Football to Spend Thanksgiving with a Bye Week

On Nov. 19, the FCS playoff bracket was announced with 24 teams being selected and eight being seeded in the bracket.

After watching in-state rival South Dakota State secure the No. 1 seed overall, the Coyotes were seeded on the other side of the bracket as No. 3, their first top-eight seed in program history. 

With their seeding in the FCS bracket, the Coyotes will have a first-round bye and will host their first game in the DakotaDome on Saturday, Dec. 2. 

They will be watching the first round of the playoffs from their couch and will await the winner of Missouri Valley Football Conference foe in North Dakota and former USD quarterback Carson Camp and his new team in Sacramento State. 

On Nov. 11 the Coyotes hosted North Dakota for the 101st game between the two, where the Coyotes defeated the Fighting Hawks 14-10. The Coyotes have never played Sacramento State. 

If the Coyotes win the first game, they will then host the next matchup which can be against No. 6 Montana State, North Dakota State or Drake. 

This is the Coyotes third FCS playoffs appearance and seventh NCAA playoff appearance overall. The last time the Coyotes were in the playoffs was the 2021 season, where they hosted a playoff game against Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Southern Illinois where they lost 22-10. 

On the season, the Coyotes are 9-2 with their only two losses on the season being to FBS No. 10 ranked Missouri and to the top seed in the FCS in South Dakota State. The Coyotes also have four wins against ranked opponents this season with three of them being in the top 10 of the FCS. 

Playoff tickets will go on sale at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26 for season ticket holders and Howling Pack members. Any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and will be available at GoYotes.com/tickets.

Photo Credit: Tavin Carncross | The Volante