The playoff field is now set, and while one road does lead through Montana, it leads through Bozeman rather than Billings. A new team takes over at #1 in the poll, and they’ve never been there before. The Big South crowns a surprising champion, the Missouri Valley proves that it’s either totally stacked or painfully mediocre, and we answer the question of whether or not anyone managed to get through the regular season unscathed after the jump.
Note that only the top five seeds are actually “seeds”, and are guaranteed to play at home through the quarterfinals. The remaining seeds, as listed here, are simply bracket extrapolations for illustrative purposes. For clarification, (n) is playoff seed, #n is poll ranking.
Automatic Bids clinched:
(4)Montana State (Big Sky Conference)
(16)Coastal Carolina (Big South Conference)
(2)William & Mary (Colonial Athletic Association)
(6)Bethune-Cookman (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
(14)Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
(20)Robert Morris (Northeast Conference)
(12)Southeast Missouri State (Ohio Valley Conference)
(19)Lehigh (Patriot League)
(1)Appalachian State (Southern Conference)
(8)Stephen F. Austin (Southland Conference)
At-large invitations:
(3)Delaware
(5)Eastern Washington
(7)Jacksonville State
(9)Villanova
(10)Wofford
(11)New Hampshire
(13)North Dakota State
(15)Georgia Southern
(17)Western Illinois
(18)South Carolina State
Colonial:
at Alabama 63, Georgia State 7 (Thursday)
#15 Villanova 28, at #1 Delaware 21 (OT)
at #6 William & Mary 41, #18 Richmond 3
at Rhode Island 37, #19 Massachusetts 34
at #14 New Hampshire 38, Towson 19
James Madison 14, at Maine 10
Old Dominion 33, at North Carolina Central 21
Two CAA teams played themselves out of the playoff picture on Saturday. Massachusetts saw a see-saw contest turn against them as Steve Probst hit Brandon Johnson-Farrell from three yards out with just over a minute to play, giving Rhode Island the win. Richmond’s playoff hopes ended in Williamsburg, as William & Mary routed the Spiders for their first win in the Capital Cup since 2004.
On the other side of the coin, Villanova saved themselves by upsetting Delaware in overtime. It was ‘Nova’s fifth straight win over the Blue Hens in the Battle of the Blue. New Hampshire also secured their invitation with an unsurprising win over Towson, in a game which was not as close as the score indicates; the Wildcats led 38-5 at the end of the third quarter. With Montana’s failure to make the field, UNH now holds the longest active streak of playoff appearances at seven.
James Madison needed a defended pass in the end zone on the final play of the game to hang on and beat Maine, thereby securing a winning record for the seventh straight year.
Saturday:
(2)William & Mary, (3)Delaware, (11) New Hampshire, and (9)Villanova idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: Georgia Southern/South Carolina State winner at (2)William & Mary
Second Round: Northern Iowa/Lehigh winner at (3)Delaware
Second Round: (11)New Hampshire at (6)Bethune-Cookman
Second Round: (9)Villanova at (8)Stephen F. Austin
Final Standings:
#4 William & Mary 8-3 6-2 #5 Delaware 9-2 6-2 #11 New Hampshire 7-4 5-3 #10 Villanova 7-4 5-3 Richmond 6-5 4-4 Massachusetts 6-5 4-4 Rhode Island 5-6 4-4 James Madison 6-5 3-5 Maine 4-7 3-5 Towson 1-10 0-8 Old Dominion 8-3 --- Georgia State 6-5 ---
Southern:
at Florida 38, #2 Appalachian State 10 (non-conference)
at #9 Wofford 45, Chattanooga 14
Georgia Southern 32, at Furman 28
at Elon 45, Western Carolina 14
The Citadel 13, at Samford 12
The battle for the SoCon’s passing yardage title, which had been bouncing back and forth between Chattanooga’s BJ Coleman and Elon’s Scott Riddle often separated by less than 10 yards at the end of any given weekend, was finally settled in decisive fashion. Coleman threw for 210 yards as Chattanooga’s playoff hopes were doused at Wofford (who themselves secured an at-large bid with the win). Meanwhile, Riddle lit Western Carolina up, throwing for 452 yards and five touchdowns in the Phoenix’s victory. Riddle ends his career with four straight conference passing yardage titles, the only SoCon quarterback to have ever achieved the feat. Riddle amassed 13,264 passing yards in his career, the fourth highest-total in FCS history and a SoCon record.
