What a playoff race looks like

[CJHawkeyes]

I have spent this year following the FCS and based on the current highest ranked teams winning out, listed below is what the playoff field for this year would look like according to my point system. What I find interesting is that with only 1-2 games left, only two teams, SC State and Weber State, have clinched playoff berths based on winning their conference's auto bid. No one else is safe. Of the remaining 14 teams, 12 are one loss away from being on the outside looking in based on my point system although I suspect some are much safer in the real world. There are also at least 13 other teams still mathematically alive. That said, based on this field, only two teams with three or more losses make the playoffs and only one team with at least three losses versus FCS competition and that team is only in because Central Arkansas is ineligible. Of course, I know that the FCS seeds and pairs teams for monetary reasons. However, in a perfect world, imagine an FBS playoff race with two weeks to go where at least 29 teams are still alive, only two have clinched, and 12 teams are one loss away from missing the playoffs including on that could go from a #4 seed and two guaranteed home games to watching the playoffs from home with a single loss in the last two weeks. Imagine how "diminished" the regular season would be by so much meaningful competition.

1-James Madison
2-Appalachian State
3-South Carolina State
4-Montana
5-Dayton
6-Wofford
7-Villanova
8-Weber State
9-Richmond
10-Cal Poly
11-Tennessee State
12-Northern Iowa
13-New Hampshire
14-Southern Illinois
15-Colgate
16-Northwestern State

[Blue Hen]

It's a no-brainer. A truly meaningful post season ( a championship ) would make the FBS regular season 10X....heck, 50X more 'meaningful' than it is now.

That's a great looking FCS field, CJH. Keep us posted on the NCAA D1 FB Championship. Do you get into d-III at all ?

[CJHawkeyes]

It's a no-brainer. A truly meaningful post season ( a championship ) would make the FBS regular season 10X....heck, 50X more 'meaningful' than it is now.

That's a great looking FCS field, CJH. Keep us posted on the NCAA D1 FB Championship. Do you get into d-III at all ?


I watch any playoff games they show for D3. I only started applying my point system to FCS this year. I was curious to see how it compared. Based on what I have learned about FCS politics, it appears that an 11-1 Dayton may not make the playoffs. A couple other teams on that list are ranked much higher or lower compared to the FCS polls. Of course, the absence of equal game schedules versus FCS competition only makes this an imperfect comparison.

[Blue Hen]

It's great that FCS has an 'on field' championship but it certainly isn't perfect. Programs with large fan bases and bigger stadiums tend to get home field favoritism in the playoffs. Then there is the inconsistency of various leagues having different scholarship limits and the refusal of the Ivy league to participate in post season FB and that Southern Classic bowl thing. Still ,light years better than this BCS crap but not perfect. The NCAA is still in the sports business and is very aware of 'gates' and revenue.

[ZOOMBAG]

It's a foregone conclusion that a playoff makes large numbers of games in November a LOT more "meaningful" than the current system does. It may detract from the "do or die" games like Texas-Texas Tech or Alabama-LSU games but we would get those same "do or die" games in the playoff anyway. right now all those game to decide the MWC, ACC, Big East, the PAC 10 race is still a good race, and so on, would be critically important and catch a lot national interest. As it is, no one cares about most of them.