I did not get up a preview, and for that I am sorry.
NDSU is still my pick to win it all, and would be my number 1 in the nation despite the surprise loss. They took out there anger this week with a huge win. South Dakota State dropped its first tough conference game and gave up its grip on the top spot in the Missouri Valley. Wofford rebounded from its Georgia Southern defeat to take down Appalachian State at Appy.
The Sports Network has Eastern Washington in the top spot followed by Georgia Southern and then NDSU. James Madison drops all the way to 9 after the surprise loss to Richmond, who jumps onto the poll at 25. Sam Houston at 5, Leigh at 8, Stony Brook at 10, and Cal Poly at 11 all got first place votes.
The Coaches Poll is the same in the top three with Eastern Washington sitting a top it all. Those are the only three teams getting first place votes and James Madison dropped to 10. Villanova makes its first appearance on the Coaches' Poll, and Harvard is featured at 24 while Richmond has not shown up on this poll.
The coming days will see bigger and bigger match ups. Eastern Washington vs. Montana State looms in the future as does a Cal Poly team that will get a shot at both. Lots of room for movement up and down, but the playoffs is starting to take shape. How many teams make it from the CAA is one of the big questions and how many from the Missouri Valley? Does Missouri Valley go three deep this year? Could it go four?
We will see.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Week 7 Preview
This is a big week for the FCS. Pretenders will be separated out and the conferences will come into focus.
Let us start with Youngstown St. vs. Illinois St. Both teams have one loss, and still in the hunt for the Missouri Valley title. Youngstown is coming off that amazing loss to NDSU. Both teams are ranked, but a loss here by Youngstown will virtually knock it out of the conference race and make a long string of must win games to stay in the playoff race.
Eastern Washington travels to Montana St. to see who ought to be ranked second nationally. Montana St holds that honor now. The winner is in control of the Big Sky, but neither team has played Montana, so it is not a lock. The winner will have a clear path to homefield in the playoffs, and that is no small thing.
Wofford vs. Georgia Southern is another battle of top 10 ranked schools. Wofford is 5-0, but really only has one decent win. Georgia Southern had an early stumble, but has been rolling lately. The winner is in control of the SoCon, but if Wofford wins, then Georgia Southern is going to have to win several big games (including App St) to ensure playoff appearances. This is a big test to see if Wofford is for real.
We can't forget NDSU vs. Indiana St. NDSU should not lose in the Fargo Dome, but Indiana State is having a nice year at 4-2.
Central Arkansas vs. McNeese St. is an important game in the Southland conference. Both teams have one loss in conference and another would finish their hopes. Central Arkansas is the team I favor, but they are playing at McNeese, so this will be a game to watch.
And before we give the Big Sky to the Montana St or Eastern Washington winner, we ought to stop and remind ourselves that Cal Poly is undefeated. That ought to continue as they host Northern Colorado.
The CAA has a trio of games to watch. William and Mary at James Madison ought to end with Madison winning, but rivalry games cannot be taken for granted. Villanova rolls into Old Dominion and tries to dethrone the undefeated Monarchs in a battle for the top of the conference. And New Hampshire hosts Richmond in a game that has playoff implications.
One other game of ranked teams should not be forgotten either is Samford hosting App St. The Mountaineers have not looked dominate this year and Samford has looked pretty good. They both have one loss in conference, and the loser could be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The SoCon usually sends three teams, the loser of this game would be sitting in fourth.
Enjoy the great games. Things are heating up!
Let us start with Youngstown St. vs. Illinois St. Both teams have one loss, and still in the hunt for the Missouri Valley title. Youngstown is coming off that amazing loss to NDSU. Both teams are ranked, but a loss here by Youngstown will virtually knock it out of the conference race and make a long string of must win games to stay in the playoff race.
Eastern Washington travels to Montana St. to see who ought to be ranked second nationally. Montana St holds that honor now. The winner is in control of the Big Sky, but neither team has played Montana, so it is not a lock. The winner will have a clear path to homefield in the playoffs, and that is no small thing.
Wofford vs. Georgia Southern is another battle of top 10 ranked schools. Wofford is 5-0, but really only has one decent win. Georgia Southern had an early stumble, but has been rolling lately. The winner is in control of the SoCon, but if Wofford wins, then Georgia Southern is going to have to win several big games (including App St) to ensure playoff appearances. This is a big test to see if Wofford is for real.
We can't forget NDSU vs. Indiana St. NDSU should not lose in the Fargo Dome, but Indiana State is having a nice year at 4-2.
Central Arkansas vs. McNeese St. is an important game in the Southland conference. Both teams have one loss in conference and another would finish their hopes. Central Arkansas is the team I favor, but they are playing at McNeese, so this will be a game to watch.
And before we give the Big Sky to the Montana St or Eastern Washington winner, we ought to stop and remind ourselves that Cal Poly is undefeated. That ought to continue as they host Northern Colorado.
The CAA has a trio of games to watch. William and Mary at James Madison ought to end with Madison winning, but rivalry games cannot be taken for granted. Villanova rolls into Old Dominion and tries to dethrone the undefeated Monarchs in a battle for the top of the conference. And New Hampshire hosts Richmond in a game that has playoff implications.
One other game of ranked teams should not be forgotten either is Samford hosting App St. The Mountaineers have not looked dominate this year and Samford has looked pretty good. They both have one loss in conference, and the loser could be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The SoCon usually sends three teams, the loser of this game would be sitting in fourth.
Enjoy the great games. Things are heating up!
NDSU vs. Youngstown wrap
For those of you who did not get to watch the NDSU v Youngstown State game, you missed an amazing performance by NDSU. They dominated both sides of the ball.
What really stood out to me was the dominance of the NDSU line. They were able to open holes for Crockett to run, and then he made the second level miss. When Jensen went to pass, he had all the time in the world. I do not remember even a knock down. On the other side of the ball, NDSU was hitting Kurt Hess over and over and over again. The first drive by Youngstown had NDSU off balance. It was a nice mix of run and pass and they gained some big yards on what I think was a zone read. They got to the goal line and they brought in their bruiser and he went to work. The passes were pretty good, but even a few of those in the first drive were on the run. After that drive, the running game went away, and the passing was always rushed, and they hit the quarterback over and over. I am not sure why Youngstown did not try some more option or screen passes because the line was coming and it did not stop. That led to interceptions and punts.
Youngstown is not as bad as they looked last Saturday. NDSU is hard to beat in the Fargo Dome. But, if they can get that kind of running from Crockett, then NDSU is going to repeat because Jensen is a good quarterback, and the defense is nicely balanced.
I expect another banner this year for Coach Craig Bohls and the Bison.
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