VILLANOVA, Pa.—A six-game winning streak to end the regular season and a CAA Football title for the second time in the last three years have given Villanova the privilege of a top-eight seed and a first round bye in the FCS playoffs. The field of 24 teams for the 2023 Division I Football Championship was announced Sunday afternoon in a live selection show on ESPNU and the Wildcats (9-2) earned the No. 8 seed. Villanova will host a second round game on Saturday, December 2 against the winner of a first round contest between Duquesne (7-4) and Youngstown State (7-4). Kickoff on December 2 is scheduled for 12 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ESPN+.
 
After being picked to finish seventh in CAA Football in a preseason poll of league head coaches, the Wildcats are headed to the playoffs with the league's automatic bid. Villanova finished in a three-way tie atop the final regular season CAA standings and earned the automatic bid to the 24-team playoff field by virtue of a tiebreaker based on point differential against league opponents.
 
This is the third time in the last five years and the ninth time in the last 16 seasons that the Wildcats are headed to the FCS playoffs. Villanova is making its 15^th playoff appearance overall since becoming an FCS program in 1985. Head coach Mark Ferrante has been a part of all 15 playoff appearances during his time on the Wildcats sideline, including the first 12 times as an assistant coach and now three times taking Villanova to the postseason as a head coach.
 
"I am really proud of this team," Ferrante said on Saturday night after the Wildcats defeated Delaware to win the Battle of the Blue Trophy for the 15^th time in 17 seasons and secure at least a share of the CAA title. "The goal that we accomplished started as soon as our season ended last year. These guys did a great job coming together not only in preseason, summer training and spring ball, but even the offseason training that started before that. As I have said all year, we have a lot of maturity, a lot of experience, and the guys played that way most of the season. So, hats off to this group. I am really proud of the guys and really happy for the team."
 
Sunday's playoff announcement came after a wild final day of the regular season in which the Wildcats along with UAlbany and Richmond all tied for first place with 7-1 league records. Villanova and UAlbany each earned top-eight seeds in the playoff field, while Richmond and Delaware also garnered playoff berths and will host first round games on Saturday, November 25. It is the second straight year and the seventh time since 2014 that CAA Football has placed four teams in the playoff field.
 
Villanova has not played Duquesne since 1950 and last took on Youngstown State in 1999. A potential playoff matchup between the Wildcats and Youngstown State would be the fourth all-time and first since a second round matchup in 1997. The teams also played in the first round of the playoffs in 1991 and 1992. Villanova is 2-7 all-time against Youngstown State but has not played the Penguins since 1999. The Wildcats are 4-3 all-time against Duquesne.
 
"It's a phenomenal feeling," fifth year Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins said on Saturday night. "This year, it started in December with us coming together, meeting in a room and we decided that this was what our culture is going to be this year. The upper classmen are going to have to lead by example and be vocal with those underclassmen. All the work we put in is paying off; now it's a new season and we've got to go 1-0 each week if we want to keep playing football."
 
Villanova is 13-13 all-time in the Division I Football Championship and most recently reached the quarterfinal round in 2021 when it hosted home playoff games against Holy Cross and South Dakota State. The Wildcats have won 10 of their last 17 postseason games during a stretch which includes the program's 2009 national championship season. In addition to its 2009 title, Villanova has made semifinal appearances in 2002 and 2010.
 
The CAA title is one of many highlights for the Wildcats during the 2023 season. This is the second time in the last three years that Villanova finished the regular season with a 9-2 record. It is also the eighth time that the Wildcats won at least seven conference games (7-1) and the sixth time that Villanova had no more than one loss in league play. The team's current six-game winning streak is its longest since 2014 and the Wildcats have averaged a+23.7 margin of victory during the streak while outscoring their opponents 219-77.
 
From the beginning this has been one of the most experienced teams Villanova has had in its 125+ years of playing football. The Wildcats have 19 players (out of 92) on its 2023 roster who are graduate students in their fifth or sixth years of playing college football. All 19 graduate students were listed as starters or reserves on the depth chart to begin the year. In all, the 92 players on Villanova's roster have combined for 1,549 games and 611 starts.