[Ed Dantes]

I've never seen them this high (and this includes D I-A teams). Out of D I-AA, they rank #27. Way to go guys!

For the record, here are the D I-A teams we rank higher than:

UAB
Marshall
Northern Illinois
La-Lafayette
Idaho
Utah State
SMU
Florida International
North Texas
Rice (sorry Sly).

[jcmanson]

So, why wait, let's move up now!

Congrats to coach and the guys. They have really played well the last few weeks. You can tell their eyes are set on the prize of a conference championship.

[Cider Jim]

Here's to hoping we win out and finish in the top 100 overall and the top 20 in I-AA (FCS).

[Ed Dantes]

Forgot to add -- this comes from the Sagarin ratings, which I consider to be the most accurate rating system in college football.

[Hold My Own]

Ok...I dont want to be that guy but I dont really follow the polls that closely...if we have a "shot" at top 20 by the end of the year in I-AA why couldnt we make the playoffs?


Whats the link for this poll...I've looked for it before but no dice

[SuperJon]

Ok...I dont want to be that guy but I dont really follow the polls that closely...if we have a "shot" at top 20 by the end of the year in I-AA why couldnt we make the playoffs?


Whats the link for this poll...I've looked for it before but no dice

Not enough Division I wins. You have to have seven to be eligible, we'll only have five if we win out (PC does not count as a Division I win this year).



Beat Coastal.

[Cider Jim]

HMO, the playoffs are only for 16 teams, and many of those slots are for conference champions, so there are only 8 "at large" bids available (acccording to Super).

[Ed Dantes]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt07.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc07.htm

[SuperJon]

HMO, the playoffs are only for 16 teams, and most of those slots are for conference champions, so there are very few "at large" bids available.

Not quite, Doc. There are eight automatic bids and eight at-large.



Beat Coastal.

[Cider Jim]

Thanks, Super. I didn't realize that it was that evenly divided. So, with that said, what are our chances of securing an at large bid if we win out?

[Hold My Own]

That proves my ignorance with they FCBSC AKA I-AA playoffs....I was thinking it was a 32 team deal..errrrr wrong

[SuperJon]

Thanks, Super. I didn't realize that it was that evenly divided. So, with that said, what are our chances of securing an at large bid if we win out?

Absolutely 0.

[Cider Jim]

So that is why Rocco and company are concentrating on the Big South Conference title this year. But, hypothetically, if we would have beaten either William & Mary OR Toledo, do you think we could have gotten into the playoffs with 2 losses?

[LUconn]

I'd say 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% as all of the other teams in front of us could die at any point.

[SuperJon]

So that is why Rocco and company are concentrating on the Big South Conference title this year. But, hypothetically, if we would have beaten either William & Mary OR Toledo, do you think we could have gotten into the playoffs with 2 losses?

First off, the goal for the team has been Big South Conference title. Period. Every year that's the first goal, because without that, you can't even begin to think of anything higher.


Secondly, to answer your question, there's no chance we would've gotten in with two losses because, as I said earlier, we wouldn't be eligible. You have to have seven Division I wins. We played eight Division I teams. We could only lose to one of them and still be eligible for the playoffs.

[Ed Dantes]

Thanks, Super. I didn't realize that it was that evenly divided. So, with that said, what are our chances of securing an at large bid if we win out?

Absolutely 0.

The following get auto bids: Big Sky Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, the Gateway Football Conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Ohio Valley Conference, the Patriot League, the Southern Conference and the Southland Conference.

If the chips were to fall as they are right now, the following will get the auto bids:

Montana
Massachusetts
Northern Iowa
Delaware State
Eastern Kentucky
Holy Cross
Appy State
McNeese State

And the following are higher ranked than us:
ND State, Southern Illinois, Delaware, Elon, Wofford, Richmond, Yale*, New Hampshire, JMU, Georgia, Hofstra, Youngstown State, Western Illinois, Grambling*, Citadel, SD State, Furman, William & Mary.

That's a lot of teams to leapfrog -- especially when you consider that we have three "L's" on our record, to teams that currently sit above us.

It was our goal to win the Big South this year, which still looks like a strong possibility. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Big South this year. Playoffs next.

*-- doesn't participate in postseason

[SuperJon]

Have you not read what I have said on here twice? We have ABSOLUTELY ZERO PERCENT CHANCE OF MAKING THE PLAYOFFS because we ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.

[Rocketfan]

Have you not read what I have said on here twice? We have ABSOLUTELY ZERO PERCENT CHANCE OF MAKING THE PLAYOFFS because we ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.

Read and acknowledged.

[Schfourteenteen]

Do you think we can get in the playoffs?

[El Scorcho]

What if these last three games were total blowouts? Could we get in then?

[Hold My Own]

so let me get this right...if we win out...there is 0% chance we wont make the playoffs

[RagingTireFire]

Thanks, Super. I didn't realize that it was that evenly divided. So, with that said, what are our chances of securing an at large bid if we win out?

Absolutely 0.

Incorrect. (Thank you, Internet)

Just looked it up on the NCAA website and the rule reads thusly,

"The won-lost record of a team will be scrutinized to determine a team’s strength of schedule; however, less than seven Division I wins may place a team in jeopardy of not being selected;"

http://www.ncaa.org/library/handbooks/f ... ndbook.pdf

As I read that, there is still a sliver of hope and all the more reason to absolutely pound the ever-lovin' crap out of the next three weeks. To borrow my favorite line from 'Remember the Titans',

"Run it up, Coach! Leave no doubt!"

[SuperJon]

When did that change? Every year in playoff discussions it's always "must have seven wins." Is that just a media thing or was there a rule change lately? Is that the rule but the committee sets a seven win guideline? I know me and Libertine (God rest his soul) have talked about this before.


There's still absolutely no chance, even if I was wrong on the actual ruling.

[RagingTireFire]

I'm guessing that this was defined as a "rule" by the schmucks on AGS.

[SuperJon]

You could be right, and that could be where I thought it was a "rule" at. I could've sworn I saw it in a Coulson article.


Wait, what? Nevermind. If it was in a Coulson article I shouldn't have believed it anyways.