At Large Playoff Eligibility 10-18-08

[FargoBison]

Elon is the first team to 7 wins. Also a team that is eliminated could still win their conference title. Also if I made any mistakes please be sure to tell me.

Big Sky
UM(6-1) must go 2-3
NAU(6-1) must go at least 3-2
WSU(6-2) must go 3-1
UNC Eliminated
Sac State Eliminated
MSU Eliminated
ISU Eliminated
EWU Eliminated
PSU Eliminated

Big South
Liberty(6-1) must go at least 3-2
CCU(4-4) must go 3-1
VMI(3-3) must go 5-0
Charleston Southern Eliminated
Gardner Webb Eliminated
Stony Brook Eliminated

CAA
JMU(6-1) must go at least 1-3
UNH(5-1) must go 2-3
Nova(5-1) must go 2-3
Mass(4-3) must go 3-1
UR(5-3) must go 2-2
Hofstra(3-4) must go 4-1
W&M(4-2) must go 3-2
Towson(3-4) must go 4-1
Maine(4-3) must go 3-2
NU(2-5) must go 5-0
UD Eliminated
URI(2-5) Eliminated

Great West
Cal Poly(4-1) must go at least 4-1*
UCD(4-4) must go 3-0
SUU(3-3) Eliminated
--* denotes teams with games canceled due to hurricanes


MEAC
Hampton(5-1) must go at least 2-3
FAMU(5-2) must go 2-3
SCSU(5-2) must go 3-2
B-CU(4-2) must go 3-2
MSU(4-3) must go 3-2
DSU(3-3) must go 4-1
Norfolk State Eliminated
Howard( Eliminated
NC A&T Eliminated

MVFC
SIU(4-2) must go at least 3-2
UNI(5-2) must go 3-2
WIU(5-2) must go 3-1
MSU(3-3) must go 4-1
SDSU(3-4) must go 4-1
NDSU(3-4) must go 4-0
Ill St(2-4) must go 5-0
YSU Elminated
Ind St Elminated

NEC
SHU(6-1) must go 3-1
CCSU(5-2) must go 3-1
Albany(4-3) must go 3-1
MU(4-3) must go at least 4-0
Wagner(3-4) must go 4-0
RMU Eliminated
Duquesne Eliminated
St Francis eliminated

OVC
TSU(6-1) must go at least 1-4
Jax St(5-2) must go 2-2
Tenn-Martin(6-2) must go 2-2
EKU(4-3) must go 3-1
EIU(3-4) must go 4-1
Murray State Eliminated
SEMO Eliminated
TTU Eliminated
APSU Eliminated

Patriot League
Lafayette(5-1) must go at least 2-3
Colgate(5-2) must go 2-2
Bucknell(4-2) must go 3-2
HC(3-3) must go 4-1
Fordham(3-3) must go 4-1
Lehigh(2-4) must go 5-0
Georgetown is Eliminated


Pioneer
USD(6-0) must go at least 3-2
Dayton(6-1) must go 3-2
Butler(5-1) must go 5-0
Jacksonville(4-3) must go 5-0
Morehead St Eliminated
Davidson Eliminated
Valpo Eliminated
Drake Eliminated

SoCon
Elon(7-1) has seven DI wins
Wofford(5-1) must go at least 2-3
App St(5-2) must go 2-3
FU(6-2) must go 2-2
GSU(3-4) must go 4-0
Citadel(3-4) must go 5-0
Samford Eliminated
WCU Eliminated
Chattanooga Eliminated

Southland
TSU(4-3) must go at least 4-1
SFA(4-3) must go 5-0
MSU(4-2) must go 5-0*
NW St(4-3) must go 5-0
SELA(4-3) must go 5-0
SHSU Eliminated*
Nicholls State Eliminated*
--* denotes teams with games canceled due to hurricanes

Indepedents
Iona(3-2) Eliminated
SSU(3-3) Eliminated
Marist(1-5) Eliminated

[theasushow]

gosh seems like a lot more "elminated" this week!

[FCS Go!]

The situation in the Southland is interesting but, unfortunately, not surprising.

[Poly Pigskin]

Wow, I had no idea so many BSC teams were eliminated already. Thanks for putting this together.

[uofmman1122]

Wow, I had no idea so many BSC teams were eliminated already. Thanks for putting this together.UNC, Sac St., ISU, and PSU all have to do with losses.

MSU and EWU both have more to do with practically scheduling themselves out of the playoffs. By that I mean that they gave themselves such a small room for error.

[joecooll6]

So does our win over South Dakota not count as a DI win since they're transitional?

[FargoBison]

So does our win over South Dakota not count as a DI win since they're transitional?

That is correct, both UND and USD are non-counters this year only.

[slostang]

That is correct, both UND and USD are non-counters this year only.

Which is a crock. Both schools have 57 scholarships and they do not count, but a win against a sub .500 non scholarship FCS team does.

[kirkblitz]

62 teams left!!

16 teams up for elimination next week

[seantaylor]

The Socon is down this year. I don't see anyone getting past the first round. Maybe if ASU or Woffie gets a home game.

[dgreco]

Just a question I know teams have played USD, UND and Bryant. You are currently not counting them, but an interesting thing is that the NCAA classifies them as DI. In DII rankings the games they play against other teams count as DI games and do not effect the regional rankings. So are they in reality counting as DI games? or are they not counting for anything vs. anyone in NCAA this year?

[RabidRabbit]

Just a question I know teams have played USD, UND and Bryant. You are currently not counting them, but an interesting thing is that the NCAA classifies them as DI. In DII rankings the games they play against other teams count as DI games and do not effect the regional rankings. So are they in reality counting as DI games? or are they not counting for anything vs. anyone in NCAA this year?
BY JOVE!!! YOU GOT IT! xrulesx

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Congrats, Elon. First team to reach 7 DI wins!

[dgreco]

[/B]
BY JOVE!!! YOU GOT IT! xrulesx

thats a shame.

