For the first time since 2018, the Elon University football team will compete in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, as the Phoenix earned one of 13 at-large bids for the 24-team field on Sunday.
Elon will travel to face the Furman University Paladins on Nov. 26 in Greenville, South Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Phoenix went 8-3 in the regular season, including a 6-2 record in Colonial Athletic Association games. This was Elon’s best regular season record since the team also went 8-3 in 2017.
Elon last made the FCS playoffs in 2018, when the Phoenix lost to Wofford in the first round. In 2017, Elon and Furman met in the first round of the FCS playoffs, with the Paladins winning 28-27 at Rhodes Stadium. Elon’s only other FCS playoff appearance came in 2009, when the team lost in the first round to Richmond.
Furman finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and went 7-1 in the Southern Conference. The Paladins won its final six contests and went 4-1 at home.
The winner of the Elon vs. Furman game will travel to face No. 7 seed Incarnate Word on Dec. 3 in the second round. As one of the top eight seeds, Incarnate Word received a bye into the second round.