Neither Albany nor Villanova were expected to still be playing.

The Great Danes from upstate New York hadn’t been to the postseason since 2011 and the Wildcats from suburban Philadelphia, though rich in football tradition, missed the playoffs in each of the past two years.

But these surprise squads from the Colonial Athletic Association will play Saturday in the opening round of the FCS playoffs – Albany (8-4) hosts Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut State (11-1) for a 1 p.m. kickoff and Villanova (9-3) goes to Southland Conference member Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) for a 4 p.m. contest.

“We’d like to be there every year,” said third-year Villanova coach Mark Ferrante, who spent 30 years as an assistant with the program before being promoted. “But we know how hard that is especially after the last two years we’ve had, with the injuries we’ve had and two consecutive seasons at 5-6.

“We’re thrilled to be back in the postseason.”

Ferrante’s bunch was tabbed for a ninth-place finish in CAA Preseason Poll released in July. Albany was picked to end the season in last place just like it did last year.

The closest the Great Danes had been to the playoffs under Gattuso previously was when they fell on the wrong side of the bubble following a 7-4 campaign in 2016.

“I wasn’t relieved until our name popped up on the board,” Gattuso said about watching the selection show. “And it was traumatic a few years ago, but I do think the imprint from that day made our kids understand the importance of winning games and getting to a certain number of wins. We don’t have the name recognition that some of the other teams in this conference have and so we have to kick and fight our way in.”

James Madison, the preseason favorite, was the only team in the league to finish where it was picked before the year began.

Conference members Towson, Maine, Elon, Delaware and Stony Brook that were playoff-bound this time last year failed to reach the playoffs this season. Most notably, Towson which was 7-4 entering this past Saturday’s regular-season finale, lost at home to Elon, which was 4-6 entering the game.

“I think the three [CAA] teams that got in deserved to get in,” JMU coach Curt Cignetti said. “There might be some teams that wish they would’ve gotten in, but probably didn’t take care of business well enough.”

The Dukes earned the No. 2 seed, home-field advantage throughout the postseason and play Dec. 7 in the second round against the Monmouth-Holy Cross winner.

But Albany and Villanova are up first to represent the league in the tournament.

Throughout the fall, Gattuso has leaned on the combination of freshman quarterback Jeff Undercuffler and junior running back Karl Mofor to pace an offense that averages 31.3 points per game. Mofor was the lone rusher to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this season in the CAA and Undercuffler threw for a conference-best 33 touchdowns.

“We think Karl is as good or better than any back in the conference,” Gattuso said. “He’s very good and we had a couple of receivers that could really play, so the quarterback was the missing piece.

“I don’t know how the other coaches view Karl sometimes, because I don’t think he looks exactly like most running backs. He’s just a great football player and I always tell people around our football program that I could probably move Karl to H-back or linebacker and he’d probably make all-conference. He’s just a good football player.”

To beat Central Connecticut State, Gattuso said his team must match the Blue Devils’ athleticism.

Central Connecticut State coach Ryan McCarthy, a former Albany assistant that worked for Gattuso, led his team to an 11-0 mark against FCS competition this season and to eight straight wins entering the postseason.

“So we know what we’re in for this week,” Gattuso said. “And all you have to do is turn it back a year and see what Duquesne [which won the NEC in 2018] did last year against a CAA team. They’re a good football team, a good program and they’re certainly not to be taken lightly.”

While Albany gets to stay home, Villanova doesn’t have that luxury. Ferrante said they’ll fly to New Orleans on Friday before Saturday’s playoff game at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, La.

Southeastern Louisiana had won four in a row before dropping its regular-season finale against Nicholls.

“Statistically when you look at the things they’re doing, I think both of us are very similar,” Ferrante said, “as far as how many points we’re scoring, how many we’re giving up so on and so forth, so you just got to show up and hopefully we’ll play a clean game down there. The key in all games is minimizing your mistakes and taking care of the football to minimize turnovers.”

When Villanova opened the season by winning its first six games, its quarterback Daniel Smith had combined for 23 total touchdowns compared to only three interceptions. During the Wildcats’ three-game losing streak in the middle of the year, Smith accounted for only six total touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. Smith closed the regular season by tallying 13 touchdowns without an interception to lead Villanova on a three-game winning streak heading into the matchup with the Lions.

“I’m excited for our players,” Ferrante said. “They earned it. They worked hard for it. They deserve it. Anytime you can get into postseason play, you’ve got to be excited for your program, your university and the team that’s in that opportunity right now.”