[Ronbo]

Wow, I had no idea so many BSC teams were eliminated already. Thanks for putting this together.

We talk of that at the beginning of each year. These BSC teams schedule 2 FBS teams and 1 or 2 Div. II teams. They schedule themselves out of the playoffs for the money. Think about it. They make over a million bucks on their pre-season schedule and how much is made in the playoffs? Not much if any.

[danefan]

I'm pretty sure Liberty has really been knocked out of the discussion.

I guess if they beat Elon by a huge margin and Elon keeps winning - maybe. But that isn't looking too likely now.

[RabidRabbit]

thats a shame.

Yep, First year out of D2 IS PURGATORY!

That's why NOBODY wants to play that first year, whether football, or any sport. Definitely not counting makes it tough.

[Panther88]

Elon is the first team to 7 wins. Also a team that is eliminated could still win their conference title. Also if I made any mistakes please be sure to tell me.

Big Sky
UM(6-1) must go 2-3
NAU(6-1) must go at least 3-2
WSU(6-2) must go 3-1
UNC Eliminated
Sac State Eliminated
MSU Eliminated
ISU Eliminated
EWU Eliminated
PSU Eliminated

Big South
Liberty(6-1) must go at least 3-2
CCU(4-4) must go 3-1
VMI(3-3) must go 5-0
Charleston Southern Eliminated
Gardner Webb Eliminated
Stony Brook Eliminated

CAA
JMU(6-1) must go at least 1-3
UNH(5-1) must go 2-3
Nova(5-1) must go 2-3
Mass(4-3) must go 3-1
UR(5-3) must go 2-2
Hofstra(3-4) must go 4-1
W&M(4-2) must go 3-2
Towson(3-4) must go 4-1
Maine(4-3) must go 3-2
NU(2-5) must go 5-0
UD Eliminated
URI(2-5) Eliminated

Great West
Cal Poly(4-1) must go at least 4-1*
UCD(4-4) must go 3-0
SUU(3-3) Eliminated
--* denotes teams with games canceled due to hurricanes


MEAC
Hampton(5-1) must go at least 2-3
FAMU(5-2) must go 2-3
SCSU(5-2) must go 3-2
B-CU(4-2) must go 3-2
MSU(4-3) must go 3-2
DSU(3-3) must go 4-1
Norfolk State Eliminated
Howard( Eliminated
NC A&T Eliminated

MVFC
SIU(4-2) must go at least 3-2
UNI(5-2) must go 3-2
WIU(5-2) must go 3-1
MSU(3-3) must go 4-1
SDSU(3-4) must go 4-1
NDSU(3-4) must go 4-0
Ill St(2-4) must go 5-0
YSU Elminated
Ind St Elminated

NEC
SHU(6-1) must go 3-1
CCSU(5-2) must go 3-1
Albany(4-3) must go 3-1
MU(4-3) must go at least 4-0
Wagner(3-4) must go 4-0
RMU Eliminated
Duquesne Eliminated
St Francis eliminated

OVC
TSU(6-1) must go at least 1-4
Jax St(5-2) must go 2-2
Tenn-Martin(6-2) must go 2-2
EKU(4-3) must go 3-1
EIU(3-4) must go 4-1
Murray State Eliminated
SEMO Eliminated
TTU Eliminated
APSU Eliminated

Patriot League
Lafayette(5-1) must go at least 2-3
Colgate(5-2) must go 2-2
Bucknell(4-2) must go 3-2
HC(3-3) must go 4-1
Fordham(3-3) must go 4-1
Lehigh(2-4) must go 5-0
Georgetown is Eliminated


Pioneer
USD(6-0) must go at least 3-2
Dayton(6-1) must go 3-2
Butler(5-1) must go 5-0
Jacksonville(4-3) must go 5-0
Morehead St Eliminated
Davidson Eliminated
Valpo Eliminated
Drake Eliminated

SoCon
Elon(7-1) has seven DI wins
Wofford(5-1) must go at least 2-3
App St(5-2) must go 2-3
FU(6-2) must go 2-2
GSU(3-4) must go 4-0
Citadel(3-4) must go 5-0
Samford Eliminated
WCU Eliminated
Chattanooga Eliminated

Southland
TSU(4-3) must go at least 4-1
SFA(4-3) must go 5-0
MSU(4-2) must go 5-0*
NW St(4-3) must go 5-0
SELA(4-3) must go 5-0
SHSU Eliminated*
Nicholls State Eliminated*
--* denotes teams with games canceled due to hurricanes

Indepedents
Iona(3-2) Eliminated
SSU(3-3) Eliminated
Marist(1-5) Eliminated

Geez FargoBison, no consideration from ANY SWAC probable? xconfusedx

I like how you have it all broken down. Would love to see that for current and pending remaining SWAC schedule for this upcoming week. Good job BTW! xthumbsupx

[tribe_pride]

Geez FargoBison, no consideration from ANY SWAC probable? xconfusedx

I like how you have it all broken down. Would love to see that for current and pending remaining SWAC schedule for this upcoming week. Good job BTW! xthumbsupx

If I am right, neither the SWAC nor Ivy can play in the playoffs. Ivy because of choice, SWAC because of the conference playoff.

[IaaScribe]

The SWAC division champions must play in the SWAC championship game. The chance of the No. 3 team from the SWAC making it to the playoffs is minimal, so that's why there really never any discussion of them.

[dbackjon]

Which is a crock. Both schools have 57 scholarships and they do not count, but a win against a sub .500 non scholarship FCS team does.


Just like the 24-36 D-II teams don't count, but UNH and other eastern schools are about to count wins over HIGH SCHOOL teams like Iona.

[danefan]

Just like the 24-36 D-II teams don't count, but UNH and other eastern schools are about to count wins over HIGH SCHOOL teams like Iona.

Hey man, NAU could play Iona too. Iona will play anywhere.

They were at UC Davis this week.....xrulesx

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

Just like the 24-36 D-II teams don't count, but UNH and other eastern schools are about to count wins over HIGH SCHOOL teams like Iona.