The Citadel saved themselves from a winless conference season thanks to an 8-yard Ben Dupree touchdown run with 3:04 to go, lifting the Bulldogs to victory.
Georgia Southern hung onto their playoff hopes on a 4-yard Jaybo Shaw touchdown run with just over a minute to play, dealing Furman yet another painful loss in Bobby Lamb’s finale as Paladins head coach.
Saturday:
First Round: (18)South Carolina State at (15)Georgia Southern
(1)Appalachian State and (10)Wofford idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: Coastal Carolina/Western Illinois winner at (1)Appalachian State
Second Round: (10)Wofford at (7)Jacksonville State
Final Standings:
#2 Appalachian State 9-2 7-1 #7 Wofford 9-2 7-1 #20 Georgia Southern 7-4 5-3 Elon 6-5 5-3 Chattanooga 6-5 5-3 Furman 5-6 3-5 Samford 4-7 2-6 The Citadel 3-8 1-7 Western Carolina 2-9 1-7
Big Sky:
at #3 Eastern Washington 34, Idaho State 7
#8 Montana State 21, at #11 Montana 16
at Texas Tech 64, Weber State 21 (non-conference)
at Cal-Davis 17, Sacramento State 16 (non-conference)
at Northern Arizona 62, Portland State 14
Northern Colorado idle (season complete)
The 100th edition of the Brawl of the Wild was a wild one indeed, as what looked like a track meet in the snow in the first half turned into a defensive struggle in the second. Montana stifled Montana State’s offense in the last two periods while moving the ball well themselves; however, the Grizzlies committed four turnovers in the second half, two inside the MSU 10-yard line, allowing the Bobcats to maintain their lead and secure the league’s automatic bid; Montana, on the other hand, will miss the post-season for the first time since 1993. MSU shares the conference title with Eastern Washington, who easily handled Idaho State. Thanks to losses atop the rankings, EWU got a reward in addition to an at-large bid: the #1 ranking in the final regular-season poll, the first #1 ranking in the school’s history.
Sacramento State’s dim playoff hopes ended in the rain with a non-conference loss to Cal-Davis, in a game delayed 35 minutes by lightning. A missed PAT after the Hornets’ first touchdown ended up being the margin of defeat, and all 17 Davis points came off Sacramento turnovers. Northern Arizona ran all over Portland State, as Giovannie Dixon ran for 219 yards and Zach Bauman added 152. In Lubbock, despite being thrashed by FBS Texas Tech, Weber QB Cameron Higgins grabbed the last school record he didn’t already hold as he pushed his career passing yardage total to 12,274.
Saturday:
(4)Montana State and (5)Eastern Washington idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: North Dakota State/Robert Morris winner at (4)Montana State
Second Round: (12)Southeast Missouri State at (5)Eastern Washington
Final Standings:
#6 Montana State 9-2 7-1 #1 Eastern Washington 9-2 7-1 #15 Montana 7-4 5-3 Sacramento State 6-5 5-3 Weber State 6-5 5-3 Northern Arizona 6-5 4-4 Northern Colorado 3-8 2-6 Portland State 2-9 1-7 Idaho State 1-10 0-8
Ohio Valley:
at Tennessee Tech 35, #4 Jacksonville State 24
at Eastern Kentucky 17, Austin Peay 3
at Murray State 28, Tennessee State 23
#10 Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee-Martin idle (seasons complete)
After taking control of the conference race by knocking off Southeast Missouri State, Jacksonville turned around and handed SEMO the outright title by losing at Cookeville. They didn’t cost themselves a playoff bid, but did fumble away a seed. Eastern Kentucky survived a rash of turnovers thanks to a stingy defense, handling Austin Peay. Tennessee State went winless in conference play for the first time since joining the OVC.
