Valley Football - Playoff Notebook (2019)

[ursus arctos horribilis]

MVFC Earns 4 Bids, Again
For the sixth time in the past seven years, four MVFC schools have made the field of 24 teams for the NCAA Division I Championship. North Dakota State (No. 1 overall seed), South Dakota State (No. 7 overall seed), Illinois State and UNI represent the MVFC.

Season-Ending Stats: Click Here (http://www.mvc.org/football/stats/confstat.htm)
On-Line Notebook: Click Here (https://valley-football.org/news/2019/11/28/valley-football-playoff-notebook-nov-30.aspx)

FIRST ROUND -- Saturday, Nov. 30
North Dakota (7-4) at Nicholls St. (8-4) at Thibodaux, Louisiana, 4 p.m., (ESPN3)
Illinois State (8-4) at SE Missouri State (9-3) at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Central Conn. State (11-1) at Albany (NY) (8-4) at Albany, New York 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Furman (8-4) at Austin Peay (9-3) at Clarksville, Tennessee, 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Kennesaw State (10-2) at Wofford (8-3) at Spartanburg, S.C., 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Villanova (9-3) at Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) at Hammond, Louisiana, 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
San Diego (9-2) at UNI (8-4) at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross (7-5) at Monmouth (10-2) at West Long Branch, N.J., Noon (ET) (ESPN3)

SECOND ROUND -- Saturday, Dec. 7
at Fargo, North Dakota, 3:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Nicholls/UND winner at #1 North Dakota State
at Conway, Arkansas, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Illinois St./SEMO winner at #8 Central Arkansas
at Bozeman, Montana, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | CCSU/Albany winner at #5 Montana State
at Sacramento, California, 9 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Furman/APSU winner at #4 Sacramento State
at Ogden, Utah, 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Kennesaw St./Wofford winner at #3 Weber State
at Missoula, Montana 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Villanova/SE Louisiana winner at #6 Montana
at Brookings, South Dakota, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | USD/UNI winner at #7 South Dakota State
at Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3) | Holy Cross/Monmouth winner at #2 JMU

Two Top-8 Seeds, Again
The Big Sky (4), MVFC (4), CAA Football (3) and Southland (3) have the most representatives. With four top-8 seeds, the Big Sky set an FCS record. The previous record was 3 (also by the Big Sky, in 2018). The MVFC, meanwhile, has had two Top 8 seeds for an FCS-record six-straight seasons.

Most Consecutive Appearances
At 10-straight appearances, NDSU’s current playoff appearance streak is best in the FCS. South Dakota State, meanwhile, has a current streak of eight-straight, which is second-best in the FCS. UNI, making its 21st appearance, trails only Montana (24) for overall FCS championship appearances.

MVFC Playoff Success
Overall, a league team has appeared in 13 title games and in 26 semifinal games. This decade the league is 59-25 (.702) -- which includes nine intra-conference games (meaning the league is 50-16 against teams from other leagues in that span.) Only one other conference has a winning record in the playoffs since 2010 (the CAA is 40-36.)

The Power 5
In the past nine playoffs (2010-18), five leagues (Big Sky, CAA Football, MVFC, Southern and Southland) have combined to win 164 of 195 total games. The MVFC has 59 of those wins (36 percent).

In the Round of 16
Since the playoff bracket expanded to 20 teams in 2010 (3 years) and 24 in 2013 (6 years), the MVFC has had a minimum of two teams in the Round of 16 every year. Five MVFC teams made the Round of 16 in 2014.

5 - 2014
4 - 2015, 2017
3 - 2012, 2016, 2018
2 - 2010, 2011, 2013

Against the Rest
The league is 107-69 in the NCAA FCS playoffs. Included in that overall record is a .500 or better performance against 10 of the 11 conferences faced. The MVFC is a combined 20-2 against teams from leagues it is facing this weekend.

