GREENVILLE, S.C. (Furman SID) — The Furman Paladins are set to return to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the 24-team field, it was announced today.

Furman (9-2, 7-1 SoCon/1st), the SoCon champion, league’s automatic qualifier, and winner of eight of its last nine games, will play host to the winner of the first round matchup between Chattanooga (7-4, 6-2 SoCon/T2nd) and Austin Peay (9-2, 6-0 UAC/1st) on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Paladin Stadium at a time to be announced.  

The championship game will be at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday, January 7. It will air on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.

Furman season ticket holders, who whose purchase already secured them tickets to the Paladins’ first  playoff game, can log into their One Furman TIX Account Manager to manage and access playoff tickets.

Playoff Ticket Prices:

Sections 1, 5 & 6: $25 per ticket 

Sections 2, 4 & 7: $30 per ticket 

Sections 3 & 8: $45 per ticket
 
Club Level: $200 per ticket 

Game Tickets & Parking

The playoff berth is the 20th for Furman — tops among current Southern Conference schools — and fourth under head coach Clay Hendrix.  The home game will be the second for the Paladins for a second straight season.  A year ago Furman knocked off Elon, 31-6 at Paladin Stadium in a first round playoff matchup.

The Paladins, who own an 20-18 all-time playoff record, have played for three FCS (formerly I-AA) Championships and captured the league’s first national championship in 1988, defeating Georgia Southern, 17-12, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Furman opened the season with a 45-10 triumph over Tennessee Tech before falling to South Carolina, 47-21. The Paladins then reeled off eight consecutive wins, beating FBS transition foe Kennesaw State, 31-28, on the road before opening SoCon play with an impressive 38-14 win over  FCS No. 17 Mercer at home.  Following a 28-14 victory over arch-rival The Citadel in Greenville, Furman successfully navigated a stretch of three road challenges in its next four games, beating defending league champion Samford (27-21), FCS No. 8 Western Carolina (29-17), and FCS No. 13 Chattanooga (17-14).  The win over the Mocs on Nov. 4 earned Furman a share of the 2023 league crown, and the Paladins made it outright the following week with a 37-3 triumph over VMI at home.

Furman’s defense has been the driving force behind the team’s success in 2023, topping the SoCon in scoring defense (17.7 ppg), rushing defense (90.5 ypg), sacks (36), total defense (322.9 ypg), third down conversion defense (.322),red zone defense (.667), interceptions (17), turnovers gained (26), and turnover margin (+1.45/FCS No. 1), among others.

Furman’s SoCon championship is a SoCon all-time best.