Conference Break Down
It's time to break down the conferences and find out who is going to be in and who is out!
-- Huge games tonight, with Conference Championship appearances on the line ---
#10 Bloomsburg 10-0 at 10-0 West Chester #20 Can jms245 continue the cinderella season or will come come crashing down as Bloomsburg takes on 2000champou's West Chester.
Prediciton: West Chester is a seasoned team and should have a solid handle on this game throughout. Jms245 has done a great job in only his 1st season, but an upset here would be a shocker. West Chester is just too talented to let this one slip away.
West Chester 56-10
Results West Chester W 58-7
#8 Texas A&M-Commerce 10-0 at 10-0 Angelo State #22 Will akua29 and TAMC deliver a dominating perform or will we see the deafening crowd of Angelo St. give head coach jawz the mojo for delivery a much needed victory.
Prediction: TAMC has more talent and this is not their first meeting. Both programs have a history of close games, but Angelo State lost their powerful combo at RB from last season and TAMC is just as strong. Both teams have played common opponents very evenly. Even with ASU's great coaching, they are going to need some real breaks to slow down some of the explosiveness from Texas.
TAMC 37-24
Results. Texas A&M W 37-17
#12 N. Alabama 8-2 at 10-0 Valdosta St. #13 The game that everyone had their calendar has arrived. Can the brilliant game planning by Fazbear05 surprise the nation with an upset or will champ83's stellar defense come crashing down on N. Alabama knocking them out of the Conference Championship spot light.
Prediction: Fazbear05 is going to learn from his meetings in non-conference but the talent of VSU is pretty great. Champ83 also shows up for big games and no doubt you can expect their defense to play big. In the end, I just don't see N. Alabama pulling this one out.
Valdosta St. 45-17
Results Valdosta St W 48-16
Can spthibodeau's NMU squad close out the year in convincing fasion, leaving no doubt they are the best or will ojpick pull out one last trick out of his sleeve in one of the oldest conference rivalries.
Prediciton: Northern Michigan is playing elite style ball right now and SVSU had difficulty showing up versus Ferris State. Both teams have a history against each other but spthbodeau leads the seris 24-13. I think NMU is going to be mistake free and too consistent to be outscored in this one.
Northern Michigan 44-24
Results Northern Michigan W 45-24
#1 Virginia State 10-0 at 10-0 Bowie State #24 A must win game for both teams, but only 1 is going to come out the victor. Coral_reefer will have their hands full as they travel to Bowie, MD to take on the season underdog vikesrule69' Bowie State team who looks to feast on a upset.
Prediction: Bowie State delivered a nice win this season over N. Carolina Central but both teams have not faced a common opponent. Vikesrule69 could put a wrench in VSU's plans this season, but I think Coral_reefer is going to end the CC hopes for BSU tonight.
Virginia State 38-28
Results Virginia State W 58-3
Let's take a look at how each conference is lining up. Some teams are locking in for the playoffs and others are clinging on to hope.
Favorite
#1 Virginia State is the clear leader this season, running 10-0 and two quality wins over Southern Connecticut 38-28 and Winston-Salem State 50-13. They have to play Bowie State, but even with a loss, they should make the playoffs.
X-factor
#24 Bowie State (vikesrule69) is right on the edge to make the playoffs and really needs a win over VSU tonight. They are undefeated 10-0 and had a big win over North Carolina Central 27-16 who played some very good teams this season close. Their SOS could be enough to still get them in with 1 loss.
On the Bubble
North Carolina Central (dakjd901) is 7-3 and should clinch the West with NC Central having 3 conference losses. An impressive win over Tusculum 14-9 and close losses to North Alabama and Winona State. Their backs will be against the wall with a rank of #28 and 1 more loss could push them out. The CC is a must win.
Favorite
#3 Northern Michigan 10-0 (spthibodeau) is the clear favorite for a CC appearance with a big win over Ferris State 52-45. FSU beat Saginaw Valley State and NMU plays SVSU tonight. With a win, they lock the CC and even with a loss, they will make the playoffs.
#6 Ferris State 9-1 (coachoatie) will make the playoffs again and unless there is a surprising upset vs Hillsdale or Findlay, then we are looking at a NMU vs FSU rematch.
X-factor
#17 Saginaw Valley State 9-1 (ojpick) lost to Ferris State and will play NMU tonight. Even with 1 more loss, they should be a lock for the playoffs with a strong SOS.
On the Bubble
#29 Hillsdale 8-2 (omcs1981) 3 seasons into a rebuild they are on the cringe of making the playoffs. Coming off a big win over Findlay 44-7, they still have Ferris State to play and a loss there could potentially knock them out of the playoff scope.
Favorite
#13 Valdosta State 10-0 (champ83) is in great shape to make it and will play North Alabama with the chance to clinch the division tonight. Even with 1 more loss, they will make the playoffs.
X-factor
#12 North Alabama 8-2 (Fazbear05) took over the team in his first season and a very strong schedule. Out of 5 tough teams for non-conference, they came out 3-2 and has a tough challenge tonight with VSU. Due to the strong SOS, they should make the playoffs.
Favorite
#8 Texas A&M-Commerce 10-0 (akua29) will play ASU tonight in the conference rivalry. They are the favorite to clinch the division and should be a lock even with a loss versus ASU.
X-factor
#22 Angelo State 10-0 (jawz) is in great shape to make it but needs a good showing versus TAMC tonight. Ranked #22 they are in great shape even with a loss, but a win would launch them up in the standings.
