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KINGSTON, R.I. – For the second straight season, Rhode Island will host Central Connecticut State in the opening round of the FCS Championship. The Rams earned the No. 9 overall seed. and will host the NEC-champion Blue Devils Saturday, Nov. 29 at Meade Stadium.

The winner will travel to No. 8 UC Davis for the second round on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Rhode Island's first game will be streamed on ESPN+, with a full ESPN production crew making its way to Kingston for the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. 

The opening round against CCSU is a rematch from last season, when Rhode Island defeated the Blue Devils 21-17 in the opening round. This year's CCSU team was 8-4 overall and 6-1 in the NEC.

Players, coaches and staff gathered together in the Ryan Center to watch the 24-team playoff field be unveiled on the FCS Championship Selection Show on ESPNU Sunday. URI was guaranteed a postseason spot this year after winning the CAA Football title outright by going 8-0 in league play.

Rhode Island was one of 11 automatic bids in the field. With the Ivy League being in the field for the first time, there is just 13 at-large bids in the field.

Rhody is one of three CAA Football teams to make the field. Villanova was the No. 12 overall seed and will face Harvard in the opening round. The winner of that contest goes to No. 5 Lehigh in the second round. New Hampshire will play at No. 14 South Dakota State in the opening round for the right to play at No. 3 Montana.

The postseason nod is the fifth in program history for Rhode Island. Then known as the NCAA Division I-AA Playoff, Rhode Island made the field in 1981, 1984 and 1985. In both 1984 and 1985, the Rams reached the national quarterfinals.

Rhody is 3-4 all time in the postseason, including a 3-0 record at Meade Stadium. The Rams defeated Richmond 23-17 in the opening round of 1984. The following year, URI knocked off Akron 35-27 at home in the first round. Last season, Rhody defeated CCSU 21-17 in the opening round.

Rhode Island has gone 10-2 in the regular season in back-to-back seasons. Those are the only two seasons the Rams have reached 10 victories in the regular season.

The FCS national championship game will be held Jan. at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.