Why are you picking on UNH?

[introvertedGSUfan]

I hate to sound like a selfish homer, but if GSU wins out with impressive points in the SoCon (especially against The Citadel and Furman) then they will be the most deserving 7-4 team for a playoff bid. I mean we lost to three teams who are now in the Top10 of the Coaches Poll by a combined total of four points. Although knowing our school's recent streak of bad luck, we'll probably be overlooked once again this year.

[Reign of Terrier]

I hate to sound like a selfish homer, but if GSU wins out with impressive points in the SoCon (especially against The Citadel and Furman) then they will be the most deserving 7-4 team for a playoff bid. I mean we lost to three teams who are now in the Top10 of the Coaches Poll by a combined total of four points. Although knowing our school's recent streak of bad luck, we'll probably be overlooked once again this year.

Agreed.

[Seven Would Be Nice]

I hate to sound like a selfish homer, but if GSU wins out with impressive points in the SoCon (especially against The Citadel and Furman) then they will be the most deserving 7-4 team for a playoff bid. I mean we lost to three teams who are now in the Top10 of the Coaches Poll by a combined total of four points. Although knowing our school's recent streak of bad luck, we'll probably be overlooked once again this year.


I agree. It is completely plausible for us to win out. We aren't a bad team. 3 losses by 4 points? no other team has been that close to beating so many top teams this year. IF we when out (big if) we should make the playoffs. If another 7-4 team gets in over us, it would be on a bias against GSU.

[dbackjon]

Why are you picking on UNH?

Because Iona was your seventh "D-1" win last year, to get you into playoffs...

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

Because Iona was your seventh "D-1" win last year, to get you into playoffs...

That's just good schedulingxrulesx

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

A fan from a school that scheduled New Mexico Highlands talking smack about other team's schedules! xeekx xeekx xeekx xeekx xeekx

xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx

[dbackjon]

A fan from a school that scheduled New Mexico Highlands talking smack about other team's schedules! xeekx xeekx xeekx xeekx xeekx

xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx

Yup - they give out more schollies than all the PFL, and most of the NEC.

We only have one non-schollie west of the Rockies, and zero limited schollie teams. We don't have the D-I cupcake option like you do.


Any team that needs a win over IONA to make the playoffs shouldn't have been picked in the first place.

[FargoBison]

Here are this week's elimination games, teams in bold must win.

Big Sky
None

Big South
VMI at Gardner Webb

CAA
Northeastern at Maine

GWFC
None

MEAC
None

MVFC
NDSU at Illinois State

NEC
CCSU at Monmouth
RMU at Wagner

OVC
None

Patriot League
Lehigh at Holy Cross

Pioneer League
USD at Jacksonville
Morehead State at Bulter

SoCon
GSU at WCU
Citadel at Samford

Southland
TSU at SFA
Nicholls at McNeese State
SHSU at Nwst ST
SELA at UCA

[Panther88]

The SWAC division champions must play in the SWAC championship game. The chance of the No. 3 team from the SWAC making it to the playoffs is minimal, so that's why there really never any discussion of them.

Minimal but still possible eh FCSscribe? xconfusedx

[dbackjon]

Minimal but still possible eh FCSscribe? xconfusedx

Actually, this year there would be a good chance, if Grambling and PV keep winning. There are only three teams with winning records in the SWAC, and all three are in the West, so it reality, the #2 SWAC team will not be in the conference Championship.

Of course, Grambling has the Nov 29th game with Southern, so they would not make the playoffs even if they don't win the conference championship.

PV can get to 9-1, with 7 D-1 wins. The cancelled game with SHSU hurts, because that was the game that could have given them some cred. I still doubt a 9-1 PV makes the playoffs, but a great season that would be.

[FargoBison]

I'd include the SWAC but I don't think it is too promising for the conference to qualify a team. I really wish things could be different, would love to see the SWAC competing in the playoffs.

[Big Dawg]

Do you guys think that a 10-2 FAMU team can sneak into the playoffs?

[Appstate29]

Do you guys think that a 10-2 FAMU team can sneak into the playoffs?

Sure, its possible. We'd have to see how things turn out with the "major conferences".

[appfan2008]

neither GSU or TC have a tough game this week and should remain alive but they are certainly on life support

[danefan]

Do you guys think that a 10-2 FAMU team can sneak into the playoffs?

Not unless they somehow win the MEAC. MEAC is a one-bid league this year. No way any team with 2 loses in the MEAC will get an at-large, esepcially after Del State's miserable performance against Delaware last year.

[Appstate29]

Not unless they somehow win the MEAC. MEAC is a one-bid league this year. No way any team with 2 loses in the MEAC will get an at-large, esepcially after Del State's miserable performance against Delaware last year.

I was going to say something like that and include Hampton in the past 3 years too, but I was pretty sure Fla A&M was SWAC???

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Yup - they give out more schollies than all the PFL, and most of the NEC.

We only have one non-schollie west of the Rockies, and zero limited schollie teams. We don't have the D-I cupcake option like you do.


Any team that needs a win over IONA to make the playoffs shouldn't have been picked in the first place.

They're still not D-I.

Cry to the NCAA about the playoff rules, we're only scheduling to the rules they've established. And as last year proved, it was very good scheduling.

For the record, none of us liked the game, but we understood why it was played. I know it is difficult to believe, but scheduling for many of us in the Northeast isn't as easy as you guys out West assume it is. The Ivy and Patriot Leagues offer very few opportunities. So that only leaves the NEC and the non-schollies. And like everybody else, we do like to have five or six home games.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Any team that needs a win over IONA to make the playoffs shouldn't have been picked in the first place.

Maybe you should talk to the good folks in Cedar Falls on their thoughts about UNH.

