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The Pioneer Football League will begin its 30th season of play this year. Davidson has captured the last two automatic qualifying spots for the league in the postseason. The Wildcats look to make it three in a row.
This season, I had the honor to be included by Craig Haley as one of the 40 voters in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 for the Spring. Along with the Top 25 vote comes the opportunity to vote for the FCS Legacy Awards: Walter Payton, Buck Buchanan, Eddie Robinson and Jerry Rice.
The conference schedule for the eight teams that will play in the Pioneer Football League begin this week. The PFL will play a six-week sprint of a spring season before the champion of the league advances to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs.
CSJ’s Predicted Order of Finish 1. San Diego 2. Drake 3. Davidson 4. Stetson 5. Morehead State 6. Butler 7. Valparaiso 8. Presbyterian Dayton & Marist * (not participating in spring season) 2019 PFL NCAA Division I FCS Playoff Results First Round Northern Iowa 17 San Diego 3 The Pioneer Football League will begin.
One team made a strong bid for a top seed and another did all it could to nail down a playoff berth of its own as Monmouth and Kennesaw State posted huge wins to close the 2019 Big South Conference season.
KSU can ill afford a loss in the regular season finale against Gardner-Webb. If that happens, it could open the door to a realm of possible scenarios when the playoff field is announced Sunday. The Owls would finish the regular season with a 9-3 overall record, again, a mark that would normally get a team a postseason opportunity.
The Big South is a misnomer. It’s footprint extends well past the confines of the southeastern United States. In fact, the celebratory foot-tapping is being heard all the way into New Jersey and the campus of Monmouth University.
Monmouth, currently ranked No. 15 in the nation, and Campbell square off in a huge conference tilt that could go a long way in determining how the long season eventually plays itself out. A Monmouth win will assure the Hawks of no worse than a tie for the BSC championship.
Monmouth entrenched itself into the driver’s seat in the race for the Big South Conference championship with a big win over North Alabama on Saturday to remain unbeaten in league play. The Hawks can secure at least a share of the conference title with a win next weekend at Campbell, which also remains alive for the conference title.
The Owls, who lost to Monmouth last weekend, have a chance at redemption and can climb back into the hunt for another Big South Conference title on Saturday when they travel to Campbell in a key BSC matchup.
The shockwaves are sure to be felt across the FCS landscape when the national rankings are released later this week after Monmouth handled Kennesaw State in surprising fashion 45-21 on Saturday in Kennesaw, Ga.
Drama promises to be the operative word as the race toward the Big South championship kicks into high gear. But even the drama will not bring things into much clearer focus as two teams will be undefeated in conference play when all the dust settles late Saturday afternoon. Campbell enters the weekend a 3-0 record.
The big boys of the Big South did all they were supposed to do as the race for the conference championship prepares to shift into high gear.
The logjam atop the Big South Conference standings should remain intact for at least one more week as the three undefeated teams are favored to remain that way. Kennesaw State and Monmouth enter the weekend as heavy favorites to handle North Alabama, which is not eligible for the conference championship as the school transitions from NCAA Division II, and Charleston Southern, respectively. Campbell, meanwhile, could be in for a battle on the road at Gardner-Webb, which has played well in spurts in 2019.
National power Kennesaw State delivered a statement to Big South foes and to anyone else who may have been doubting the No. 4-ranked Owls with an impressive win over Presbyterian as KSU improved to 2-0 in conference play and 6-1 on the season. Campbell and Monmouth kept pace with the Owls with convincing wins of.
It’s been a season of highs and lows for Hampton as the Pirates look to be a factor in the Big South race. They will need Saturday to be one of those highs if they are to have any hope of challenging for the conference crown as the Pirates travel to take on Campbell in the Camels’ homecoming.
Conference play is still a couple of weeks away, but the teams of the Big South take on some interesting challenges out-of-conference this week, including an FBS game, a trip to an iconic FCS football stadium, and a game against a Missouri Valley opponent.
The PFL starts their 2019 journeys this week with the most diverse out-of-conference slate in all fo the FCS. Butler takes on the defending FCS National Champion North Dakota State Bison, and nearby D-II Union (KY) takes on Morehead State, but the most interesting matchup might involve two surprise teams that could be a.
Kennesaw State has dominated the Big South Conference for the last couple of years. After losing 17 OGs to graduation, 2019 will be interesting to see if any of the other teams below them have closed the gap.
Presbyterian Blue Hose Location: Clinton, SC Coach: Tommy Spangler (48-39), 8th Season Stadium: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 6,500) CSJ Projections: 7th: Big South 9th: South Carolina 124th: FCS 254th: Division I 2018 In A Sentence: The Blue Hose limped to a 2-8 season, their only victories coming against a pair of NAIA schools, Bluefield College.
