FRISCO, Texas — Ahead of Saturday's FCS National Championship between #8 seed Montana State University and #2 seed North Dakota State University, the NCAA approved a contingency plan in case the game is somehow impacted by the COVID pandemic.
According to the NCAA, the minimum participation numbers for each team is 53 eligible players (including seven offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, and one quarterback) and two countable coaches.
If a team falls below those minimums, a school still could choose to play, but there is an option for the FCS title game to be moved to January 14 if one or both teams fall below the minimum number of eligible players and choose not to play prior to arriving at the championship site.
However, if both teams arrive in Frisco and one or both teams fall below the established minimum participation, the two following policies would take effect:
- If one team is unable to play in the title game, the Division I Football Committee will declare the game as a no-contest, and the available team will be the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS champion.
- If both teams are unable to play after arriving in Frisco, the game will be declared a no-contest, and the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS championship will be vacated.
Both teams are scheduled to arrive in Frisco on Wednesday, January 5, ahead of Saturday's title game, which is set to kick off at 10 a.m. (Mountain Time) on ESPN.
