Unbelievable game! NDSU dominated on defense and that propelled them to a title.
More later.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
FCS FINAL SET
The two semi-finals were all action and the rankings got it right.
I was not surprised by the NDSU victory over Georgia Southern. I still believe they will win it all. Georgia Southern was excellent all year against ground games, but struggled to stop good passing games. They barely beat a passing UTC. They lost to a passing App St. Brock Jensen was poised to take them down. Oddly enough, NDSU did it on the ground. Jensen did pass for a TD to open scoring and hit a 2 pt conversion pass later, but he was only 10 for 15. Although Jensen did a lot with his legs including a 55 yard TD run. NDSU ended up with one 100 yard rusher and two more players with 94 yards a piece (one was Jensen). Even more impressive was the fact that Swope was held under 100 yards rushing. He did get one TD early in the game, but NDSU was ready for him all day. It was a big day in the Fargo Dome for the NDSU defense.
The shocker for me was Sam Houston State taking down Montana. I thought for sure Montana was going to win this game, and I have been discounting Sam Houston most of the season. The jumped out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and Montana had to fight back to simply be close. Sam Houston actually had a bad day as a team. They were only 5 for 13 on 3rd down, but they did convert both their 4th down attempts. They simply road Flanders their RB to this victory. They had over 400 yards of offense, but over half of that was Flanders. He had an unbelievable 287 yards on the ground. Which by the way means the O-Line had a great game as well. I would never have thought Montana could get pushed around the way they did. His early runs including a 1st Quarter TD along with a running TD by Bell the QB made Montana vulnerable to the pass. This led to a 2nd Quarter TD where the Montana men were not ready for it. Still they were ready the next time and returned one to the house to make the half time score 28-14. Sam Houston only managed a field goal in the second half, but held on to win 31-28.
The game really turned on two key plays late in the game. Montana was marching back, and had scored to pull within three with over 10 minutes left in the game. Montana had gotten it back on a three and out, and was now in Sam Houston territory, but on a second and seven Jordan Canada ran the ball, but was stuffed for a 4 yard loss. This made a passing down, and it was incomplete. A punt with 6 minutes left made a stop important. The next big play came after Sam Houston had converted one of those 5 converted 3rd downs on a Flanders run. They responded to that big moment with a false start penalty for a 1st and 15. This was the time for Montana. A stop here and the ball is in your hands with a chance to win the game. Flanders rushes for 9. Rushes again for 5. Then he is stopped on 3rd down for no gain. It is now 4th and 1 at their own 47. Montana would not need much for a game tying field goal, and momentum would be on their side if you failed the conversion. A punt leaves it up to your Defense. They go for it and Flanders rambles off a 22 yard run. That ended the game and all hopes of Montana getting back to the finals.
NDSU versus Sam Houston State. The power conferences come up empty this year, and it is going to be a great game. NDSU just held one of the best rushers in the nation to under 100 yards. Now they face a red hot Flanders for the title on Jan. 7. Looking forward to it.
I was not surprised by the NDSU victory over Georgia Southern. I still believe they will win it all. Georgia Southern was excellent all year against ground games, but struggled to stop good passing games. They barely beat a passing UTC. They lost to a passing App St. Brock Jensen was poised to take them down. Oddly enough, NDSU did it on the ground. Jensen did pass for a TD to open scoring and hit a 2 pt conversion pass later, but he was only 10 for 15. Although Jensen did a lot with his legs including a 55 yard TD run. NDSU ended up with one 100 yard rusher and two more players with 94 yards a piece (one was Jensen). Even more impressive was the fact that Swope was held under 100 yards rushing. He did get one TD early in the game, but NDSU was ready for him all day. It was a big day in the Fargo Dome for the NDSU defense.
The shocker for me was Sam Houston State taking down Montana. I thought for sure Montana was going to win this game, and I have been discounting Sam Houston most of the season. The jumped out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and Montana had to fight back to simply be close. Sam Houston actually had a bad day as a team. They were only 5 for 13 on 3rd down, but they did convert both their 4th down attempts. They simply road Flanders their RB to this victory. They had over 400 yards of offense, but over half of that was Flanders. He had an unbelievable 287 yards on the ground. Which by the way means the O-Line had a great game as well. I would never have thought Montana could get pushed around the way they did. His early runs including a 1st Quarter TD along with a running TD by Bell the QB made Montana vulnerable to the pass. This led to a 2nd Quarter TD where the Montana men were not ready for it. Still they were ready the next time and returned one to the house to make the half time score 28-14. Sam Houston only managed a field goal in the second half, but held on to win 31-28.
