YOUNGSTOWN - The Youngstown State football team hosts Yale for the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision tournament after it was selected Sunday, Nov. 23. Yale joins Harvard this year as the first Ivy League team to receive an auto-bid to the FCS playoffs. 

Associate Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Parks says the team was excited to play the Ivy League in the playoffs for the first time.

"When it came up, it's kinda historic," he said.

The YSU athletics ticket office reports over 2,800 tickets sold for Saturday's game.

Yale was selected for the playoff bracket after defeating Harvard 45-28 on Saturday, Nov. 22, to earn a share of the Ivy League title with the Crimson.

YSU earned a postseason bid for the first time since 2023. It was selected for the tournament as the 15-seed.

After the playoff bracket was announced, DoubleTree by Hilton Youngstown booked up all of its rooms for Thursday and Friday within hours.

"Friday we were probably about 25% [booked], but within three hours, we were at 100%," said Kimberly Patrone, Director of Sales at DoubleTree.

Patrone claims there was an even split between YSU and Yale supporters due to a promo code for Penguins fans.

The game begins at noon on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Stambaugh Stadium.