FCS Playoff Bracket 2014: Preview and Predictions for 2nd Round

A wild first week in the FCS football playoffs left a lot of some of the top teams heading home early.

Top seeds like New Hampshire, Jacksonville State and North Dakota State remained home, but are set to take the stage this weekend. All three programs will be at home along with Illinois State, Coastal Carolina and other elite programs.

One of the biggest shake-ups came when Liberty edged James Madison for its second significant win. After taking down Coastal Carolina and JMU in consecutive weeks, the Flames look like a dark horse moving forward.

Prior to the big dogs rolling out in the playoffs, here's a look at the FCS bracket, predictions and analysis of the second round.

Visitor	Home	Date	Time (ET)	Live Stream	Prediction
Fordham	No. 1 New Hampshire	Dec. 6	1 p.m.	ESPN3	New Hampshire
South Dakota State	No. 2 North Dakota State	Dec. 6	3:30 p.m.	ESPN3	North Dakota State
Sam Houston State	No. 3 Jacksonville State	Dec. 6	2 p.m.	ESPN3	Jacksonville State
Montana	No. 4 Eastern Washington	Dec. 6	4:30 p.m.	ESPN3	Montana
UNI	No. 5 Illinois State	Dec. 6	2 p.m.	ESPN3	Illinois State
Liberty	No. 6 Villanova	Dec. 6	4:30 p.m.	ESPN3	Liberty
Richmond	No. 7 Coastal Carolina	Dec. 6	1 p.m.	ESPN3	Coastal Carolina
Indiana State	No. 8 Chattanooga	Dec. 6	1 p.m.	ESPN3	Chattanooga

Analysis

In the FCS playoffs, no team is riding higher than Liberty.

Not only did the Flames clinch a spot into the postseason with a massive win over former No. 1 Coastal, but they also took down JMU in the first round. It was a historic moment for the program, as the Flames men's basketball Twitter account notes:

On the heels of its first playoff victory, Turner Gill has the team ready to compete with Villanova. The Wildcats come in at 10-2 and 6-0 at home, but the Flames are burning bright at the right time after two of the biggest victories, with a chance to make a late run.

Playing well in the FCS playoffs might not be the ceiling for the rising program. With UAB's football program folds, via ESPN.com, the Flames might be looking for a move, per Dan Wolken of USA Today:

For now, the Flames look like a strong contender in the FCS playoffs. Going up against a stout Villanova program, Liberty has another shot to prove it's a program on the rise with a win.

Outside of Liberty, South Dakota State has been another surprise team. The Jackrabbits have been slowly on the rise but recently had a huge win of their own against Montana State to move forward in the postseason.

Zach Zenner enjoyed a career day with 324 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns to propel SDSU to the next round. Bobcats head coach Rob Ash spoke about the swift running back, via Scott Mansch of the Great Falls Tribune.

"Boy," Ash said. "When he broke free it was like we weren't even out there. He was very impressive. ... I saw him way too much today. He just made phenomenal plays."

Zenner isn't the only weapon for the Jackrabbits, as Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader notes:

"

.@GoJacksFB enters Round 2 of the playoffs boasting the leading rusher (Zach Zenner 1,886) and receiver (Jake Wieneke 1,375) in the FCS.

— Terry Vandrovec (@TerryVandrovec) November 30, 2014"

The Jackrabbits and Zenner will now have to face North Dakota State for a chance to advance. While the Bison recently dropped a game to Northern Iowa, coming away with a win in Fargo will take another phenomenal game from Zenner and the entire team.

However, the NDSU program has been entirely too strong to drop a game this early in the playoffs. There will be upsets on Saturday, but the Jackrabbits are huge underdogs against the Bison.

A lot is still up in the air with the playoffs continuing, so several shake-ups might be on the horizon. Expect even more turmoil in the weeks to come as Liberty, SDSU and several others look to continue improbable postseason runs.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.