Covering All College Sports Since 2012
As of right now, the FCS Playoff field feels like the show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway”, where the picks are just random improvisations of things that end up not making any sense. Nonetheless, we’ll keep pressing on, trying to figure out some version of truth.
The showdown between Villanova and James Madison lived up to its billing. The game was back and forth until the Dukes took hold in the fourth quarter to pick up the win. Elsewhere in the league, New Hampshire continued its strong start on the road at Stony Brook. Towson and Maine both faltered at home against Albany and Richmond respectively.
Welcome, America, to the FCSP’TID Cover Photo Curse.
Eastern Washington, UC Davis, Jacksonville State, and, last week, Montana State graced this space as rising teams that were all but guaranteed spots in the FCS playoffs after a particularly impressive win, or a gut-check performance.
Call it “Conference Carnage Week”.
High-profile conference games ended upending conference championship races, and further cementing others on top of the standings.
Villanova and James Madison may have been caught looking ahead to their showdown last week, as both had to survive and win late. Take nothing away from Stony Brook and William & Mary, who gave those two teams all they could handle. The CAA title may well be on the line this week in Harrisonburg.
Don’t bother looking at my previous editions of “Playoffs ‘Til I Die” to get a solid playoff bracket. Like the rest of America, I had Eastern Washington and UC Davis in my brackets and now, let’s just say, they are not. As the Big Sky autobid turns, however, we inch ever closer to a better.
It was a week of thrilling conference rivalries, and it’s the “Military Classic of the South” that yielded the best story of them all.
Villanova and James Madison appear to be on a collision course for an epic showdown next weekend after both posted impressive victories over ranked teams last weekend. The winner of that game on 10/12 will be in the CAA driver’s seat. But neither can get too far ahead of themselves since both of them have tough games this week.
A week ago, UC Davis was being lauded for giving top-ranked North Dakota State a true run for their money at their place. Last week, thanks to a sneak Grizzly attack, Aggie fans have to wonder whether they can still make the playoffs.
Villanova showed that they are not to be forgotten in the CAA race in 2019. The Wildcats went toe to toe with the best offense in the conference – Towson – and came away victorious. Daniel Smith has been spectacular through four games with 13 touchdowns passing and four more rushing. Most teams in the CAA are getting into conference play from here on out so the path to the playoffs is going to start to clear up.
It would be nice if Eastern Washington would stop making my sample FCS Playoff brackets look so foolish. The first playoff bracket of the season, I had the Eagles in the field as a seed, mostly on the backs of their potential to win the Big Sky. Two losses and a 1-3 record later, I’m.
Without question the top FCS game of the week was the battle of FCS powerhouses in the Fargodome.Returning home after 47-22 victory the week before against Delaware, the heavily-favored Bison had a very tough battle against visiting UC Davis, ultimately winning 27-16 after scoring a late touchdown to finally put the game in the win column for North Dakota State.
Towson showed they aren’t going away in the CAA and FCS race. The Tigers easily beat Maine by 22 points last week. In the only other CAA matchup, Elon picked up its first conference win, cruising by Richmond. In a couple more weeks, conference play will be in full swing. But for this week there are only two conference matchups while James Madison plays an interesting out of conference contest at Chattanooga.
Last week, we shook the dust off our first laughable attempt at picking an FCS Playoff field, and this week, we make another laughable attempt at picking an FCS Playoff field, but with a few more data points so that it’s, well, a tiny bit less hilarious. This week, we saw North Dakota State extend.
It was a week of high-profile Top 25 clashes in FCS this week, as the marquee games of the week pitted Delaware vs. North Dakota State and Eastern Washington vs. Jacksonville State. One was a Bison display of dominance, the other a thriller that could be the game of the year. Adding to the fun of this week’s games was a shootout in Vermillion, South Dakota and another big FBS upset in Georgia.
Week two brought a mixed bag of results. The highlight of the weekend was the triple OT thriller in Meade Stadium that saw Delaware outlast the host Rhode Island Rams. That game set the stage for what should be an excellent season of conference matchups.
There truly is a never-ending search for content, a fact I was reminded of when I was politely and earnestly asked this week about coming up with an FCS playoff projection for the 2019 season.