You're so hung up about Iona and that NAU wasn't selected because they didn't reach the seven D-I wins that you've lost sight of these facts:


UNH outperformed Villanova when you compare results from their six common opponents (find my post where I posted the comparisons).
UNH beat national runner-up Delaware when they were undefeated (5-0 IIRC).
UNH beat Hofstra in NY when they were undefeated (6-0 IIRC).
UNH beat FBS Marshall in WV.
UNH was throwing into the end zone for a tying TD at semi-finalist Richmond.
They deserved an at large bid over Eastern Illinois. Could EIU post a resume approaching what I have for UNH?


I'm sick of all the hating on UNH. The NCAA makes the rules, your gripe should be with them. My school doesn't deserve this abuse. And frankly, these rules have been crystal clear for a few years now. Anybody who doesn't make the playoffs because of them should be addressing their anger at their own ADs. xtwocentsx xpeacex

[Khan4Cats]

Here are this week's elimination games, teams in bold must win.

GWFC
UND at UCD


[B][U]MVFC
NDSU at Illinois State



Two things: who would've thought NDSU would be playing for the ir playoff lives with four games left? Guess the MVFC isn't such a cakewalk. But don't worry Bison, it gets easier, with the exception of SDSU.

The other, this isn't technically an elimination game for UCD yet. Since UND is a non-counter, they could still get to 7 D-I wins, although with a 7-5 record I'd doubt they'd get an invite.

Still not even sure a 7-4 team will get in this year as there will likely be 8-4 teams with opportunities. We'll have to see what sorts out.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Two things: who would've thought NDSU would be playing for the ir playoff lives with four games left? Guess the MVFC isn't such a cakewalk. But don't worry Bison, it gets easier, with the exception of SDSU.

The other, this isn't technically an elimination game for UCD yet. Since UND is a non-counter, they could still get to 7 D-I wins, although with a 7-5 record I'd doubt they'd get an invite.

Still not even sure a 7-4 team will get in this year as there will likely be 8-4 teams with opportunities. We'll have to see what sorts out.

I won't say I was bold enough to have predicted that, but I sure wasn't giving them a free ride into the playoffs either. I really wanted to see the Bison play a full league schedule in the MVFC. I never bought into the theory that they would have great immediate success in the MVFC. I know first had how difficult the conference schedules can be.

With a 12 game schedule, there probably won't be any 7-4 at large teams. There will probably be lots of 9-3, 8-3 and 8-4 teams with seven D-I wins. But with the meat of the conference schedules upcoming, one never knows how great the attrition will be.

[danefan]

I was going to say something like that and include Hampton in the past 3 years too, but I was pretty sure Fla A&M was SWAC???

So was I, but then I looked it up and they are MEAC.

[WrenFGun]

Just like the 24-36 D-II teams don't count, but UNH and other eastern schools are about to count wins over HIGH SCHOOL teams like Iona.

Good thing you picked UNH out, since they didn't play IONA this season. But good try.

[Panther88]

Actually, this year there would be a good chance, if Grambling and PV keep winning. There are only three teams with winning records in the SWAC, and all three are in the West, so it reality, the #2 SWAC team will not be in the conference Championship.

Of course, Grambling has the Nov 29th game with Southern, so they would not make the playoffs even if they don't win the conference championship.

PV can get to 9-1, with 7 D-1 wins. The cancelled game with SHSU hurts, because that was the game that could have given them some cred. I still doubt a 9-1 PV makes the playoffs, but a great season that would be.

That's the exact scenario, dbjack, that I wanted addressed. Of course, there's an outside chance the 2nd place SWAC W finisher could make it. W/ SU and Grambling playing their tilt in the Bayou Classic during the start of playoffs, that eliminates both of them; therefore, PV MUST win out for any type consideration to occur.

It starts this upcoming Saturday w/ the game vs SU. We knew the SWAC W would be the stronger division w/ GSU, SU, and PV dominating conference play.

[WrenFGun]

Maybe you should talk to the good folks in Cedar Falls on their thoughts about UNH.

You're so hung up about Iona and that NAU wasn't selected because they didn't reach the seven D-I wins that you've lost sight of these facts:


UNH outperformed Villanova when you compare results from their six common opponents (find my post where I posted the comparisons).
UNH beat national runner-up Delaware when they were undefeated (5-0 IIRC).
UNH beat Hofstra in NY when they were undefeated (6-0 IIRC).
UNH beat FBS Marshall in WV.
UNH was throwing into the end zone for a tying TD at semi-finalist Richmond.
They deserved an at large bid over Eastern Illinois. Could EIU post a resume approaching what I have for UNH?


I'm sick of all the hating on UNH. The NCAA makes the rules, your gripe should be with them. My school doesn't deserve this abuse. And frankly, these rules have been crystal clear for a few years now. Anybody who doesn't make the playoffs because of them should be addressing their anger at their own ADs. xtwocentsx xpeacex

Well said, UNH_Alum. UNH continues to be the whipping boy for further and further unjustified reasons. I'm sure UNH's win over Northeastern was a terrible win, even though others were calling for Northeastern in the top 25. Oh well. We'll just have to keep winning.

[FargoBison]

Thanks for spotting that khancats and I also will probably add the SWAC to next weeks results.

[danefan]

That's the exact scenario, dbjack, that I wanted addressed. Of course, there's an outside chance the 2nd place SWAC W finisher could make it. W/ SU and Grambling playing their tilt in the Bayou Classic during the start of playoffs, that eliminates both of them; therefore, PV MUST win out for any type consideration to occur.

It starts this upcoming Saturday w/ the game vs SU. We knew the SWAC W would be the stronger division w/ GSU, SU, and PV dominating conference play.

The SWAC won't get anyone in, anytime soon I don't think. No way the committee is taking a 2nd or 3rd place team from a lower rated conference before they take a 4th place team from the CAA or Socon.

Shoot, the NEC champ deserves to be in before anyone in the SWAC, and there's no way the NEC champ deserves to be in this year (as things sit now).

[already123]

I Took a look at the remaining schedules....Looks like 3 BSC teams could make it to the playoffs this year!

