Canuck U: Benefield, Rourke, 5 other Canadians in CFP; 7 remain in FCS playoffs

Ty Benefield’s Boise State clinched the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket after beating UNLV in the Mountain West championship, 21-7, last Friday.

The sophomore safety from Vancouver made eight tackles, including four solo and 1.5 tackles for loss, in the conference title rematch against fellow Canadian safety Jett Elad.

Friday’s game was the most-watched Mountain West championship on any network in history, amassing an average of three million viewers on FOX, according to Front Office Sports.

Boise State has a break now to rest and prepare for its Fiesta Bowl game on New Year’s Eve. The Broncos will face the winner of the No. 6-seed Penn State and No. 11-seed SMU — both teams lost their conference championships on Saturday.

The Fiesta Bowl winner will play in the Orange Bowl national semifinal.

Kurtis Rourke, Indiana earn CFP No. 10 seed

Indiana and its Canadian quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, had to sit home and watch as the conference championships, and their playoff hopes, unfolded this weekend.

But on Sunday, the CFP committee was satisfied enough with the Hoosiers’ one-loss season to break into the 12-team bracket.

Indiana was given the No. 10 seed and will play No. 7-seed Notre Dame on Dec. 20. The winner will face No. 2-seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day for a right to play in the Orange Bowl.

Including Rourke and Benefield, there are seven Canadians playing in the CFP. Rourke will face three fellow Canucks on Notre Dame’s defensive line — Armel Mukam, Sean Sevillano and Devan Houstan — when the Hoosiers play the Fighting Irish next Friday. Ohio State has the other two in tight end Maxence LeBlanc and punter Anthony Venneri, who will fight Tennessee next Saturday for a spot in the Rose Bowl against top-seeded Oregon on New Year's Day.

FCS playoffs: Ethan Vibert, Noah St-Juste’s South Dakota State beats Keelan White’s Montana

South Dakota State defeated Montana 35-18 in a second-round rematch of last year’s FCS national championship, where the Jackrabbits also won.

Canadian offensive lineman Ethan Vibert, from Regina, Saskatchewan, and his South Dakota State teammates allowed just one sack in the victory. Vibert’s crew only gave up six sacks during the regular season, good enough for best in the FCS. Fellow Canadian Jackrabbit Noah St-Juste — younger brother of Washington Commanders defensive back Benjamin St-Juste — also dressed for the game, but the DB from Montreal, Quebec didn’t record any stats.

Vancouver, British Columbia’s Keelan White, one of Montana’s top wide receivers, led his team with 68 receiving yards and a touchdown on five catches in his final game as a Grizzly.

South Dakota State moves on to play UIW in the FCS quarterfinals on Saturday.

FCS playoffs: Injured Rohan Jones’ Montana State blows out Dolapo Egunjobi’s UT Martin

Montana State is also moving on to the third round of the FCS playoffs after a convincing win over UT Martin, 49-17.

Rohan Jones, a Montreal native and Montana State tight end and fullback, didn’t suit up for the game due to an injury he sustained against Montana on Nov. 23. He is questionable for this Friday’s game against Idaho.

Dolapo Egunjobi, a UT Martin OL from Winnipeg, Manitoba, also didn’t dress in this game.

Montana State will face Idaho and Canadian defensive lineman Aamarii Notice, from Toronto, Ontario, on Friday. Notice notched a solo tackle in Idaho’s 34-13 victory over Lehigh on Saturday.

South Dakota DL Carter Hooper and Chris Dixon, and WR Tristan Michaud are the three other Canadians playing in the FCS quarterfinals against UC Davis this weekend after a 42-31 win over Tarleton State on Saturday.

Almost 50 Canadians in non-CFP bowl games

There are 49 Canadians playing on 32 teams in 25 of 36 non-CFP bowl games over the next month.

Seven of those contests feature at least one Canadian facing another fellow countryman:

• 68 Ventures Bowl: Arkansas State (1) vs. Bowling Green (1)
• DirectTV Holiday Bowl: Syracuse (2) vs. Washington State (2)
• Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Miami OH (2) vs. Colorado State (1)
• Go Bowling Military Bowl: East Carolina (1) vs. NC State (1)
• Valero Alamo Bowl: BYU (1) vs. Colorado (1)
• ReliaQuest Bowl: Alabama (1) vs. Michigan (1)
• Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville (1) vs. Washington (1)

The Holiday Bowl is the only game with multiple Canadians facing multiple Canadians. The Rate Bowl has the most Canadians simply because of the Rutgers roster, which is highlighted by seven players from the great white north.