Mercer earns top-8 seed, bye in FCS football playoffs

Mercer was awarded the seventh seed in the FCS football playoffs when the bracket was announced on Sunday. It marks the Bears' second straight trip to the playoffs. They claimed their first-ever playoff win last year before ending their season with a loss to eventual national champion South Dakota State.

Mercer, which claimed its first Southern Conference title this season and won the championship outright with a win over Furman on Saturday, will receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Bears will host the winner of Central Connecticut State-No. 10 Rhode Island in the second round. That game will be played on Dec. 7 at Five Star Stadium.

Mercer carries a 10-2 record into the postseason, its first 10-win season since the program's relaunch in 2013. In coach Mike Jacobs' first season with the program, the Bears will try for their first 11-win season.

Mercer was the only Southern Conference team selected for the field.