Saturday:
(7)Jacksonville State and (12)Southeast Missouri State idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: (10)Wofford at (7)Jacksonville State
Second Round: (12)Southeast Missouri State at (5)Eastern Washington
Final Standings:
#9 Southeast Missouri State 9-2 7-1 #8 Jacksonville State 9-2 6-2 Eastern Kentucky 6-5 5-2 Murray State 6-5 5-3 Tennessee-Martin 6-5 5-3 Tennessee Tech 5-6 4-4 Eastern Illinois 2-9 2-6 Austin Peay 2-9 1-7 Tennessee State 3-8 0-7
Southland:
at #5 Stephen F. Austin 36, Northwestern State 13
at Central Arkansas 28, McNeese State 24
at Sam Houston State 31, Texas State 29
at Nicholls State 27, Southeastern Louisiana 25
at Lamar 44, Oklahoma Panhandle State 6
Sam Houston fought off a valiant comeback attempt, as Texas State rallied from a 28-9 deficit. A dropped pass on a two-point conversion attempt with 2:38 to play was the difference. Whatever hopes McNeese State had of sneaking into the playoffs pretty much died in the first eight minutes against UCA, as the Bears jumped out to a 21-point lead. The Cowboys fought back, but weren’t able to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves. In what could be the last game for both schools if the Louisiana legislature really starts tightening the belt, Nicholls captured the River Bell by… you see the score, you already know. Southeastern was unable to convert the two-point conversion after scoring with a couple of minutes to go.
Northwestern QB Paul Harris was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and Stephen F. Austin rolled to victory and the outright conference title and automatic bid. Lumberjack QB Jeremy Moses lit up the Demons for 459 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Saturday:
(8)Stephen F. Austin idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: (9)Villanova at (8)Stephen F. Austin
Final Standings:
#3 Stephen F. Austin 9-2 6-1 McNeese State 6-5 5-2 Central Arkansas 7-4 4-3 Sam Houston State 6-5 4-3 Northwestern State 5-6 4-3 Nicholls State 4-7 3-4 Texas State 4-7 1-6 Southeastern Louisiana 2-9 1-6 Lamar 5-6 ---
Missouri Valley:
at Western Illinois 30, #13 Northern Iowa 14
at Missouri State 3, #17 North Dakota State 0
at South Dakota State 21, North Dakota 0 (non-conference)
at Southern Illinois 49, Indiana State 21
Illinois State and Youngstown State idle (seasons complete)
Northern Iowa had their worst offensive day of the season (265 yards), and their worst defensive day as well (527 yards), as they cost themselves a first-round bye and handed Western Illinois a playoff berth. As a result of other action in the league, had Northern Iowa won this game there would have been a seven-way tie for second place. Alas, we’ll have to settle for a six-way tie for third. And that, more than anything, might explain why the MVFC got three four-loss teams in the field; this was, more than any other season I can recall, a clear case of the league beating itself into submission.
As far as those other results, Chris Dieker threw for 279 and 4 TDs, and ran for another pair of scores, as SIU romped all over Indiana State. Austin Witmer drove in three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Missouri State defense pitched a shutout to knock off the Bison. Offense was also at a premium in Brookings, as South Dakota State relied on big special teams plays and turnovers to garner good field position for their scoring drives.
Saturday:
First Round: (20)Robert Morris at (13)North Dakota State
First Round: (19)Lehigh at (14)Northern Iowa
First Round: (17)Western Illinois at (16)Coastal Carolina
Final Standings:
#16 Northern Iowa 7-4 6-2 #21 Western Illinois 7-4 5-3 #25 North Dakota State 7-4 4-4 Indiana State 6-5 4-4 Illinois State 6-5 4-4 Missouri State 5-6 4-4 Southern Illinois 5-6 4-4 South Dakota State 5-6 4-4 Youngstown State 3-8 1-7
Mid-Eastern:
at Florida A&M 38, #7 Bethune-Cookman 27
#12 South Carolina State 48, at North Carolina A&T 3
Hampton 21, at Morgan State 16
Norfolk State 42, at Savannah State 6 (not a conference game yet)
Delaware State 53, at Howard 43
Old Dominion 33, at North Carolina Central 21
So, so close. BCU had a 27-14 lead at the half and appeared on their way to the perfect regular season when it all came unraveled. Phillip Sylvester ran for 144 second-half yards and two scores to help the Rattlers mount a furious comeback, and FAMU’s defense kept the Wildcats silent in the final two quarters. Along with SC State’s demolition of NCA&T, the end result is a three-way tie for the MEAC championship, with Bethune-Cookman earning the automatic bid, a first-round bye, and a home game. South Carolina State was the recipient of an at-large invitation, which is at the same time logical and surprising.
