VILLANOVA, Pa.—One day after closing out the regular season with a sensational "Battle of the Blue" victory, the celebration continued for Villanova (9-3) on Sunday afternoon when the selections for the Division I Football Championship were announced live on ESPNU.  For the 13^th time since becoming an FCS member in 1985, the Wildcats are headed to the playoffs and will travel for a first round game at Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) this coming Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m. Eastern time.    
 
This is the first playoff berth since 2016 for Villanova, which was picked to finish ninth in CAA Football in the league's preseason poll but instead surged to a top-five national ranking while sprinting out of the gates with six straight wins.  The final regular season national rankings which were released on Sunday morning ahead of the playoff selection show has the Wildcats at No. 8.  Villanova tied for third in the regular season CAA standings and was one of three teams from the league to make the 24-team playoff field. 
 
Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante, who was part of all 12 of the team's previous playoff appearances during his years as an assistant coach, is now taking Villanova back to the postseason for the first time in his three years as head coach.  He leads a team which earned a top-10 national ranking this year for the seventh straight season and features dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball.  The winner of the Saturday's first round game between the Wildcats and the Lions out of the Southland Conference will advance to a second round matchup against sixth-seeded Montana.  The top eight teams in the bracket were seeded and earned a bye in the first round. 
 
Villanova is 12-11 all-time in the Division I Football Championship and has reached the semifinals three times.  In their last playoff appearance three seasons ago, the Wildcats won a first round game against Saint Francis (Pa.) before narrowly falling in a second round matchup at nationally-seeded South Dakota State.  In all, Villanova has won nine of its last 14 postseason games, a stretch which includes the program winning its first national championship in 2009.
 
Southeastern Louisiana tied for second place in the Southland this season and owns a road victory over Central Arkansas, which drew the No. 8 seed in the FCS playoff bracket.  Like their first round opponent, the Lions were an underdog at the start of the year after being picked to finish eighth in the Southland Conference preseason poll.  Southeastern Louisiana is advancing to the playoffs for the third time in its history and the first time since making back-to-back appearances in 2013 and 2014. 
 
The matchup between Villanova and the Lions will pit two strong offensive teams against each other.  Both squads average better than 36 points per game and more than 450 yards of total offense per contest.  Junior quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.) has directed the Wildcats offense in his first season at Villanova and has thrown for 2,991 yards and 31 touchdowns while also leading the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.  Smith ranks second in the FCS with the 258 points he is responsible for, including his passing and rushing scores as well as one receiving touchdown. 
 
CAA Football has at least three teams in the FCS playoffs for the 14^th consecutive year.  Conference champion James Madison (11-1) earned the No. 2 seed in the bracket and a first round bye, while second-place Albany (8-4) will host a first round game against Northeastern Conference champion Central Connecticut State.