[bigsmooth]

good luck to the chants as they face #1 seed appy state.

INDIANAPOLIS---The field of 16 teams competing for the 2006 Division I Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.

Appalachian State University (10-1) tops the bracket as the top seed after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Southern Conference. The Mountaineers, who are making their 14th tournament appearance, will look to defend its national championship as they beat the University of Northern Iowa 23-16 last year.

The University of Montana (10-1), which is making its 17th tournament appearance, is the number-two seed. The Grizzles finished the regular season as the outright champion of the Big Sky Conference for the fourth time since 2000.

Third-seeded University of Massachusetts (10-1) is making its seventh appearance. The Minutemen captured the Atlantic-10 Conference automatic berth. Rounding out this year’s seeded teams is Youngstown State University (9-2) with the number four seed. The Penguins, who are making their 11th appearance, including winning national championships in 1991, 1993 and 1994, received an automatic berth after winning the Gateway Conference.

Other first-round hosts include the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference winner, Hampton University (10-1), Eastern Illinois University (8-4), Montana State University (7-4), and Southern Illinois University (8-3).

Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include McNeese State University (7-4), which earned the automatic bid from the Southland Conference. University of Tennessee-Martin (9-2) was the automatic qualifier from the Ohio Valley Conference. Lafayette College (6-5) earned the Patriot League’s automatic bid.

Other teams in the field are Coastal Carolina University (9-2), Furman University (8-3), Illinois State University (8-3), James Madison University (9-2), University of New Hampshire (8-3) and the University of Southern Illinois (8-3). Coastal Carolina and Tennessee-Martin are participating in the championship for the first time.

Eight conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Atlantic 10 Conference, Big Sky Conference, Gateway Football Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Conference.

Following are the match-ups for the first round of competition to be played Saturday, November 25. Game times will be released Monday, November 20, via the NCAA Championships web site (www.ncaasports.com).

ESPN’s family of networks will televise two first round games live. ESPNU will show the Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will broadcast the James Madison at Youngstown State game at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The 2006 NCAA Division I Football Championship game is slated for 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday, December 15, at W. Max Finley Stadium/Davenport Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ESPN2HD will televise the championship game.

More games may possibly be televised in the first round as well as additional rounds. Television schedules for all rounds of the 2006 championship will be updated daily at the NCAA Sports web site (www.ncaasports.com).

November 25 at Boone, North Carolina (ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. ET)
Coastal Caro. (9-2) at No. 1 Appalachian St. (10-1)


November 25 at Bozeman, Montana
Furman (8-3) at Montana State (7-4)


November 25 at Charleston, Illinois
Illinois State (8-3) at Eastern Illinois (8-4)


November 25 at Youngstown, Ohio (ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET)
James Madison (9-2) at No. 4 Youngstown State (9-2)


November 25 at Amherst, Massachusetts
Lafayette (6-5) at No. 3 Massachusetts (10-1)


November 25 at Hampton, Virginia
New Hampshire (8-3) at Hampton (10-1)


November 25 at Carbondale, Illinois
Tennessee-Martin (9-2) at Southern Illinois (8-3)


November 25 at Missoula, Montana
McNeese State (7-4) at No. 2 Montana (10-1)


The 2006 championship field consists of eight automatic qualifiers and eight at-large qualifiers.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (8)
Massachusetts: Atlantic 10 Conference
Montana: Big Sky Conference
Youngstown State: Gateway Football Conference
Hampton: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Tennessee-Martin: Ohio Valley Conference
Lafayette: Patriot League
Appalachian State: Southern Conference
McNeese State: Southland Conference
AT-LARGE QUALIFERS (8)
James Madison: Atlantic 10 Conference
New Hampshire: Atlantic 10 Conference
Montana State: Big Sky Conference
Coastal Carolina: Big South Conference
Southern Illinois: Gateway Football Conference
Illinois State: Gateway Football Conference
Eastern Illinois: Ohio Valley Conference
Furman: Southern Conference
The complete bracket follows.

[SuperJon]

Smoothie, I texted you and told you that right as you posted it. Kinda weird.

[bigsmooth]

good minds think alike!

[SuperJon]

Yes, yes they do. I already called a friend up there to get a ticket.

[SuperJon]

Nevermind, I'm not going. We're celebrating my sister's birthday on Saturday. Oh well. I guess I'll go up to App for Round 2 which was my plan even before they got Coastal first round.

[PeterParker]

So those three hairline losses are stinging a bit more now for the team, I suppose. Not that it really matters, but even with the DII school on the schedule, if LU had pulled out those three games including a win over Coastal, does anyone think that 1) it would have simply knocked Coastal out and no one from the Big South, including LU, would have been considered or 2) that a 9-2 record would have earned LU consideration of a spot in the playoffs?