Anthony Glaud threw for 351 yards (217 to Justin Wilson) and 4 TDs (all to Wilson) as Delaware State got past Howard. In Norfolk’s win over Savannah, DeAngelo Branche set the Spartans’ career rushing record with a 233-yard day which pushed his career total to 3,678 yards. Hampton drove 78 yards in the final minute to score the winning touchdown over Morgan State.
Saturday:
First Round: (18)South Carolina State at (15)Georgia Southern
(6)Bethune-Cookman idle
Saturday, December 4:
Second Round: (11)New Hampshire at (6)Bethune-Cookman
Final Standings:
#13 Bethune-Cookman 10-1 7-1 #12 South Carolina State 9-2 7-1 Florida A&M 8-3 7-1 Hampton 6-5 5-3 Norfolk State 6-5 4-4 Morgan State 4-7 3-5 Delaware State 3-8 2-6 North Carolina A&T 1-10 1-7 Howard 1-10 0-8 North Carolina Central 3-9 --- Savannah State 1-10 ---
Great West:
at Cal-Davis 17, Sacramento State 16 (non-conference)
at South Dakota State 21, North Dakota 0 (non-conference)
#23 Cal Poly, Southern Utah, and South Dakota idle (seasons complete)
A 35-minute lightning delay interrupted the proceedings, but in the end Cal-Davis was able to depend on the leg of kicker Sean Kelley, who hit a 21-yarder midway through the fourth quarter to push Davis ahead to stay.
Saturday:
Season complete.
Final Standings:
Southern Utah 6-5 4-0 Cal-Davis 6-5 3-1 #22 Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 7-4 3-3 South Dakota 4-7 1-3 North Dakota 3-8 0-4
Big South:
at #21 Liberty 54, Stony Brook 28
at Coastal Carolina 70, Charleston Southern 3
at Gardner-Webb 10, VMI 7
at Presbyterian 42, Davidson 6 (non-conference)
What a ridonkulous ending to the season. The end result of the three-way tie, which came down to points allowed in conference games, was Coastal Carolina 109, Stony Brook 122, Liberty 138.
Zach MacDowall threw five touchdown passes, breaking the record for TD passes in a Big South Conference game, as Coastal destroyed Charleston Southern. Stony Brook had only allowed 68 points in conference games; Liberty damn near doubled that in the season finale, costing the Seawolves the playoff bid. (Watch out for Stony Brook next year, though: they return 17 starters.)
Saturday:
First Round: (17)Western Illinois at (16)Coastal Carolina
Final Standings:
Coastal Carolina 6-5 5-1 Stony Brook 6-5 5-1 #17 Liberty 8-3 5-1 Gardner-Webb 4-7 2-4 Virginia Military 3-8 2-4 Charleston Southern 3-8 1-5 Presbyterian 2-9 1-5
Ivy:
#16 Penn 31, at Cornell 7
at Harvard 28, Yale 21
at Brown 38, Columbia 16
Dartmouth 31, at Princeton 0
Penn easily handled Cornell, while Yale’s desperate fourth-quarter comeback attempt died in the final minute to allow Harvard to win The Game. Either result would have been enough to hand Penn the Ivy League crown.
Saturday:
Season complete.
Final Standings:
#14 Pennsylvania 9-1 7-0 Harvard 7-3 5-2 Yale 7-3 5-2 Brown 6-4 5-2 Dartmouth 6-4 3-4 Columbia 4-6 2-5 Cornell 2-8 1-6 Princeton 1-9 0-7
Pioneer:
at Presbyterian 42, Davidson 6 (non-conference)
at Morehead State 30, Campbell 24 (2OT)
at Georgetown 14, Marist 7 (non-conference)
#20 Jacksonville, #24 Dayton, Drake, San Diego, Butler, and Valparaiso idle (seasons complete)
Gaudy records weren’t enough to get either Jacksonville or Dayton through the door, which is an indication they’re probably going to have to meet the “automatic at-large” requirements to get into the field in the future, unless they petition for and receive an auto-bid.