The game really turned on two key plays late in the game. Montana was marching back, and had scored to pull within three with over 10 minutes left in the game. Montana had gotten it back on a three and out, and was now in Sam Houston territory, but on a second and seven Jordan Canada ran the ball, but was stuffed for a 4 yard loss. This made a passing down, and it was incomplete. A punt with 6 minutes left made a stop important. The next big play came after Sam Houston had converted one of those 5 converted 3rd downs on a Flanders run. They responded to that big moment with a false start penalty for a 1st and 15. This was the time for Montana. A stop here and the ball is in your hands with a chance to win the game. Flanders rushes for 9. Rushes again for 5. Then he is stopped on 3rd down for no gain. It is now 4th and 1 at their own 47. Montana would not need much for a game tying field goal, and momentum would be on their side if you failed the conversion. A punt leaves it up to your Defense. They go for it and Flanders rambles off a 22 yard run. That ended the game and all hopes of Montana getting back to the finals.
NDSU versus Sam Houston State. The power conferences come up empty this year, and it is going to be a great game. NDSU just held one of the best rushers in the nation to under 100 yards. Now they face a red hot Flanders for the title on Jan. 7. Looking forward to it.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Quarterfinals
Just so we know Grambling St beat Alabama A&M 16 - 15 for the SWAC championship.
Sam Houston State dominated this game showing their defense was not going to collapse against a good offense. They picked off a pass, recovered fumbles, and turned them all into points. They ran a kick back on their first possession of the second half breaking Montana State in half. The running game was halted by Sam Houston State. Kirk did not even get 2 yards a run on 12 runs, and he did break an 11 yard rumble on their TD drive. The speed on Sam Houston State was impressive, but Montana State was not ready for it, and they gave up on tackling early in the second half. The #1 team won 49-13.
North Dakota State blanked Lehigh in a 24-0 win. It is going to be hard to go into Fargo and win. Brock Jensen was effective, but did not have anything great. He threw 1 TD, but it was the 200+ yards on the ground that won it for NDSU. The defense was great as they picked off 3 passes. A shut out should have been enough to show everyone that NDSU was great and is still my choice to win it all.
Georgia Southern put up 330+ yards to ensure their win. Maine had a kick return for a TD in the first quarter to keep it interesting at 14-7. However, Georgia Southern took over after that. They have a lot of offensive talent but they can give up a lot of points. Maine was not the team that was going to be able to do it, but next weeks opponent of NDSU ought to be able to do it with Jensen throwing it around.
Friday night Montana defeated Northern Iowa. The option attack was too much. Canada and Nguyen kept the running going when it was not kept by Johnson their QB. It was not close as Montana dominated the game. Their defense also picked off three passes taking one to the house as UNI ran out of the strange luck that won them the last game.
All four ranked teams advance and next week will be very entertaining.
Sam Houston State dominated this game showing their defense was not going to collapse against a good offense. They picked off a pass, recovered fumbles, and turned them all into points. They ran a kick back on their first possession of the second half breaking Montana State in half. The running game was halted by Sam Houston State. Kirk did not even get 2 yards a run on 12 runs, and he did break an 11 yard rumble on their TD drive. The speed on Sam Houston State was impressive, but Montana State was not ready for it, and they gave up on tackling early in the second half. The #1 team won 49-13.
North Dakota State blanked Lehigh in a 24-0 win. It is going to be hard to go into Fargo and win. Brock Jensen was effective, but did not have anything great. He threw 1 TD, but it was the 200+ yards on the ground that won it for NDSU. The defense was great as they picked off 3 passes. A shut out should have been enough to show everyone that NDSU was great and is still my choice to win it all.
Georgia Southern put up 330+ yards to ensure their win. Maine had a kick return for a TD in the first quarter to keep it interesting at 14-7. However, Georgia Southern took over after that. They have a lot of offensive talent but they can give up a lot of points. Maine was not the team that was going to be able to do it, but next weeks opponent of NDSU ought to be able to do it with Jensen throwing it around.
