquil Annoor, Darius Kearse and Dillon Vann each have two picks.

Phoenix: Elon had an eight-game winning streak in the middle of the season. It dropped its opener at Toledo, before beating Charleston Southern and then winning its first six Colonial games. The Phoenix fell to playoff qualifiers New Hampshire (16-6 on the road) and James Madison (31-3 at home) to drop to third in the final league standings. Malcolm Summers has 755 rushing yards and four TDs, De’Sean McNair 562 and three, and Brelynd Cyphers 451 and four. Davis Cheek has thrown for 2,230 yards with 14 TDs and seven INTs. He’s added two scores on the ground. Kortez Weeks (53 receptions-676 yards) and Tre Lennon (36-473) both have two TD catches, and Corey Joyner (25-431) one.

Up next: Southern Conference champion and seventh-seeded Wofford (9-2) awaits the victor.

FU EU

Points 35.1 20.82

Points allowed 23.3 24.55

Yards 435.5 371.3

  Rushing yards 241.1 165.4

  Passing yards 194.4 205.91

Yards allowed 378.9 378.6

  Rushing yards allowed 136.1 146.5

  Passing yards allowed 242.8 232.09

Turnover margin plus-4 plus-3

Time of possession 30:38 29:38

San Diego at Northern Arizona

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Walkup Skydome (Flagstaff, Ariz.).

Records: USD 9-2 (8-0, Pioneer champions). NAU 7-4 (6-2, Big Sky tie-third).

Toreros: San Diego outscored its eight opponents in the Pioneer League – a non-scholarship conference – an average of 46.4-12.1 and held a 478.2-306.1 advantage in total yards. It scored 51 touchdowns in league play. The Toreros won a playoff game against a Big Sky team, Cal Poly, last year. Anthony Lawrence is 216-of-321 for 2,796 yards with 30 TDs and just two INTs. Emilio Martinez has run for 894 yards and nine touchdowns and Joseph Binda’s added 380 yards with six scores. Justin Priest has 954 yards on 66 receptions with 12 end-zone visits. Ross Dwelley has 41 catches for 562 yards and eight touchdowns. Zack Holland has four TD catches and Michael Keating three. Jonathan Petersen has notched 13 sacks. Max Michaels has 66 tackles, Colton Georgi 65 and Kim Mahoney 61. Kishan Patel and Daniel Tolbert both have two picks. 

Lumberjacks: NAU bounced back from an 0-2 start with six consecutive victories. The Lumberjacks are averaging 312.2 passing yards per game but fiving up 207.6 rushing yards per contest. Case Cookus is 253-of-433 for 3,225 yards with 21 TDs and five INTs. Elijah Marks is his top target with 71 catches for 1,170 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. He added a 100-yard kick return to paydirt. Nine different Lumberjacks have at least 115 receiving yards. Cory Young has run for 739 yards and eight scores, while Joe Logan’s added 650 yards and six TDs. NAU has 16 interceptions, four of which were returned for scores – Kam’Ron Johnson, Maurice Davison, Wes Sutton and Taylor Powell (85 yards). Byron Evans has 76 tackles, Johnson 74 and Sutton 72. Johnson had four picks, and Davison and Kjalil Dorsey three apiece.

Up next: The winner heads to the Fargodome to face MVFC champ and No. 2 seed North Dakota State (10-1).

USD NAU

Points 39 32.1

Points allowed 16.3 28.6

Yards 442.8 448.4

  Rushing yards 173.3 136.2

  Passing yards 269.5 312.2

Yards allowed 355.3 377

  Rushing yards allowed 78.1 207.6

  Passing yards allowed 277.2 169.4

Turnover margin plus-10 plus-4

Time of possession 33:56 29:28

The quarterfinals are Friday, Dec. 8-Saturday, Dec. 9; the semifinals are Friday, Dec. 15-Saturday, Dec. 16; and the championship is Saturday, Jan. 6, at noon at Toyota Stadium, in Frisco, Texas.