MOSCOW, Idaho — The Idaho Vandals received the 8 seed and will get a first round bye in the FCS playoffs. Idaho will host the winner of Richmond and Lehigh on December 7 at the Kibbie Dome with kick off set for 6:30 pm.
Following the Vandal victory over Idaho State yesterday, Idaho head coach Jason Eck said he hoped to see his team receive the 6 seed, but the committee decided to place Incarnate Word and Mercer ahead of Idaho.
Should the Vandals win their second round matchup against either the Spiders or Mountain Hawks, they would be in line for a likely rematch with top seeded, undefeated Montana State in Bozeman in the quarterfinals.
The Bobcats dismantled a shorthanded Vandal team in mid October, beating Idaho 38-7. The Vandals were without starting quarterback Jack Layne and running back Nate Thomas in that game.
The committee, like many in the FCS world, seemed more interested in a potential rematch between the two Big Sky powerhouses than seeding the Vandals higher.
This marks the third consecutive playoff appearance for the Vandals under Eck. Idaho lost in the quarterfinals last season to UAlbany.
It has been a remarkable season for an Idaho team which has been ravaged by injuries. The Vandals finished the regular season at 9-3 despite having to play four different quarterbacks and running backs and losing preseason all-Big Sky return man Abraham Williams to injury.
Idaho's three losses came to undefeated FBS No. 1 ranked Oregon, undefeated FCS No. 1 ranked Montana State and a two loss UC Davis team.
Richmond went 10-2 in the regular season losing only to Virginia and Wofford in the first two weeks of the season, en route to winning the CAA.
Lehigh went 8-3 in the regular season falling to Army, Yale and Bucknell.
The Spiders and Mountain Hawks will kick it off at 11 am local time on Saturday in Richmond.