Friday night Montana defeated Northern Iowa. The option attack was too much. Canada and Nguyen kept the running going when it was not kept by Johnson their QB. It was not close as Montana dominated the game. Their defense also picked off three passes taking one to the house as UNI ran out of the strange luck that won them the last game.
All four ranked teams advance and next week will be very entertaining.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Round 2 - preview
There are some really good games this weekend. I will give a look and my prediction.
Stony Brook vs. Sam Houston St. - Overall #1 Sam Houston should have no problem with Stony Brook. I think Sam Houston is a weak overall #1, but this is one they ought to win.
James Madison vs. North Dakota St. - #2 NDSU is really good and lost one slip up game. They have an accurate QB, and a defense that can play. I know JMU has history, but it was a four loss team.
Old Dominion vs. Georgia Southern - #3 overall Georgia Southern has the toughest opponent of any ranked team in ODU. ODU is 10-2, and used to big games coming out of the CAA. However, Georgia Southern has a rushing attack that is hard to slow down, just ask Alabama. They were number 1 most of the year, and I think they get through.
Central Arkansas vs. Montana - Montana is #4 and playing at home. It is hard to win at Montana. This is a program that has been in 7 of the 16 FCS title games. Central Arkansas looked good last weekend, but this weekend they lose.
New Hampshire vs. Montana St. - This game looks tough on paper. Montana State played well all year, and was briefly the top ranked team until they hit Montana. But New Hampshire is overrated. They avoided ODU and Delaware in the CAA, and lost to Towson and William and Mary on the road. The only big game the won was James Madison at home and an early season overtime victory at Leigh. Montana St.
Maine vs. Appalachin St. - This is not the same App St. team that lost to Wofford and was blown out by Va Tech. They changed their QB and shared the RB duties more, and since then they have looked pretty good. App. should win with ease in Boone.
Leigh vs. Towson - Leigh is on the road, but they have been over looked most of the season. They are on a 9 game win streak, and they beat Yale and Princeton pretty ease this year. Their only loss is the aforementioned overtime loss to New Hampshire. I just don't have faith that surprising Towson can keep it up. Leigh in the upset.
Wofford vs. Northern Iowa - This game is also interesting. UNI had a great season that included only a loss to NDSU and Iowa St both of which were close (a combined total of 9 points). They did struggle in the last game of the season and have to pull out an OT win over a good Illinois State team. They also beat SF Austin on the road, which is a good win. They are battle tested. However, Wofford has a hard to read rushing attack that has not been stopped often this year. They are senior laden in the D-Line and in their rushing attack. They were here last year and won on the road in the playoffs. So I am going with the upset with Wofford. But then again I am an alum.
Enjoy!
Stony Brook vs. Sam Houston St. - Overall #1 Sam Houston should have no problem with Stony Brook. I think Sam Houston is a weak overall #1, but this is one they ought to win.
James Madison vs. North Dakota St. - #2 NDSU is really good and lost one slip up game. They have an accurate QB, and a defense that can play. I know JMU has history, but it was a four loss team.
Old Dominion vs. Georgia Southern - #3 overall Georgia Southern has the toughest opponent of any ranked team in ODU. ODU is 10-2, and used to big games coming out of the CAA. However, Georgia Southern has a rushing attack that is hard to slow down, just ask Alabama. They were number 1 most of the year, and I think they get through.
Central Arkansas vs. Montana - Montana is #4 and playing at home. It is hard to win at Montana. This is a program that has been in 7 of the 16 FCS title games. Central Arkansas looked good last weekend, but this weekend they lose.
New Hampshire vs. Montana St. - This game looks tough on paper. Montana State played well all year, and was briefly the top ranked team until they hit Montana. But New Hampshire is overrated. They avoided ODU and Delaware in the CAA, and lost to Towson and William and Mary on the road. The only big game the won was James Madison at home and an early season overtime victory at Leigh. Montana St.
Maine vs. Appalachin St. - This is not the same App St. team that lost to Wofford and was blown out by Va Tech. They changed their QB and shared the RB duties more, and since then they have looked pretty good. App. should win with ease in Boone.
Leigh vs. Towson - Leigh is on the road, but they have been over looked most of the season. They are on a 9 game win streak, and they beat Yale and Princeton pretty ease this year. Their only loss is the aforementioned overtime loss to New Hampshire. I just don't have faith that surprising Towson can keep it up. Leigh in the upset.