[Panther88]

The SWAC won't get anyone in, anytime soon I don't think. No way the committee is taking a 2nd or 3rd place team from a lower rated conference before they take a 4th place team from the CAA or Socon.

Shoot, the NEC champ deserves to be in before anyone in the SWAC, and there's no way the NEC champ deserves to be in this year (as things sit now).

I don't understand your statements dane. Based upon what? Perceived strength of schedule? xconfusedx When the SWAC squads get clobbered by FBSers as does your squads, does it merit more weight when one loses by 1 vs 40+? lol

[danefan]

I don't understand your statements dane. Based up what? Perceived strength of schedule? xconfusedx When the SWAC squads get clobbered by FBSers as does your squads, does it merit more weight when one loses by 1 vs 40+? lol


SWAC teams don't have any OOC wins that can overcome their weak conference games. Same for PFL, NEC, MEAC, etc....

The SWAC champion would be borderline for an at-large if eligible. Now you are saying that a 2nd or 3rd place team should make it in? No way.

And my comment about the NEC champ over any SWAC team is based on GPI and Sagarin conference ratings - in which the NEC is ranked higher then the SWAC. That's clearly not the end-all, be-all, but it is an indication.xpeacex

[Big Dawg]

I was going to say something like that and include Hampton in the past 3 years too, but I was pretty sure Fla A&M was SWAC???

No we're in the MEAC.

However FAMU has beaten a ranked team and could upset Hampton later on this season...who is also natinally ranked. FAMU hasn't lost a game by more than 7 points yet this season and one of those losses was to a STRONG South Carolina State team.

I don't think we will receive the at-large bid but I think we have a shot...if we don't lose anymore this season.

[GaelsFootball]

Hey man, NAU could play Iona too. Iona will play anywhere.

They were at UC Davis this week.....xrulesx

That's right. We're going North Dakota and Liberty next year

[danefan]

That's right. We're going North Dakota and Liberty next year

Any word on conference affiliation for next year?

I admire that Iona will play anyone. Now you just need to drop those DIII games and start fill in that schedule with PFL, MEAC and PL teams.

[Poly Pigskin]

I know it is difficult to believe, but scheduling for many of us in the Northeast isn't as easy as you guys out West assume it is.

If you traveled as far as a lot of western teams do for conference games, then you have a heck of a lot more opportunities than the ones you listed. I don't have a problem with UNH playing Iona last year (heck, we played them too), but don't make it sound like you only played them because scheduling is hard. Cal Poly played them because scheduling is hard; UNH played them because they new it would be an easy game.

[gsu1moretime]

What is the odds of GSU going 4-0 and actually going into the playoffs after going 4-0? They had a 7-4 record last year and got beat out by NHU? with a 7-4 record also.

[FargoBison]

What is the odds of GSU going 4-0 and actually going into the playoffs after going 4-0? They had a 7-4 record last year and got beat out by NHU? with a 7-4 record also.

Not likely, at 7-4 you are always putting your future in the hands of the committee and that is always a risky proposition.

[Grizzaholic]

Not likely, at 7-4 you are always putting your future in the hands of the committee and that is always a risky proposition.

And this year seems to be no different.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

If you traveled as far as a lot of western teams do for conference games, then you have a heck of a lot more opportunities than the ones you listed. I don't have a problem with UNH playing Iona last year (heck, we played them too), but don't make it sound like you only played them because scheduling is hard. Cal Poly played them because scheduling is hard; UNH played them because they new it would be an easy game.

But UNH doesn't travel as far as Western schools for conference games. All those long plane trips are not the norm at UNH. We bus for all CAA North games and fly for all South games on commercial airlines (Southwest and Jet Blue). OOC games requiring a plane trip, other than guarantee games, have been very rare at UNH. We just don't have the resources to add more plane trips for games. So, I'll stand by my comments about available games. OOC games with Big South (other than Stony Brook), SoCon, OVC, MEAC and MVFC just don't happen.

UNH played Iona because it was a guaranteed home game without a return game and it was D-I. We could just as easily have scheduled our Hockey East mate Merrimack which is about an hour away and has more name recognition than Iona in NH, but they are D-II.

I know distances are a huge issue out West and that you have to budget for them. I know many Eastern schools are expensive, but I don't know if that forces us to spend more money on tuition/room/board than Western schools. I don't know how you guys afford to fund all those plane trips. Another reason why we need increased capacity at Cowell. 7.5K seats doesn't bring in enough revenue.

With UNH's America East Conference mates Albany and Stony Brook having increased their scholarships, scheduling will be a bit easier than in the past. But with the Ivy and Patriot schools not playing many OOC games against the CAA, it really does present scheduling difficulties for UNH.

[Maroon&White]

But with the Ivy and Patriot schools not playing many OOC games against the CAA, it really does present scheduling difficulties for UNH.

How much of a scheduling difficulty is it? Your OOC schedules past few years have been...

2008: Army, Albany, Dartmouth
2007: Marshall, Dartmouth, Iona
2006: Northwestern, Stony Brook, Dartmouth
2005: UC Davis, Dartmouth, Iona
2004: Delaware, Rutgers, Dartmouth
2003: Central Connecticut, Central Michigan, Dartmouth
2002: Kent State, Dartmouth
2001: Hampton, Dartmouth
2000: Hampton, Dartmouth, Gardner-Webb

I don't really see how UNH has some kind of scheduling difficulty. They like to have 1 winnable FBS game, an annual game with Dartmouth, and one other OOC game. The extra has been Albany, Iona twice Stony Brook, Delaware, Central Connecticut, Hampton twice and Gardner-Webb.

Not sure why UNH can't schedule a Patriot league team instead of having Iona, but I'm not complaining about the matchup.

[malibudude]

Out West, Cal Poly's closest conference game is a 6 1/2 bus ride, next closest is a 12 hour bus ride, the Dakotas are a 5 hour bus ride, 4 hour plane trip and a 4 hour bus ride. Our OCC this year has been two 5 hour bus rides, two 5 hour plane trips and a two hour and 4 hour bus trip, and we have not even got to Wisconsin yet. Our away games are a wee bit more taxing than in your neck of the woods. Conversely, it is equally difficult and taxing to get to CP, although Wisconsin won't have to worry about that.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

How much of a scheduling difficulty is it? Your OOC schedules past few years have been...

