OGDEN -- It just wouldn't be a selection show announcement without a little confusion for Weber State.
The good news for the Wildcats is that their name was among the 16 in the Division I FCS playoff brackets, which were announced Sunday afternoon on ESPNews. The brackets have No. 15-ranked WSU traveling to Williamsburg, Va., to face No. 6-ranked William & Mary on Saturday.
The news immediately brought the team, which gathered at the Marriott in Ogden for the viewing party, to its feet with a roar.
"I didn't even see our name," said WSU cornerback Josh Morris. "As soon as I heard everyone cheering real loud I knew we were in. I'm just glad they gave us a shot, because I feel like we just need a shot."
However, just like a year ago, there was a bit of confusion during the announcement.
When the brackets were first shown, ESPN had WSU playing at No. 1-ranked Southern Illinois, which is the No. 3 seed in the tournament. However the news changed when Big Sky Conference assistant commissioner Jon Kasper was e-mailed the correct bracket.
"The next thing you know we're going to Virginia to play William & Mary," said WSU coach Ron McBride.
During last season's selection show the Wildcats were initially told they were playing host to Cal Poly in the first round, only to find out later that they were actually traveling to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to play at Cal Poly.
The winner of the Wildcats' game against the Tribe will face the winner of Southern Illinois' game against Eastern Illinois.
The Wildcats aren't the only Big Sky team that received good news on Sunday. For the first time since 2003, the Big Sky will have three teams in the playoffs.
League champion Montana earned the overall No. 1 seed and will play host to South Dakota State while Eastern Washington, which finished tied for second in the Big Sky with WSU, will play at Stephen F. Austin.
The winner of those two games will meet each other, so it's possible that the Big Sky teams could meet in the quarterfinals for the second straight season.
"The Big Sky enjoyed a great regular season," said Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton. "We felt we had several playoff-caliber teams this year, and we're thankful the committee felt the same way by awarding Montana the No. 1 seed and selecting Eastern Washington and Weber State for at-large berths."
WSU, which lost at Montana during last season's quarterfinals, is in the playoffs for the second straight year and just the fourth time overall.
WSU also made the playoffs in 1987 and 1991, but then went on a long drought until last season.
The Wildcats expect last season's experience, including the 49-35 win at Cal Poly, to benefit them as they prepare for this postseason.
"Everybody knows what to expect," Morris said.
"There aren't going to be any surprises."
WSU is the only team in the playoffs with four losses -- two of which came to FBS teams by a combined eight points -- but the Wildcats feel like they belong in the playoffs.
"This team has got a lot of guts because we overcame a lot of stuff to get where we're at," McBride said.
"We had two or three tough losses, games we should have won. From the schedule to the travel, the odds were stacked against us. To come out with seven wins and an opportunity to win two of those games is pretty incredible."
The obstacles don't get any smaller in the postseason. William & Mary is one of four Colonial Athletic Association teams in this year's field.
The Tribe are 9-2 with their only losses to playoff teams Villanova and Richmond.
Facing such a difficult challenge is nothing new for this season's Wildcats, who now want to prove that they belong.
"I've never been to Virginia before so I'm excited," Morris said.
"We'll start studying their film and figure out how to make plays."
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