Will App. State 3-peat?

The brackets:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3117576

App. State should take JMU. McNeese State will be their first big challenge.

The number 3 bracket looks really tough, Wofford likely won't survive. Too bad, as a Wofford App. State rematch would be entertaining (of course, that would assume App. State gets past McNeese State).

Wofford and Montana should be a really good game, though the Richland Spiders in that bracket are a team to watch also.

UNI is a hot team to watch, but everyone here has earned a spot. I don't see any patsies on these brackets. It's playoff time!

 

Now that's a bit lopsided - 5 teams in the playoffs are from the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association):

New Hampshire
Delaware
Massachussetts
James Madison
Richmond

I don't think the Southern Conference has ever done better than four...The Southern Conference teams just beat on each other too much this year. It's too bad that Elon and Georgia Southern didn't make it. Well, not Georgia Southern, as Furman got to be the team that knocked them out of it, and it's always fun sticking it to Georgia Southern.

 

Exactly

How bout New Hampshire getting in with a 7-4 record. Thats what happens when no Socon reps were on the decision committee

 

I dont know if anyone caught Outside The Lines last Thursday, but ESPN had a big story about why the predominately black Delaware State Hornets is never scheduled by the predominately white University of Delaware Blue Hens. Apparently the NCAA I-AA Tournament Selection Committee saw it and thought they would add some reality into this and scheduled the Hornets and Blue Hens in the first round. Anyone catch this??

 

Yeah, if they're gonna put a 7-4 team in, and there are already four teams from that conference, take another 7-4 team, IMHO.

Oh. I just looked at New Hampshire's schedule, and they beat Marshall earlier this year. So maybe a victory over a I-A team made the difference, though Marshall is a lousy 2-9 this year.

Arguments could've been made for Elon or Georgia Southern or the Citadel, or for that matter from one of the other conferences that normally doesn't get as much of a look.

 

If you notice, it's one of the two first round games that ESPN is broadcasting. Sounds like some conversations took place between ESPN and the Selection Committee, and maybe someone from Delaware State?

 

Brackets

Beating a D-1 school did not help ASU too much. I thought the Michigan win, co conference champs and two time defending champion would maybe warrant one of the four seeds. You are right, Marshall is not a good football team this year. I do not know that much about McNeese State except they had a easy schedule. But in the past some of the schools from black conferences (SWAC) have gone undefeated in the season and lost out of the playoffs as soon as they play a decent team. I do not know if thats the case with McNeese or not. But the UNH deal is a gift to that conference. ASU had the toughest schedule of the 16 teams in the playoffs with the Michigan game and then playing week in and week out in the Socon. Wofford absolutely got hosed with their draw. Why isn't UNH going to Montana and playing their first game there?

 

It won't matter, New Hampshire will get splattered in the first round by Northern Iowa. Wofford may have a better chance against Montana than Northern Iowa, but the lower half of the Montana bracket is tougher than the lower half of the Northern Iowa Bracket.

It looks like they set up several regionally close teams, but then royally screwed some others - I remember Furman having to make that trip to Montana one year - ugly.

The close-regional games:
Delaware-Delaware St.
Southern Ill.-Eastern Ill.
UMass-Fordham
Richmond-Eastern Kentucky

The screwed:
Wofford (at Montana)
Eastern Washington (at McNeese St. - Louisiana)


James Madison to App. State and New Hampshire to Northern Iowa are manageable. But why couldn't they send Eastern Washington to Montana and Wofford to McNeese St. in Louisiana? Both of those would be a little shorter, I would think.

Edit:
McNeese St. has shown some toughness in the past. In 2002 they made it all the way through the playoffs to the championship game, only to lose to Western Kentucky.

 

Heh. Some of the names with some of the records for the playoffs:

Most Passes Attempted: 82 - Steve McNair, Alcorn St. versus Youngstown St. 11/25/94.
Most Passes Completed 52 - Steve McNair, same game.
Most Rushing and Passing Plays - 91 Steve McNair, same game.

Net Yards Receiving: 288 - Randy Moss, Marshall vs. Delaware on 11/30/96 - 8 catches - that's an average of 36 yards per catch.

Yards Gained On Punt Returns: 121 - Darren Sharper, Willam and Mary vs Jackson St. on 11/30/96

OMG! Most yards Rushing by a team in the playoffs (in a single game!): 638 - Ga Southern vs Youngstown St., 12/18/99. Ga. Southern had 2030 net yards rushing in the playoffs that year- that's through four games...only an average of 507.5 net rushing yards per game...in those same four games they totaled 223 net yards passing, or 56 yards passing per game.

Championship Game Records:
Most Rushing TDs: 4 - a tie between Kevin Richardson of App. St. (2006) and John Bagwell of Furman (1985)
Most Receiving TDs: 4 - Randy Moss, 1996.
Most Receiving Yards: 220 - Randy Moss, 1996.
Most Points: 24 - threeway tie - John Bagwell (Furman), Kevin Richardson (App. State), and Randy Moss (Marshall). hmm...all those are or were Southern Conference teams at the time those records were set...hmm....
Most TDs: 4 - same three-way tie as above


Heheh. The most intereptions thown in the chapionship game, a Western Carolina QB - Jeff Gilbert in 1983. To be fair, Western beat Furman in the playoffs that year and went to the championship, but got smashed by So. Illinois 43-7, thanks to Mr. Gilbert's seven interceptions, of course.

The teams that have been to the playoffs more than 10 years:
E. Kentucky - 17 years
Montana - 17 years
Ga. Southern - 16 years
Furman - 15 years
App. St. - 14 years
Delaware - 13 years
Jackson St. 12 years
McNeese St. - 12 years
Northern Iowa (UNI) - 12 years
E. Illinois - 11 years
Idaho 11 years
Youngstown St. - 11 years

Most chapionships: 6 - Georgia Southern (damn I hate Southern).

 

Gametime noon on Saturday.