On the Bubble
#41 Tarleton State 8-2 (munchnugget), tough spot riding over 40th rank and needs to find a way to strengthen their schedule. They will need to beat SE Oklahoma-Durant tonight and may have to win the CC to get into the playoffs.
Favorite
#15 Cheyney 9-1 (waregl72) will look to have their WIS ranking improve so they can get a better seed. Their last game of the season will be versus Missouri-Rolla and they would face Central Missouri State is the CC.
X-factor
#31 Central Missouri State 8-2 (AZHawg) is on the bubble but has the chance to win out and make the playoffs. This means taking down the division giant Cheyney.
On the Bubble
#25 Missouri-Rolla 8-2 (olrdneck) is really riding the bubble because they still have to face Cheney at the end of the year. Should they lose that game, they will have to rely on strength of schedule to possibly have a playoff run. Olrdneck has probably the best chance of making the playoffs though due to Cheyney being their opponent and not having to play an extra CC game.
Favorite
#2 Humboldt State 10-0 (maldito) picked up a quality win over CWU and clinched a spot in the Conference Championship. They will get a great seed this year which should boost their chance to make a run.
On the Bubble
#30 Nebraska-Omaha 8-2 (jbob23) gets a chance to play a SIM team that is 8-2 so this should help their rankings. I'm not sure what a potential loss to Humboldt in the CC could do, but they will ride the bubble for now.
Out
#18 Central Washington 9-1 (AJ_Scarlato) could of had a great season if not for the recruiting violations. They only lost by 2 points to Humboldt and beat them last season. Where would they of been if the violations never happened? There is always next year!
Favorite
#23 Long Island 10-0 (dmac1213) is a favorite but their #23 WIS ranking is not ideal. This is very close conference and the 9-3 win over 8-2 Southern Connecticut shows that. However, they have no real risk of losing and will go 13-0 into the CC.
X-factor
#26 Pace 10-0 (jpnroos) gets to the play the role as spoiler to Long Island. They too should finish 13-0 and go into the CC with a low WIS ranking. It would be pretty unlikely for a 1 loss team to not make the playoffs, but if their rankings keep slipping... who knows?
On the Bubble
#34 Southern Connecticut (notAbot) is a great team who should be in the playoffs but will likely miss it due to weaker conference play. Playing reigny tonight will probably further weaken their schedule and 2 more sims after that is not going to help.
Favorite
#7 Winona State 10-0 (kwheeler) is in the Conference Championship and playoffs.
X-factor
#14 West Liberty State 8-2 (Neans90) has a strong WIS ranking for 2 losses and playing a conference schedule full of SIM's. As long as nothing drastic changes, they could make the playoffs even with 3 loss should they lose the CC.
Favorite
#20 West Chester 10-0 (2000champou) is the clear favorite here and will need to be Bloomsburg tonight to clinch an CC appearance.
X-factor
#10 Bloomsburg 10-0 (jms245) has 2 more tough games to play versus West Chester tonight and Kutztown at the end of the season. This is going to help them with strength of schedule and they should make the playoffs even if they lose both games.
Favorite
#5 Midwestern State 10-0 (Linux_Box) needs to beat Western New Mexico in a week to clinch the CC spot. They are the conference favorite to do it and seems to perform slightly better versus common opponents this year.
X-factor
#9 Western New Mexico 10-0 (tmelonhead) is in a must win situation next week to gain conference power. With a win over MSU, they would gain a better playoff seed. They will face Chadron State tonight and we will get a better idea how they compare to MSU.
#16 Mesa State 10-0 (rich4cards) is a good team and having a great season. I don't think they are on the same level as the other two teams but with 1 more game versus Fort Lewis, it's hard not to see this team make the playoffs.
On the Bubble
#39 Fort Lewis 8-2 (jong44) is really in a dire situation if they want to make a playoff run. Ranked #39, their game versus Mesa State is going to be a must win situation as they cannot afford a 3rd loss.
Favorite
#11 Presbyterian 9-1 (rposborne) will play Tusculum next week in the game everyone is waiting for. Their current ranking is setting them up nicely to secure a playoff seed, but they really need to slam it home with a win over Tusculum to gain a CC appearance.
X-factor
#21 Tusculum 8-2 (clememp) is in control of their own destiny this season. Their ranking is within range to still make it if they were to lose, but a win vs Presbyterian would make it certain.
#19 Shepherd 9-1 (dawgnuts) will play Lenoir-Rhyne (starfinder77) and W. Virginia Tech (bigpapamatt) to close out the season. The W. V-Tech game will help their rankings but they can't afford to lose these games with a SIM team 1 game behind them. If they can sweep these games, they should be in even if they lose in the CC.
Favorite
#4 Saint Joseph's 9-1 (tutank) convincing win over Morehouse 55-3 secured the CC appearance and a playoff berth. We will see Tutank get a great playoff seed and look to make a run.
On the Bubble
#32 Morehouse 9-1 (sportsdouche) really needed a win last night, but they should finish the season 12-1. With a sweep of their schedule, they should make it in as other teams lose their CC games.
#36 Kentucky State 8-2 (lsumedici) and #43 Albany State 7-3 (fbuckster) will play each other in a must win game next week to determine who will represent the North. Kentucky State will have the best chance to make the playoffs should they lose the CC to Saint Joseph's. If Albany State wins, they will likely have to win out in order to make it.