South Dakota State (5-1), winner of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, earned the top seed in the 16-team field for spring FCS playoffs, which was announced Sunday. South Dakota State, which is making its 10th appearance in the championship, will open play April 24 against Holy Cross (3-0), the Patriot League champion.
Sam Houston (6-0) of the Southland Conference is the No. 2 seed, with James Madison (5-0) of the Colonial Athletic Association the No. 3 seed and Jacksonville State (9-2) of the Ohio Valley Conference the No.