CSJ Sagarin 2018 NCAA FCS Playoff Projection – Oct. 21

On By Kent Schmidt

Using the Sagarin ratings alone to project the FCS playoffs, along with the automatic bid for the conferences that receive a bid, the following would be the playoff teams this week. These teams are seeded 1 through 24 for the 24 teams that make the FCS playoffs.

As a reminder, the following conferences receive an automatic bid, while 14 teams are selected as at-large picks.

Big Sky Conference
Big South Conference
Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA)
Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
Northeast Conference (NEC)
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
Patriot League
Pioneer Football League 
Southern Conference
Southland Conference

Top 25 Rankings with playoff spot with the conference name indicating the automatic spot for its conference and then the 14 at-large spots also listed. See the full Top 25 with the hyperlink.

The number to the left of the school is the overall Sagarin rating.

1 29 North Dakota State MVFC
2 57 James Madison CAA
3 74 Northern Iowa At-Large1
4 75 South Dakota State At-Large2
5 77 Illinois State At-Large3
6 95 Eastern Washington Big Sky
– 99 Princeton x (Ivy)
7 102 Kennesaw State Big South
8 106 UC Davis At-Large4
9 111 Delaware At-Large5
10 113 Weber State At-Large6
11 114 Elon At-Large7
– 116 Dartmouth x (Ivy)
12 119 Samford At-Large8
13 120 Colgate Patriot
14 122 Stony Brook At-Large9
15 124 Jacksonville State OVC
16 127 Towson At-Large10
17 128 North Dakota At-Large11
18 131 Western Illinois At-Large12
19 134 South Dakota At-Large13
20 136 Wofford SoCon
21 137 Idaho State At-Large14
22 142 Central Arkansas Southland
23 202 San Diego Pioneer
24 212 Central Connecticut NEC
Note that Central Arkansas, Central Connecticut State, and San Diego are currently leading the Southland, NEC, and Pioneer League and would be the last three schools into the field as those conference champions.
Also note that the Ivy League, MEAC, and SWAC do not have autobids. The MEAC and SWAC champions play in the Celebration Bowl. The SWAC also plays a championship game so both division champions would not be able to participate but any second place or lower team in either conference would be eligible.
For this week, no MEAC or SWAC schools are in the Top 22 of the standings. But Princeton and Dartmouth from the Ivy League, who are in the this Top 22 are not eligible for the playoffs due to the Ivy League rule of no postseason play so these two were left off.

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