Wofford vs. Northern Iowa - This game is also interesting. UNI had a great season that included only a loss to NDSU and Iowa St both of which were close (a combined total of 9 points). They did struggle in the last game of the season and have to pull out an OT win over a good Illinois State team. They also beat SF Austin on the road, which is a good win. They are battle tested. However, Wofford has a hard to read rushing attack that has not been stopped often this year. They are senior laden in the D-Line and in their rushing attack. They were here last year and won on the road in the playoffs. So I am going with the upset with Wofford. But then again I am an alum.
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Round 1
Round 1 is in the books and it was a pretty good one with a surprise or two.
The Bayou Classis, not a playoff game, went to Grambling again. They were the better team, but at least on paper it looked more competitive than in years past. 36-12 this one was out of hand pretty quick in the second half. I will leave it to you all to decide who won the Battle of the Bands.
Old Dominion won as expected and it was not all that close. Norfolk State was game early and kept it 14-7 after 1, but it was all down hill from there. ODU will advance and give their next opponent a handful for sure.
Tennessee Tech lost at home to Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas just exposed Tennessee Tech's secondary. The two freshman safety's in particular got hammered. At least twice they were just beat for long touchdowns. One was a trick play (fake reverse throw back to the reversee), so maybe they can be forgiven for that one, but they gave up a costly one on a TE post where no one was around and he was behind everyone. Central Arkansas shut down the run game. Their best receiver got an ankle sprain. He returned and made some wonderful catches, but his being out hurt their game. Tennessee Tech is going to be back next year with a more experienced secondary and a senior QB (Lamb), who looked pretty good throwing.
Stony Brook shocked the world when it won as well. Albany was up 21-10 at half and scored first in the second half to go up 28-10. Stony Brook put together a drive featuring Jackoiski, who ran it in. Then a quick TD on a pass to Jackoiski for a 55 yard TD really changed the game. That meant the 4th quarter was up for grabs and a defensive struggle. Jackoiski ran it from 11 yards out to grab a 31-28 lead with 12 minutes to go. No one scored again as the D held up for both teams. Jackoiski had a great game and over 100 yards with 3 TDs. Maysonet also ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards as Stony Brook wore down Albany with their run game.
Eastern Kentucky lost at home to James Madison. They had the half time lead (10-7). The lead at the end of the 3rd Quarter (17-10), and were up 17-7 with under 30 seconds to go in the 3rd Quarter. But James Madison's experience in the playoffs showed in the 4th Quarter. Overall the game was controlled by the James Madison defense. They controlled the game. Eastern Kentucky's star running back Matt Denham did get 125 yards, but 66 were on one scamper. They only converted 1 third down. JMU put up just enough offense to win.
A bad week for the Ohio Valley Conference and a good one for the CAA. Still I don't expect any of these teams to win next week with ODU being the best team going forward.
The Bayou Classis, not a playoff game, went to Grambling again. They were the better team, but at least on paper it looked more competitive than in years past. 36-12 this one was out of hand pretty quick in the second half. I will leave it to you all to decide who won the Battle of the Bands.
Old Dominion won as expected and it was not all that close. Norfolk State was game early and kept it 14-7 after 1, but it was all down hill from there. ODU will advance and give their next opponent a handful for sure.
Tennessee Tech lost at home to Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas just exposed Tennessee Tech's secondary. The two freshman safety's in particular got hammered. At least twice they were just beat for long touchdowns. One was a trick play (fake reverse throw back to the reversee), so maybe they can be forgiven for that one, but they gave up a costly one on a TE post where no one was around and he was behind everyone. Central Arkansas shut down the run game. Their best receiver got an ankle sprain. He returned and made some wonderful catches, but his being out hurt their game. Tennessee Tech is going to be back next year with a more experienced secondary and a senior QB (Lamb), who looked pretty good throwing.
Stony Brook shocked the world when it won as well. Albany was up 21-10 at half and scored first in the second half to go up 28-10. Stony Brook put together a drive featuring Jackoiski, who ran it in. Then a quick TD on a pass to Jackoiski for a 55 yard TD really changed the game. That meant the 4th quarter was up for grabs and a defensive struggle. Jackoiski ran it from 11 yards out to grab a 31-28 lead with 12 minutes to go. No one scored again as the D held up for both teams. Jackoiski had a great game and over 100 yards with 3 TDs. Maysonet also ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards as Stony Brook wore down Albany with their run game.