30. 33. 38. 35. 26. 35. 31. No, that’s not a high school locker combination, or a quarterback audible. Those are the point totals Villanova were able to exact on Lehigh during their last seven meetings on the gridiron, all Wildcat victories. The Mountain Hawks have played the Wildcats seven times in the last eleven.
The CAA had a solid showing on opening weekend with all its teams combining to go 7-1 against FCS opponents. The lone loss was suffered by Elon to nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T, 24-21, on a 52 yard field goal as time expired. Against an FBS school, James Madison gave West Virginia all they could handle before ultimately falling to the Mountaineers. On to week two where the CAA faces four more FBS teams and a couple of strong non-conference games.
A new season is finally upon us. The Colonial Athletic Association is always among the top conference in the country and 2019 looks to be no different. Villanova already made a statement in week zero against Colgate. Most everyone else gets going this week.
The CAA had an excellent regular season in 2018 culminating with a record 6 playoff berths. However, once they got there, everyone except for Maine fell flat. The Colonial again looks strong with most every team feeling like they have a shot at the playoffs.
James Madison fell short of expectations, missing out on the conference title and losing in the second round of the FCS playoffs to Colgate. The Dukes struggled in the red zone and with turnovers. A 9-4 season was certainly a disappointment in Harrisonburg.
Colgate’s 2018 defense was one of the most suffocating defenses in recent memory. The Raiders allowed a total of three touchdowns in conference play, two of which were scored by Holy Cross in the first week of the season.
Maine was the biggest surprise of the 2018 FCS season. The Black Bears entered the season projected to finish 8th in the CAA and went out and won the league outright. Maine reached the semifinals of the FCS playoffs before falling to eventual national runner-up Eastern Washington. The Black Bears also picked up a win over an FCS foe with a 31-28 victory over Western Kentucky.
Elon had a strong start to their season, including handing James Madison its first home loss in three years. However, the Phoenix encountered some key injuries on offense which led them to lose their final three games of the season. Elon made back to back playoff appearances for the first time in school history.
Towson found a quarterback to start the 2018 season and that made all the difference. QB Tom Flacco, brother of the NFLs’ Joe Flacco, took the reins and led the Tigers to a 7-5 season and an FCS playoff appearance. After a strong start, Towson fell off, losing 4 of their last 5 games including an inexplicable playoff loss at home to Duquesne.
Delaware used a strong defense to start the 2018 season 7-2 to put themselves in contention for the CAA title and potential playoff seed. However, the Blue Hens lost their final two regular season games before falling in the first round of the playoffs against fellow CAA member James Madison.
New Hampshire had high expectations for 2018 that came crashing down to Earth with an awful 1-6 start to the season. The Wildcats bounced back with a couple of nice wins over Villanova and James Madison, but the damage was done early.
2018 started with a bang for Villanova with a win over FBS Temple. The Wildcats looked like contenders in not only the CAA, but the entire FCS with a 3-1 start, but then the wheels fell off. Nova lost five of their next six games before winning the annual Battle of the Blue game against Delaware.
Rhode Island was one of the early surprises of the FCS season 2018, starting 5-1 and taking FBS UConn to the limit before losing 56-49. The Rams offense fired on all cylinders, and even kept pace when quarterback JaJuan Lawson went down to injury.
Stony Brook had a solid season in 2018, although they took a step back from their excellent 2017 season. The Seawolves made the FCS playoff field, losing in the first round to Southeast Missouri State 28-14.
ichmond came into the 2018 season hoping to make a run at a playoff spot. But a porous defense caused the Spiders to struggle the entire season allowing 27 or more points 8 times.
In August 2018, long time head coach Jimmye Laycock announced that his 39th season would be his last. William and Mary sent him out with a 4-6 record, which is not what they were looking for.
The Great Danes struggled through a tough CAA schedule, but shocked the league by defeating in-state ranked rival Stony Brook on the last weekend of the season to go out on a high note.
It’s May. Spring football is over, and the preseason camps don’t start for a couple months. We are in the doldrums of the FCS offseason. But at this point, everyone is 0-0 and hope springs eternal. 127 schools think they have a shot to make the playoffs and compete for an FCS Championship in Frisco..
The Black Bears will need a much better offensive game against a tougher Eastern Washington team and they are going to have to match their defensive pressure to keep Eric Barriere uncomfortable and in the pocket.