2008: Army, Albany, Dartmouth
2007: Marshall, Dartmouth, Iona
2006: Northwestern, Stony Brook, Dartmouth
2005: UC Davis, Dartmouth, Iona
2004: Delaware, Rutgers, Dartmouth
2003: Central Connecticut, Central Michigan, Dartmouth
2002: Kent State, Dartmouth
2001: Hampton, Dartmouth
2000: Hampton, Dartmouth, Gardner-Webb

I don't really see how UNH has some kind of scheduling difficulty. They like to have 1 winnable FBS game, an annual game with Dartmouth, and one other OOC game. The extra has been Albany, Iona twice Stony Brook, Delaware, Central Connecticut, Hampton twice and Gardner-Webb.

Not sure why UNH can't schedule a Patriot league team instead of having Iona, but I'm not complaining about the matchup.

Probably because a Patriot League team doesn't want to play two CAA teams and in many cases even one CAA team. The one closest to Durham, Holy Cross, plays you guys and the four New England Ivies. The only other CAA-Patriot match-ups were Lehigh-Villanova, Fordham-Rhody, Georgetown-Richmond and Bucknell-Hofstra. And that's during a year when teams can play 12 games! Sorry, despite sharing the same geographic footprint, I just don't see the Patriot League as a significant OOC scheduling candidate. Same for the Ivy League.

Look, all I'm saying is that scheduling for UNH (and many other schools in the Northeast) isn't the walk in the park that most outside of our region assume it is. They take games requiring a flight as a given while we look at them as an exception. When you take the Patriot and Ivy out of the mix which both leagues effectively do, you've been left with the NEC and MAAC (and today what remains of it) for bus games. There is no long standing history of competition between UNH and most of these schools. And we'd get skewered for scheduling almost half of them like we have with Iona. And if you look back, when we scheduled CCSU and Stony Brook they weren't as strong as today.

I'm looking at a pool of Albany, Stony Brook, Central CT, Monmouth and very soon Bryant as the prospective pool for future OOC games. We only have FBS games in 2010 (Pitt) and 2014 (Chestnut Hill) on the docket. Don't forget the FBS AD's aren't exactly ringing our AD's phone off the hook since we've won our last four FBS games. Do you think any MAC ADs are looking to schedule UNH?

Don't forget that we only played UC Davis because Army dropped us late and we had to scramble and I believe Davis payed for travel expenses. (There wasn't a return game scheduled.) Don't forget that the OOC game at Delaware was a $$$ game for UNH and we only had four home games that year. I think that game was born out of a game that was supposed to be played then the A-10 modified the schedules when Towson joined. I don't think either type of game is a strong candidate for future schedules.

I've heard from so many different sources that Dartmouth is not going to renew the series when the current contract expires in 2011. So far for 2009, I've heard our OOC is Stony Brook and Dartmouth. Yeah, I'm assuming we can probably easily make our last OOC game with Albany, CCSU or Monmouth. How loud do you think the "weak schedule" argument will be on AGS if we can't get a FBS game and schedule another NEC game instead? Maybe Stony Brook and Albany (the most likely opponents due to their America East membership) are both top 25 by 2012, but what if they aren't and we have an OOC with both Albany and Stony Brook and say Bryant, Monmouth or CCSU in 2012?

Still think scheduling is easy?

[eaglewithabus]

whats with all the talk about having seven D1 wins? I was under the impression that the seven D1 wins was not a requirement to make the playoffs. But then again, GSU had seven wins last year and one of those wins was not against a D1 opponent, that will not be the case this year if we could manage to go 7-4 on the season. Also, how many of these outside teams have 12 games this year? Seems like a team sitting at 3-4 at this point of the season might have the playoff advantage if they have 12 games on the schedule and the games left were a softer part of the schedule. Oh well, thanks for the breakdown, are you going to update it each week?

[FCS Go!]

What is the odds of GSU going 4-0 and actually going into the playoffs after going 4-0? They had a 7-4 record last year and got beat out by NHU? with a 7-4 record also.

Will 4-0 get them the required 7 DI wins? That was the issue last year.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Out West, Cal Poly's closest conference game is a 6 1/2 bus ride, next closest is a 12 hour bus ride, the Dakotas are a 5 hour bus ride, 4 hour plane trip and a 4 hour bus ride. Our OCC this year has been two 5 hour bus rides, two 5 hour plane trips and a two hour and 4 hour bus trip, and we have not even got to Wisconsin yet. Our away games are a wee bit more taxing than in your neck of the woods. Conversely, it is equally difficult and taxing to get to CP, although Wisconsin won't have to worry about that.

Frankly, if many Eastern schools had to schedule the same way then I think you'd see wholesale termination of football programs because of the cost. Maybe if we had to do it out of necessity it would be a different story. I often wonder how the Western schools balance the books on football. Not everyone has the revenue from a 24K gate like Montana.

The most popular sport at UNH is Ice Hockey and we play in Hockey East. According to Mapquest the longest road trip for UNH is a tie between the University of Vermont and the University of Maine at three hours and 22 minutes. xeekx xeekx Even in the league where most UNH sports reside, America East, only one game is a flight game, UMBC (Baltimore). Flying just isn't the norm for UNH sports. NH is a very fiscally conservative state and there would be an outcry if the sports teams had to travel like most western schools do.