Eastern Kentucky lost at home to James Madison. They had the half time lead (10-7). The lead at the end of the 3rd Quarter (17-10), and were up 17-7 with under 30 seconds to go in the 3rd Quarter. But James Madison's experience in the playoffs showed in the 4th Quarter. Overall the game was controlled by the James Madison defense. They controlled the game. Eastern Kentucky's star running back Matt Denham did get 125 yards, but 66 were on one scamper. They only converted 1 third down. JMU put up just enough offense to win.
A bad week for the Ohio Valley Conference and a good one for the CAA. Still I don't expect any of these teams to win next week with ODU being the best team going forward.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Playoffs 2011
The season is over and brackets released.
No surprise Sam Houston State is the top seed and North Dakota St. comes in as the second seed. Georgia Southern is the #3 seed thanks to Montana beating Montana State this weekend. And they did not just beat them, they thumped them. That gave the #4 seed to Montana, but Montana State could earn a possible rematch if they make it to the Semi-Finals.
Two things stand out as I look at this bracket. First is how many CAA teams made it in what I thought was a down year for the conference over all. Towsen was in as the champs, but their second game will be against ND St. Not a good draw. New Hampshire frankly had a better draw and will play Montana State in round one, but has to travel so it kind of evens out. Maine probably deserved to get in, but in my opinion that should have been a close call. They start with App St. Old Dominion got in, and I thought they would, but they have to play in round one. They do host round one. Then James Madison got in. Now, I don't think they deserved to get in. They travel in round one to Eastern Kentucky. I thought the CAA would be three deep, but not five. Some polls had Delaware higher than James Madison. I am not sure why they got in. Liberty, Jackson State, Harvard, and Illinois State have legitimate gripes tonight at James Madison.
The other thing that stuck out was how weak the top part of the bracket turns out to be. Sam Houston State is a bit of a soft overall #1. They deserve it as the lone undefeated, but I don't actually think they are a better team than North Dakota State or Georgia Southern. Don't be surprised if they are the first ranked team to go down. Their next game would be against Montana State or New Hampshire. Two teams that suffered major defeats at the end of the season that might just be demoralizing. The Big Sky was weak this year, and New Hampshire lost some big games especially on the road. Northern Iowa is the 5th ranked team playing Wofford. Wofford lost huge against Georgia Southern late in the year (but did rally to beat UTC on the road), and Northern Iowa lost their big game. Montana plays the winner of Tennessee Tech/Central Arkansas. Again Montana is not a team that played a lot of great teams this year since the Big Sky was down. And they lost one of those games. Montana is probably the second best team in this group, and maybe the best. It is a weak grouping.
Compare it to the bottom bracket than has Three time champ App State as an unranked team. It has one time champ James Madison in a play in game. It has a 9-2 ODU squad in their play in (first round) game playing another 9-2 Norfolk State team. The CAA champ Towsen is in that grouping, as is 10-1 Leigh. Five time champ Georgia Southern and recent power house North Dakota State (who beat Minnesota this year) are also in this group. It is insane.
The fun begins next weekend. I am ready to watch.
No surprise Sam Houston State is the top seed and North Dakota St. comes in as the second seed. Georgia Southern is the #3 seed thanks to Montana beating Montana State this weekend. And they did not just beat them, they thumped them. That gave the #4 seed to Montana, but Montana State could earn a possible rematch if they make it to the Semi-Finals.
Two things stand out as I look at this bracket. First is how many CAA teams made it in what I thought was a down year for the conference over all. Towsen was in as the champs, but their second game will be against ND St. Not a good draw. New Hampshire frankly had a better draw and will play Montana State in round one, but has to travel so it kind of evens out. Maine probably deserved to get in, but in my opinion that should have been a close call. They start with App St. Old Dominion got in, and I thought they would, but they have to play in round one. They do host round one. Then James Madison got in. Now, I don't think they deserved to get in. They travel in round one to Eastern Kentucky. I thought the CAA would be three deep, but not five. Some polls had Delaware higher than James Madison. I am not sure why they got in. Liberty, Jackson State, Harvard, and Illinois State have legitimate gripes tonight at James Madison.