[SuperJon]

It would've knocked Coastal out. It would've done nothing to us. Our record in the eyes of the playoff committee would have been 7-2. They don't count sub-DI schools. Technically, we weren't even eligible for the playoffs this year.

[Sly Fox]

Big ups to CCU for getting in the field. It would be a VERY tall order for them to pull off the upset. But even a good showing would do wonders for the league (unless they immediately bolt for the SoCon).

[Chris Lang]

Peter: Liberty, at 10-1, MIGHT have gotten some consideration. But the out-of-conference wins would have been against Towson (which would have been 6-5 instead of 7-4), W&M (two wins instead of three), Savannah (horrible) and WCU (two wins).

Actually, Liberty would have had no shot and no reason to complain.

[PeterParker]

That's pretty much what I figured that it would have simply knocked CC out of consideration...but good to get the partyline. Thanks.

[Chris Lang]

I think Coastal had the recipe down right. Take a senior-laden team, give yourself a chance to get some quality wins and then take care of business in the conference.

Liberty's schedule will be better next year and especially in 2008, when Rashad/Brock/Zach etc. will be seniors.

[SuperJon]

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but that's what I've said all along.

I'm done.

[Sly Fox]

You've also said CCU will the Big South next year. I have a feeling you'll be regretting that call.

[PAmedic]

congrats to CCU for pushing the BSOUTH ahead in a huge way.

without their success, no one else would've stepped up to make their teams, and therefore- the whole league, as competetive as its become.

And I know they hate the fact that we're all riding their coat-tales, as they see it- but thats just the way it goes

[SuperJon]

You've also said CCU will the Big South next year. I have a feeling you'll be regretting that call.

If you'll recall, I said they have to be the favorites but I think we can beat them next year.

[LU'sbestmanager]

You've also said CCU will the Big South next year. I have a feeling you'll be regretting that call.

If you'll recall, I said they have to be the favorites but I think we can beat them next year.

i think so too. with rocco having a full year to recruit, and vince redd's body and speed added to this team, i think we will be VERY GOOD next year. also we have some good redshirts, which was stated in another thread. terry adams will be a PROBLEM for offenses. he's another one with good speed. My man Dominic Bolden showed that he can be a difference maker, greiser was a beast this year, rocco and torrence showed that they can play, and all of our receivers will return. including my man Wynton.

[SuperJon]

The recruits for next year won't make a huge impact on the team NEXT year because Coach Rocco is looking to red shirt all of them (which is an idea I love). However, the kids we have redshirting this year are very good and will have an impact next year.

[PeterParker]

That's exactly the model that Grobe from Wake implemented over the last couple of years. There was an article yesterday written prior to the game (although I can't seem to find it--ESPN I believe) that examined how Wake ended up with their surprising season (Losing to Tech notwithstanding, they have had a good season.)

[Chris Lang]

If people take an objective look at the conference and of what the Big South teams have coming back, Liberty and Gardner-Webb have to be the favorites, ahead of Coastal and Chuck South.

[Sly Fox]

I agree 100%, Chris. And that's not even facting in anymore I-A transfers which remains a distinct possibility. G-W is similar to us in that we are both heavily dependent on underclassmen. CCU & CSU are going to need a ton of young players to step up in key roles. It could happen, but its going to be a very big challenge. Both schools had built toward 2006 in their programs with great results. But 2007 will require some new stars to emerge.

[Fumblerooskies]

Why does everyone use "APPY" State? The grads and students call it "APP State."

[LU'sbestmanager]

everytime i see that on here, i ask the same question to myself

[SuperJon]

They say it because the App alumni don't like it. It's a nickname that came up and the App people don't like it.

[Ed Dantes]

App State? Appy State? I thought the nickname for Appalachian State was "Hot Hot Hot"?
(Go here if you don't get that joke:

Two other orders of business:
1) It's good to see Coastal in the I-AA playoffs; anything to give our lousy conference some respect is always a good thing.
2) I do not think that LU running the table in the Big South would have earned them a slot in the playoffs, nor a 9-2 record (assuming that our loss to Towson stood). I disagree with the Scribe (Chris) though by saying that we would have been left out of the Small Dance if we had a 10-1 record... Just remember, that CCU had a D-II game and also played against Savannah State). Plus, LU had a harder schedule (according to the Sagarin rankings, although in fairness, part of that is skewed because we played Wake Forest).

At the very least, if LU *didn't* make the playoffs at 10-1, we'd have a legit complaint.

[SuperJon]

Coastal had a DII last year, not this year.