MVFC vs. Other Leagues in the Playoffs


vs. Mid-Eastern Athletic

4-0

1.000



vs. Big South

5-0

1.000



vs. Pioneer Football League

3-0

1.000



vs. Northeast Conference

2-0

1.000



vs. SWAC

1-0

1.000



vs. Ohio Valley Conference

17-2

.895



vs. CAA Football

18-13

.579



vs. Southland Conference

11-8

.581



vs. Big Sky Conference

19-15

.559



vs. Patriot League

3-3

.500



vs. Independents

3-3

.500



vs. Intra-Conference (MVFC vs. MVFC)

11-11

.500



vs. Southern Conference

10-14

.417



TOTALS

107-69

.608




Playoff Bids - MVFC History
The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs three times (2014, 2015, 2017). In the past six seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 26 bids.

Playoff Selections - MVFC History
5 -- 3x (2014, 2015, 2017)
4 -- 3x (2003, 2016, 2019)
3 or more -- 10x (03, 06, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
2 or more -- 28 times (in 35 seasons)
2 or more playoff bids every year since 1995

[BEAR]

It will be interesting to see if Illinois State comes back to Conway. Good game last time. I'm sure they will want revenge.

But what I want to see for the first time since both teams came to division I about the same time is UCA vs NDSU.
I know the Bison have and are playing well so I'm pretty realistic about our chances up there but I do think it will be a cool to finally play them just to see how we stack up this year. We've lost some head scratchers this year and made many comebacks so I don't expect us to win but all the same it will be cool to watch the game.

[TheKingpin28]

It will be interesting to see if Illinois State comes back to Conway. Good game last time. I'm sure they will want revenge.

But what I want to see for the first time since both teams came to division I about the same time is UCA vs NDSU.
I know the Bison have and are playing well so I'm pretty realistic about our chances up there but I do think it will be a cool to finally play them just to see how we stack up this year. We've lost some head scratchers this year and made many comebacks so I don't expect us to win but all the same it will be cool to watch the game.

Would you come to Fargo if UCA ends up there?

[BEAR]

Would you come to Fargo if UCA ends up there?

Yes I would! Saw tix are only $400 round trip right now. Add hotel and food and it could hit a grand for me and my wife. But it would be possible.

[TheKingpin28]

Yes I would! Saw tix are only $400 round trip right now. Add hotel and food and it could hit a grand for me and my wife. But it would be possible.Well I can promise you this, there is no place like Fargo when it comes to football atmosphere and tailgating.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

[BEAR]

Well I can promise you this, there is no place like Fargo when it comes to football atmosphere and tailgating.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

I've enjoyed tailgates at McNeese and even Louisiana Tech. The Dakotas are on my list of places to visit. xthumbsupx

[PantherRob82]

The league is 38-10 against the league's it faces this weekend if my math is correct. I think the Southland was omitted.

[Twentysix]

So, I'm thinking UNI ends up knocking SDSU out. Can UNI beat JMU though? If SDSU wasn't so beat up this year would have been a legit shot at a dakota Championship.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

So, I'm thinking UNI ends up knocking SDSU out. Can UNI beat JMU though? If SDSU wasn't so beat up this year would have been a legit shot at a dakota Championship.



No

JMU is a very good team. Weber probably has the best chance in that bracket, although a slim one IMO.

[that guy]

Nice stats, what three teams crapped the bed against Patriot league?

[ST_Lawson]

Nice stats, what three teams crapped the bed against Patriot league?

That's mostly us. We lost to #10 Lehigh in 2000 and at #6 Colgate in a blizzard in 2003. Patriot League had a few pretty solid teams back then.
Lehigh in 2000 went undefeated until the 2nd round of the playoffs (lost to Delaware), beating Colgate, Wofford, Princeton, and Towson along the way.
Colgate in 2003 went undefeated until the I-AA championship game and took down FBS Buffalo (by 23 points), Towson, Princeton, and then in the playoffs: UMass (by 12), WIU (by 1), and Florida Atlantic (by 12) before losing to Delaware in the championship game.