CSJ Sagarin 2018 NCAA FCS Playoff Projection – Oct. 28

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 22 North Dakota State MVFC
2 65 James Madison CAA
3 68 South Dakota State At-Large1
4 82 Illinois State At-Large2
5 86 Northern Iowa At-Large3
– 88 Princeton Ivy
6 96 Eastern Washington Big Sky
7 103 UC Davis At-Large4
8 104 Kennesaw State Big South
9 109 Weber State At-Large5
10 110 Delaware At-Large6
11 112 Elon At-Large7
12 115 Colgate Patriot
13 116 Jacksonville State OVC
14 119 Samford SoCon
– 120 Dartmouth Ivy
15 121 Western Illinois At-Large8
16 123 Stony Brook At-Large9
17 127 Wofford At-Large10
18 129 Towson At-Large11
19 131 Idaho State At-Large12
20 134 North Dakota At-Large13
21 137 South Dakota At-Large14
22 139 Nicholls State Southland
23 203 San Diego Pioneer
24 205 Central Connecticut State NEC
Note that Nicholls State, 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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