The other thing that stuck out was how weak the top part of the bracket turns out to be. Sam Houston State is a bit of a soft overall #1. They deserve it as the lone undefeated, but I don't actually think they are a better team than North Dakota State or Georgia Southern. Don't be surprised if they are the first ranked team to go down. Their next game would be against Montana State or New Hampshire. Two teams that suffered major defeats at the end of the season that might just be demoralizing. The Big Sky was weak this year, and New Hampshire lost some big games especially on the road. Northern Iowa is the 5th ranked team playing Wofford. Wofford lost huge against Georgia Southern late in the year (but did rally to beat UTC on the road), and Northern Iowa lost their big game. Montana plays the winner of Tennessee Tech/Central Arkansas. Again Montana is not a team that played a lot of great teams this year since the Big Sky was down. And they lost one of those games. Montana is probably the second best team in this group, and maybe the best. It is a weak grouping.
Compare it to the bottom bracket than has Three time champ App State as an unranked team. It has one time champ James Madison in a play in game. It has a 9-2 ODU squad in their play in (first round) game playing another 9-2 Norfolk State team. The CAA champ Towsen is in that grouping, as is 10-1 Leigh. Five time champ Georgia Southern and recent power house North Dakota State (who beat Minnesota this year) are also in this group. It is insane.
The fun begins next weekend. I am ready to watch.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Week 11 preview
There are some conference deciding games going on out there Saturday that need to be noticed.
Southern Conference has a great match up that has Wofford hosting Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern wins and they are the SoCon champs alone. Wofford wins and they have clinched a share of the title and with a win next week would have it. However a win this week for Wofford and an upset loss to UTC (who has a bye week) then the title could be shared four ways between Wofford, Georgia Southern, App. St, and Furman.
Ivy League usually only gets attention when it is Havard vs. Yale, but this week's Harvard vs. Penn game will actually decide the conference title. A Harvard victory would all but seal the deal for Harvard as they would have a tie breaker against Brown, who also has only one conference loss. A Penn victory makes a messy three way tie a top the standings between Harvard, Penn, and Brown.
Montana and Montana St each have the week off to prepare for one another. But Eastern Washington will have an interesting game with Cal Poly. The title will be decided next week.
Stony Brook is in control of the Big South. They travel to Gardner Webb. They should win easy.
CAA is always a hot bed of action, but this year it is the teams you usually don't hear about. New Hampshire at Towson is the one to watch. The winner will not have the title outright, but will do serious damage to the other teams chances of sniffing a share of the CAA title. Maine also has only one conference loss and they are hosting UMass. Sad to say that Towson needs to win as they are the lowest ranked team and without a share of the CAA title, they may have trouble finding a spot in the field that will surely take both Maine and New Hampshire and probably a two loss Old Dominion over Towson. ODU tries to win the state of Virginia outright as they go to William and Mary.
Norfolk State looks to take the MEAC. They ought to win this week against Morgan State.
The Missouri Valley ought to send two teams (at least) to the playoffs. North Dakota State just has to avoid a slip up at home against Youngstown State to win the title. They have the tie break over Northern Iowa, who plays Southern Utah out of conference. Southern Utah has had some big wins, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Albany looks to win the NEC as they have the tie breaker against Duquesne. Both are 5-1 in conference and both ought to win this weekend. Duquesne has the better over all record at 7-2 compared to 6-3, but will be on the outside looking in at the title.
The Ohio Valley Conference has been an absolute disaster this year with no one dominating. With all that said, little quite Eastern Kentucky can win it outright with a home victory against Tenn Tech this week and Tenn-Martin next week. They control their own destiny. A loss would make it ugly as Tenn Tech, E Kentucky, Tenn-Martin, and Jacksonville St would all have two losses in conference. A three way tie would seem assured. That would favor Jacksonville St for a playoff birth. This conference might pull two anyway, but Eastern Kentucky needs these last two wins to get in (in my opinion).
Patriot League title is up for grabs with Georgetown taking on Leigh. Georgetown has one conference loss and Leigh has zero, but would lose the tie breaker to Georgetown. Leigh is ranked in everyone's top 10. A win gives them the title outright. Both could make it to the playoffs, but Georgetown is not assured one, especially with a loss.
Pioneer League will probably be a split title. If Drake beats Dayton they are in the club house at 7-1 in conference after last weeks big win over Jacksonville. However, Drake has a loss to San Diego who if they win this week against Marist and next week verses Jacksonville will have the same conference record and the tie breaker. Jacksonville plays Butler, but needs Drake to lose in order to overcome last weeks loss. Campbell sits with two losses and is hoping everyone loses this week.