Morehead came back to tie the score with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, then traded scores in the first overtime before Campbell was halted in the second. Morehead found the end zone in the portion of the period to escape with the win. Marist safety Nick Mainiero had two interceptions, but the Red Foxes were unable to capitalize offensively in their loss to Georgetown.
Saturday:
Season complete.
Final Standings:
#18 Jacksonville 10-1 8-0 #23 Dayton 10-1 8-0 Drake 7-4 6-2 San Diego 5-6 5-3 Morehead State 5-6 4-4 Davidson 3-8 3-5 Butler 4-7 2-6 Marist 3-8 2-6 Campbell 3-8 2-6 Valparaiso 0-11 0-8
Southwestern:
at Texas Southern 20, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 13
Jackson State 27, at Alcorn State 14
Prairie View A&M 35, at Alabama A&M 14
Mississippi Valley State idle (season complete)
Texas Southern clinched the West Division title with their win over UAPB, setting up the matchup in the SWAC championship game in two weeks. Jackson State lost QB Casey Therriault and RB Alfred Moreland to injury, but the defense picked up the slack and carried them to victory over Alcorn.
Thanksgiving:
Tuskegee (8-2, D-II) at Alabama State (7-3, 6-3) (non-conference)
Saturday:
#24 Grambling State (8-3, 7-1) at Southern (2-8, 1-7)
Saturday, December 11:
SWAC Championship Game: Alabama State at Texas Southern
Northeast:
at Central Connecticut State 23, St. Francis (PA) 13
at Sacred Heart 38, Wagner 22
Duquesne 37, at Bryant 29
at Albany 28, Monmouth 19
Robert Morris idle (season complete)
Central Connecticut State slid in under the wire to grab a share of the NEC title by beating St. Francis. The Blue Devils led 23-0 going into the fourth before allowing a couple of garbage scores.
Duquesne trailed 8-3 with a minute to go in the first quarter before Sean Patterson broke off a 56-yard TD run, followed by a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff which led to another Dukes touchdown only 16 seconds after the previous one. From that point, they basically matched scores with Bryant, holding on for the win. Monmouth had chances to catch Albany, but were undone by four turnovers in the second half, one of which was a fumble return for a touchdown in the final two minutes which sealed the win for the Great Danes. Sacred Heart pounced on Wagner, rolling up a 31-7 lead at the half and then coasting to the win.
Saturday:
First Round: (20)Robert Morris at (13)North Dakota State
Final Standings:
Robert Morris 8-2 7-1 Central Connecticut State 8-3 7-1 Duquesne 7-4 5-3 Bryant 7-4 4-4 Albany 6-5 4-4 Wagner 5-6 3-5 Monmouth 3-8 3-5 Sacred Heart 4-7 2-6 St. Francis (PA) 1-10 1-7
Patriot:
#22 Lehigh 20, at Lafayette 13
Colgate 47, at Fordham 12 (not a conference game)
at Georgetown 14, Marist 7 (non-conference)
at Holy Cross 34, Bucknell 9
The 146th edition of the oldest game out there was a defensive struggle, with neither team putting points on the board until Lehigh churned out a 16-play, 92-yard drive which consumed the first half of the second quarter. The Mountain Hawks would score on a blocked punt after a three-and-out on the first possession of the second half, and again on a 98-yard drive following an interception which halted a Lafayette advance at the Lehigh two.
Nate Eachus rambled for 204 yards as Colgate hammered Fordham.
Saturday:
First Round: (19)Lehigh at (14)Northern Iowa
Final Standings:
#19 Lehigh 9-2 5-0 Colgate 7-4 3-2 Holy Cross 6-5 3-2 Georgetown 4-7 2-3 Lafayette 2-9 1-4 Bucknell 1-10 1-4 Fordham 5-6 ---
Independent:
South Alabama (10-0) idle (season complete)