Seventh seeded Maine’s national championship run continued with its Division I FCS quarterfinals win over two-seeded Weber State 23-18 in front of 7,726 in attendance at Stewart Stadium.
(7) Maine at (2) Weber State When: Friday, December 7, 8:00 PM Where: Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT TV/Streaming: ESPN2, WatchESPN (subscription req’d) Maine Black Bears Orono, Maine Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 8,677 FCS Sagarin Rating: 25 How They Got Here: Maine got 4 first half touchdown passes from Chris Ferguson to lead 42-14 at the.
Furman at Elon When: Tuesday, December 4, 7:00 PM Where: Schar Center, Elon, NC TV/Streaming: CAA.TV Furman Paladins (8-0, 0-0) Greenville, South Carolina Southern Conference Enrollment: 2,746 FCS Sagarin Rating: 118 (21 in CSJ Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25) Scouting Report: Newly ranked in the AP Top 25 thanks to their shocking upset of Villanova,.
Orono, Maine — The No. 7 seeded University of Maine football team (9-3) jumped out to an early 21-0 lead in Saturday’s NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Second Round contest and never looked back, defeating No. 8/9 Jacksonville State, 55-27 at Alfond Stadium. The victory marked Maine’s first-ever home playoff victory and will advance the.
HAMILTON, NY.– It was an instant classic of an FCS Playoff game in Hamilton, New York this afternoon as kicker Chris Puzzi nailed a 38 yard field goal as time expired to lift his Colgate Raiders to a 23-20 win over James Madison. “We knew that this was going to be a low-scoring game,” Colgate.
James Madison at (8) Colgate When: Saturday, December 1, 1:00 PM Where: Crown Field at Kerr Stadium, Hamilton, NY TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 James Madison Dukes Harrisonburg, Virginia Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 19,000 FCS Sagarin Rating: 4 How They Got Here: James Madison used a suffocating defense and a good enough offense to defeat Delaware.
Jacksonville State at (8) Maine When: Saturday, December, 12:00 PM Where: Alfond Stadium, Orono, ME TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 Jacksonville State Gamecocks Jacksonville, Alabama Ohio Valley Conference Enrollment: 7,491 FCS Sagarin Rating: 12 How They Got Here: Jacksonville State fell behind 20-10 at the half, but rallied in the second half to defeat East Tennessee.
At 2:30 Wednesday, Bruce Feldman set JMU Nation ablaze with one tweet: SOURCE: #JMU’s Mike Houston is expected to become the new head coach at #Charlotte. Over the next four and half hours, JMU fan reaction ranged from rage to congratulatory and everywhere in between. There were people calling him a liar, classless and a.
James Madison 20, Delaware 6 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a suffocating defense and just enough offense to defeat Delaware 20-6. QB Ben DiNucci had an efficient day for the Dukes, going 23 of 31 for 223 yards passing and a touchdown. The early part of the game was a.
Southeast Missouri State 28, Stony Brook 14 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (9-3) kept its historic season alive when it erased a 14-point deficit by scoring 28 third-quarter points en route to a 28-14 victory over Stony Brook (7-5) Saturday afternoon. SEMO trailed, 14-0, at halftime after struggling against a.
Duquesne 31, Towson 10 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com TOWSON, Md. – Two weeks ago against Sacred Heart, Duquesne was in a must-win game to have a chance to capture the NEC title and the autobid to the FCS playoffs. After their 28-24 win over the Pioneers, the Dukes once again faced a must-win game against.
Wofford 19, Elon 7 Video Highlights Courtesy: NCAA.com SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford defeated Elon 19-7 at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Phoenix had a 7-6 lead at the half, but the Terriers held Elon scoreless in the second half and scored three times for the.
Delaware at James Madison When: Saturday, November 24, 3:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Delaware Blue Hens Newark, Delaware Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 18,353 FCS Sagarin Rating: 22 Season Recap: Delaware’s season started with a thud, losing to Rhode Island. After four weeks they were 4-4 and had questions after a loss.
Stony Brook at Southeast Missouri State When: Saturday, November 24, 2:00 PM Where: Houck Field, Cape Girardeau, MO TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Stony Brook Seawolves Stony Brook, New York Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 17,364 FCS Sagarin Rating: 14 Season Recap: The Seawolves had a 7-4 season where they ran a tough gauntlet of CAA competition and emerged with.