Southland winner is Sam Houston State if they win this week over Northwestern St. But they are playing for home field for as long as they can in the playoffs. A two seed is within their grasp.
The SWAC is interesting. If Alabama State wins against Southern, then they are done with one loss and will spend the rest of the year cheering against Alabama A&M. Alabama A&M has their biggest challenge Saturday against Jackson St. who has two losses in conference. A&M has one loss, but has the tie breaker against Alabama St. Jackson State ought to put up a good game and it will be one to watch.
Southern Conference has a great match up that has Wofford hosting Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern wins and they are the SoCon champs alone. Wofford wins and they have clinched a share of the title and with a win next week would have it. However a win this week for Wofford and an upset loss to UTC (who has a bye week) then the title could be shared four ways between Wofford, Georgia Southern, App. St, and Furman.
Ivy League usually only gets attention when it is Havard vs. Yale, but this week's Harvard vs. Penn game will actually decide the conference title. A Harvard victory would all but seal the deal for Harvard as they would have a tie breaker against Brown, who also has only one conference loss. A Penn victory makes a messy three way tie a top the standings between Harvard, Penn, and Brown.
Montana and Montana St each have the week off to prepare for one another. But Eastern Washington will have an interesting game with Cal Poly. The title will be decided next week.
Stony Brook is in control of the Big South. They travel to Gardner Webb. They should win easy.
CAA is always a hot bed of action, but this year it is the teams you usually don't hear about. New Hampshire at Towson is the one to watch. The winner will not have the title outright, but will do serious damage to the other teams chances of sniffing a share of the CAA title. Maine also has only one conference loss and they are hosting UMass. Sad to say that Towson needs to win as they are the lowest ranked team and without a share of the CAA title, they may have trouble finding a spot in the field that will surely take both Maine and New Hampshire and probably a two loss Old Dominion over Towson. ODU tries to win the state of Virginia outright as they go to William and Mary.
Norfolk State looks to take the MEAC. They ought to win this week against Morgan State.
The Missouri Valley ought to send two teams (at least) to the playoffs. North Dakota State just has to avoid a slip up at home against Youngstown State to win the title. They have the tie break over Northern Iowa, who plays Southern Utah out of conference. Southern Utah has had some big wins, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Albany looks to win the NEC as they have the tie breaker against Duquesne. Both are 5-1 in conference and both ought to win this weekend. Duquesne has the better over all record at 7-2 compared to 6-3, but will be on the outside looking in at the title.
The Ohio Valley Conference has been an absolute disaster this year with no one dominating. With all that said, little quite Eastern Kentucky can win it outright with a home victory against Tenn Tech this week and Tenn-Martin next week. They control their own destiny. A loss would make it ugly as Tenn Tech, E Kentucky, Tenn-Martin, and Jacksonville St would all have two losses in conference. A three way tie would seem assured. That would favor Jacksonville St for a playoff birth. This conference might pull two anyway, but Eastern Kentucky needs these last two wins to get in (in my opinion).
Patriot League title is up for grabs with Georgetown taking on Leigh. Georgetown has one conference loss and Leigh has zero, but would lose the tie breaker to Georgetown. Leigh is ranked in everyone's top 10. A win gives them the title outright. Both could make it to the playoffs, but Georgetown is not assured one, especially with a loss.
Pioneer League will probably be a split title. If Drake beats Dayton they are in the club house at 7-1 in conference after last weeks big win over Jacksonville. However, Drake has a loss to San Diego who if they win this week against Marist and next week verses Jacksonville will have the same conference record and the tie breaker. Jacksonville plays Butler, but needs Drake to lose in order to overcome last weeks loss. Campbell sits with two losses and is hoping everyone loses this week.
Southland winner is Sam Houston State if they win this week over Northwestern St. But they are playing for home field for as long as they can in the playoffs. A two seed is within their grasp.
The SWAC is interesting. If Alabama State wins against Southern, then they are done with one loss and will spend the rest of the year cheering against Alabama A&M. Alabama A&M has their biggest challenge Saturday against Jackson St. who has two losses in conference. A&M has one loss, but has the tie breaker against Alabama St. Jackson State ought to put up a good game and it will be one to watch.
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