[appfan2008]

whats with all the talk about having seven D1 wins? I was under the impression that the seven D1 wins was not a requirement to make the playoffs. But then again, GSU had seven wins last year and one of those wins was not against a D1 opponent, that will not be the case this year if we could manage to go 7-4 on the season. Also, how many of these outside teams have 12 games this year? Seems like a team sitting at 3-4 at this point of the season might have the playoff advantage if they have 12 games on the schedule and the games left were a softer part of the schedule. Oh well, thanks for the breakdown, are you going to update it each week?

you have to have 7 DI wins to be eligible for an at large playoff spot... also most teams are playing 12

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

whats with all the talk about having seven D1 wins? I was under the impression that the seven D1 wins was not a requirement to make the playoffs. But then again, GSU had seven wins last year and one of those wins was not against a D1 opponent, that will not be the case this year if we could manage to go 7-4 on the season. Also, how many of these outside teams have 12 games this year? Seems like a team sitting at 3-4 at this point of the season might have the playoff advantage if they have 12 games on the schedule and the games left were a softer part of the schedule. Oh well, thanks for the breakdown, are you going to update it each week?

It's not a written in stone "rule", rather a guideline. But in reality over the past few seasons, it has been virtually a stone cold rule. IIRC, JMU, UMass, YSU and others have previously been stung by this guideline and GSU and others had the same thing happen last year. Frankly, by now any AD that schedules a D-II knows exactly what he/she is risking.

And yes, a 3-4 team today that wins out to go 8-4 will probably be in the playoff mix if they have seven D-I wins. It is going to be very interesting to see how the committee compares 10-1, 10-2, 9-2, 9-3, 8-3 and 8-4 teams this year. My guess is that the chance of a 7-4 team getting an at large bid this year is quite slim.

[Seven Would Be Nice]

Will 4-0 get them the required 7 DI wins? That was the issue last year.

Yes. Last year we Had a win over DII West Georgia as our Opener. This year we played UGA and lost.

[gsu1moretime]

Will 4-0 get them the required 7 DI wins? That was the issue last year.

so playing the number one ranked d 1 team in UGA and playing decently ... how does that help GSU's chances... other than playing a crappy d1 team like marshall which unh did last year and beat gsu out of the playoffs...

[FCS Go!]

so playing the number one ranked d 1 team in UGA and playing decently ... how does that help GSU's chances... other than playing a crappy d1 team like marshall which unh did last year and beat gsu out of the playoffs...

UNH didn't beat GSU out of the playoffs last year. W/o 7 DI wins GSU wasn't going to get in. Just about any other team with 7 DI wins would have gotten in before GSU.

As far as this year goes GSU needs to win out and a bunch of other teams need to lose. xsmhx

[AZGrizFan]

Big Sky
UM(6-1) must go 2-3
NAU(6-1) must go at least 3-2
WSU(6-2) must go 3-1
UNC Eliminated
Sac State Eliminated
MSU Eliminated
ISU Eliminated
EWU Eliminated
PSU Eliminated



NAU only has 4 games left, not 5. They've got 5 D-I wins right now, so would need to go 2-2. That would put them @ 8-3, which I don't think gets them in the playoffs. And with games against Weber, Montana, Montana State and EWU, I don't see them going 3-1.

[AZGrizFan]

Wow, I had no idea so many BSC teams were eliminated already. Thanks for putting this together.


UNC, Sac St., ISU, and PSU all have to do with losses.

MSU and EWU both have more to do with practically scheduling themselves out of the playoffs. By that I mean that they gave themselves such a small room for error.

Keep in mind, this is only for "at large" bids. There are still possible scenarios where MSU or EWU could win the autobid, I believe.

[letsgopards04]

Yup - they give out more schollies than all the PFL, and most of the NEC.

We only have one non-schollie west of the Rockies, and zero limited schollie teams. We don't have the D-I cupcake option like you do.


Any team that needs a win over IONA to make the playoffs shouldn't have been picked in the first place.

Hey the Patriot League are not cupcakes just because they are non-schollie. We may lose to the big schools but at least we make you work for it.

[Grizzaholic]

Keep in mind, this is only for "at large" bids. There are still possible scenarios where MSU or EWU could win the autobid, I believe.

BUt some crazy stuff would have to happen inorder for that to be the case.

[dbackjon]

Hey the Patriot League are not cupcakes just because they are non-schollie. We may lose to the big schools but at least we make you work for it.

I never mentioned the Patriot League. PFL = Pioneer Football Legaue.

[dbackjon]

NAU only has 4 games left, not 5. They've got 5 D-I wins right now, so would need to go 2-2. That would put them @ 8-3, which I don't think gets them in the playoffs. And with games against Weber, Montana, Montana State and EWU, I don't see them going 3-1.


8-3 could still make it, depending on how many 8 and 9 wins teams are out there. 8-3 would have made it easily last year.

[Tealblood]

but this year most of us are playing 12 games

[letsgopards04]

I never mentioned the Patriot League. PFL = Pioneer Football Legaue.


Yes but we are non-schollie.

[GaelsFootball]

Any word on conference affiliation for next year?

I admire that Iona will play anyone. Now you just need to drop those DIII games and start fill in that schedule with PFL, MEAC and PL teams.

We have 11 games next year...2 are non D1 (Wesley and Bently)

It's either Pioneer or Independent for the next couple of years. Hopefully for 2010 we will have a commitment by the school and be in Pioneer.

[whoanellie]

The Socon is down this year. I don't see anyone getting past the first round. Maybe if ASU or Woffie gets a home game.

how can you say that!
just sounds like you don't give your opponents any credit for edging you out in some very close games. 5 teams in top 25? forgetaboutit!xrulesx

[Maroon&White]

Probably because a Patriot League team doesn't want to play two CAA teams and in many cases even one CAA team. The one closest to Durham, Holy Cross, plays you guys and the four New England Ivies. The only other CAA-Patriot match-ups were Lehigh-Villanova, Fordham-Rhody, Georgetown-Richmond and Bucknell-Hofstra. And that's during a year when teams can play 12 games! Sorry, despite sharing the same geographic footprint, I just don't see the Patriot League as a significant OOC scheduling candidate. Same for the Ivy League.

