CONWAY — Winning a Southland Conference championship trophy and six consecutive games earned Central Arkansas a first-round bye in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, but not a home game.

Instead, the Bears (9-2) will travel to Statesboro, Ga., on Dec. 1 to face No. 5 national seed Georgia Southern (8-3) at 1 p.m. Central in a second-round match up.

UCA, which finished No. 8 in the final regular-season Sports Network Top 25 poll Sunday, is making its second consecutive appearance in the FCS playoffs. The Bears won at Tennessee Tech in the first round before losing at Montana in the second round last season.

The Bears won’t be one of the eight teams playing in a first-round game this season, but fell short of earning both a bye and a second-round home game.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t get a home game in the second round, but you’re going to have to win on the road at some point.” Coach Clint Conque said Sunday in the Bear Hall suites at Estes Stadium. “We’ll take the next two weeks to heal up, get our game plan together and make sure we’re sound in all three phases. ... The extra time off will give us time to get some work done.”

UCA Athletic Director Brad Teague said that the school’s bid for a second-round game was $70,000, well above the minimum of $40,000. He said UCA also bid the minimum of $30,000 for a first-round home game, but Teague said UCA officials knew that the Bears were likely going to receive a first-round bye.

“We certainly bid to get that home game,” Teague said. “But we got matched up against a national seed and national seeds get the home game, no matter what the financial bid is. That’s what happened to us this time.

“Geography played a role in that as well. We feel like we shouldn’t be playing that national seed the second round, but we’re new.”

Senior linebacker Seth Allison said he is looking forward to facing the Eagles in less than two weeks, even if it is a road game.

“We’re going to have to play sound football,” Allison said. “I’m glad we have two weeks to prepare for them.”

Georgia Southern (8-3), which has won six FCS championships, earned a share of the Southern Conference championship with Appalachian State and Wofford.

The Eagles, who were ranked No. 1 in the FCS TSN poll earlier this season, are led by 5-9, 208-pound junior quarterback Jerick McKinnon, who has rushed for 1,162 yards and 13 touchdowns and passed for 412 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the Eagles’ triple option offense.

“The ultimate goal is to get to Frisco, Texas and win the national championship. ” Conque said. “It looks like it’s going to start and go through Statesboro to begin with.”

Senior running back Terence Bobo said this year’s team is more equipped to handle a second-round road game than it was last year.

“Last year, we hadn’t been to the postseason,” Bobo said. “We were a little immature. We won one on the road then lost at Montana.

“We’re going to take our playoff mentality from last year, that bitter taste we had in Montana after the game, and continue this season on strong.

“It’s a four-game season, not a nine-game season. We’ve got to get these next four games to finish our goal.”

NCAA Division I FCS playoffs All times Central

FIRST ROUND SATURDAY’S GAMES Colgate (8-3) at Wagner (8-3), 11 a.m.

Coastal Carolina (7-4) at Bethune-Cookman (9-2), 1 p.m.

Eastern Illinois (7-4) at South Dakota State (8-3), 2 p.m.

Villanova (8-3) at Stony Brook (9-2), 2 p.m.

SECOND ROUND SATURDAY, DEC. 1 New Hampshire (8-3) at Wofford (8-3), 1 p.m.

Central Arkansas (9-2) at Georgia Southern (8-3), 1 p.m.

Coastal Carolina-Bethune-Cookman winner at Old Dominion (10-1), 1 p.m.

Illinois State (8-3) at Appalachian State (8-3), 1 p.m.

Cal Poly (9-2) at Sam Houston State (8-3), 3 p.m.

Eastern Illinois-South Dakota State winner at North Dakota State (10-1), 3 p.m.

Colgate-Wagner winner at Eastern Washington (9-2), 5 p.m.

Villanova-Stony Brook winner at Montana State (10-1), 6 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS FRIDAY, DEC. 7-SATURDAY, DEC. 8 Eastern Illinois-South Dakota State-North Dakota State winner vs. New Hampshire-Wofford winner, TBD Central Arkansas-Georgia Southern winner vs. Coastal Carolina-Bethune-Cookman-Old Dominion winner, TBD Villanova-Stony Brook-Montana State winner vs. Cal Poly-Sam Houston State winner, TBD Illinois State-Appalachian State winner vs.

Colgate-Wagner-Eastern Washington winner, TBD SEMIFINALS FRIDAY, DEC. 14-SATURDAY, DEC. 15 TBD CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, JAN. 5 At FC Dallas Stadium Frisco, Texas Semifinal winners, noon

Up next CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN WHAT FCS Playoffs second round WHEN 1 p.m. Central on Dec. 1 WHERE Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Ga.

RECORDS Central Arkansas 9-2; Georgia Southern 8-3 INTERNET ESPN3.com Complete FCS glance, poll, 8C

Sports, Pages 13 on 11/19/2012