Look, all I'm saying is that scheduling for UNH (and many other schools in the Northeast) isn't the walk in the park that most outside of our region assume it is. They take games requiring a flight as a given while we look at them as an exception. When you take the Patriot and Ivy out of the mix which both leagues effectively do, you've been left with the NEC and MAAC (and today what remains of it) for bus games. There is no long standing history of competition between UNH and most of these schools. And we'd get skewered for scheduling almost half of them like we have with Iona. And if you look back, when we scheduled CCSU and Stony Brook they weren't as strong as today.

I'm looking at a pool of Albany, Stony Brook, Central CT, Monmouth and very soon Bryant as the prospective pool for future OOC games. We only have FBS games in 2010 (Pitt) and 2014 (Chestnut Hill) on the docket. Don't forget the FBS AD's aren't exactly ringing our AD's phone off the hook since we've won our last four FBS games. Do you think any MAC ADs are looking to schedule UNH?

Don't forget that we only played UC Davis because Army dropped us late and we had to scramble and I believe Davis payed for travel expenses. (There wasn't a return game scheduled.) Don't forget that the OOC game at Delaware was a $$$ game for UNH and we only had four home games that year. I think that game was born out of a game that was supposed to be played then the A-10 modified the schedules when Towson joined. I don't think either type of game is a strong candidate for future schedules.

I've heard from so many different sources that Dartmouth is not going to renew the series when the current contract expires in 2011. So far for 2009, I've heard our OOC is Stony Brook and Dartmouth. Yeah, I'm assuming we can probably easily make our last OOC game with Albany, CCSU or Monmouth. How loud do you think the "weak schedule" argument will be on AGS if we can't get a FBS game and schedule another NEC game instead? Maybe Stony Brook and Albany (the most likely opponents due to their America East membership) are both top 25 by 2012, but what if they aren't and we have an OOC with both Albany and Stony Brook and say Bryant, Monmouth or CCSU in 2012?

Still think scheduling is easy?

I never said I think it is easy, I said I don't see how UNH is having difficulty doing it. They seem to be putting together good schedules every year.

If UNH doesn't schedule a FBS team and instead another FCS OOC (the ones you mentioned) in the future, then obviously talk of a weak schedule will come up. As well it should.

You are making your arguement by saying take the Ivy and Patriot league out of the mix. This is just silly. The fact is, UNH as well as other CAA schools, routinely play Ivy or Patriot League teams. Of course it would be harder to schedule if you took them out of the equation, but it doesn't work that way. Every year I looked at UNH played Dartmouth. That leaves maybe 2 more OOC games to fill. They have done a good job at getting an FBS team 6 out of the last 9 years (really 6 out of 7). That's 1 more game to fill.

Is the process of scheduling OOC games easy, of course not. It takes time to find an appropriate team to play and match dates. But it is MUCH easier for teams in the East to do so. There are just more schools. The CAA North has the Patriot, Ivy and NEC in its area to schedule OOC games, while the CAA South has the Southern, MEAC and Big South around. All can involve easy road trips. Teams in the west don't have that luxury.

I really don't know if it is harder to schedule in the west then in the east. I doubt there is much of a difference. What I do know is that there are more local options for teams to schedule in the east then in the west. Does that make scheduling easier? I don't know. It certainly makes trips longer and more expensive for western teams though.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

M&W, yes UNH manages to put together schedules, but I'm looking ahead and I'm anticipating problems if we can't schedule FBS teams and Dartmouth doesn't renew. Without Ivy and Patriot teams taking that slot in the schedule, there will be SOS issues. You think it is silly to take the Ivy and Patriot out of the mix, but the reality for all intent and purpose is those leagues do just that. Look at this year:

UNH-Dartmouth
URI-Brown
Towson-Columbia
Penn-Villanova

UMass-Holy Cross
Villanova-Lehigh
Hofstra-Bucknell
URI-Fordham
Richmond-Georgetown

That's it. And we're in a 12 game season. Considering that and sharing the same geographic footprint, I don't consider that very robust scheduling between our leagues especially with as many OOC games as the PL needs to schedule and the proximity of many Ivies to CAA schools.

When was the last time you guys played Harvard? Husky Alum has told me about the incredible deals that Northeastern has offered Harvard only to be turned down. When was the last time Hofstra and Columbia played? UNH often plays Yale, Brown and Harvard in many, many other sports, do you think any of then will schedule UNH if Dartmouth wusses out of the Granite State Series? We haven't played any of them in football since the 30's! Football-hockey doubleheaders (like NU and Maine have this weekend) could be scheduled between six of the Ivies and Maine, UNH, UMass or Northeastern. Does that ever happen? I hope I'm wrong, but I see the Ivy regressing into a D-I version of the NESCAC in football.

I see Holy Cross play you guys and four Ivies when UNH, NU and URI are all probably within an hour and a half ride (and closer than Dartmouth and Yale). Colgate scheduled Stony Brook, Coastal Carolina and Furman rather than any CAA teams in the Northeast. (At least they scheduled multiple non-Ivy games of some consequence.) Fordham scheduled Dayton instead of A-10 mates Richmond or you guys. And they scheduled Marist instead of a CAA team. Lafayette scheduled three Ivies, Marist and Liberty instead of any CAA teams. Lehigh scheduled Drake for their other non-Ivy OOC game.

I'm sorry, I just don't see how either the Patriot or Ivy League can be counted upon as a dependable source of OOC games for UNH. If UNH can continue an OOC of FBS, Dartmouth/other Ivy/Patriot and Albany/Stony Brook for our three games, then everything will be fine. But we already have gaps in the FBS slot and a rumored gap upcoming in the second category.

As a tangent (a new thread can be started if any feel the subject warrants it), to further that "NESCAC theory", I'm hoping that the Patriot, Pioneer and Ivy aren't about to morph into some D-I version of the NESCAC. (For those that don't know, the NESCAC is a D-III league in the Northeast with outstanding academic schools that play football against each other but have no OOC games. And IIRC they only play eight games a year and don't participate in the D-III playoffs.) FCS Football will be the loser if that happens.