***OFFICIAL Division 1AA Football Thread***

[wh1t3bread]

Illinois St. should be getting in as an at-large selection. The I-AA playoffs are weird in that only the top 4 teams are seeded and guaranteed home playoff games.

My understanding is that the remaining 12 schools have to bid for a home game. Once those 4 schools are chosen the matchups are determined usually by proximity in order to cut travel costs and set up good regional matchups. 1st round matchups against schools within your own conference are avoided as well.

So it's hard to say right now if Illinois State will host a 1st round game. If they do I could see them hosting an A-10 team like New Hampshire more than San Diego right now. But it could happen.

Selections will be announced Sunday around 1pm (EST) on ESPNews.

[wh1t3bread]

[ QUOTE ]


Sep 1 - W vs. Azusa Pacific, 27-0
Sep 9 - W vs. Dixie State, 41-7
Sep 16 - W at Yale, 43-17
Sep 23 - Open
Sep 30 - W at Davidson, 50-21
Oct 7 - W vs. Butler, 56-3
Oct 14 - W vs. Valparaiso, 68-7
Oct 21 - W at Drake, 37-0
Oct 28 - W vs. Morehead State, 44-21
Nov 4 - W at Jacksonville, 38-21
Nov 11 - W vs. Dayton, 56-14



[/ QUOTE ]

Those first two games should be thrown out as they are versus D-II opponents.

Here is the GPI Ranking for the remaining teams:

Yale - 26
Davidson - 93
Bulter - 119
Valpo -122
Drake - 64
Morehead - 115
Jacksonville - 107
Dayton - 108

The only somewhat significant game was against Yale. This is quite possibily the easiest I-AA schedule ever in the history of I-AA. They played one team in the top 50. All of the bubble teams that get left out if San Diego gets in played much harder schedules. Not exactly fair is it? Even if USD wound up laying beat downs on these teams. If the teams that got left out had that schedule you would likely see the same result.

[SoloAJ]

I've gone to all the Illinois State home games except one (I go there right now). They have looked awfully good overall. Their one loss was against YSU and they played absolutely terrible. Usually their basic gameplan is run run urn with sparse big plays in the passing game. They don't have much of an intermediate passing game that isn't to the RBs....which is normal considering the WRs they have when all are healthy.

Your buddy Siskowic (spelling from memory) has definitely been having a bang up year. Actually the whole team has beeng playing really really well with the exception of that YSU game....

I would think they could do some damage in the tournament, but what do I know. I really wish we played U of I this year (I think we do it everyother year). We probably would have beat them this year...

[jstnrgrs]

The Bracket is out link .

UMass is seeded #3, and they have a possible rematch with New Hampshire in the second round (Part of the problem with a playoff, but it beats the alternative.)

[jstnrgrs]

Also, I didn't pick up on this before, but it appears that USD's schedule extends into December, so I guess they don't participate in the tournament.

[SoloAJ]

UNI beating us (ISU) and not getting in is kind of funny. I am a little sad we aren't hosting Eastern..but I wouldn't be there anyway....Here's to hoping that we beat Eastern thought...Go Redbirds.

(Note: We=They...if such a thing bothers you)

[kyro]

[ QUOTE ]
The Bracket is out link .

UMass is seeded #3, and they have a possible rematch with New Hampshire in the second round (Part of the problem with a playoff, but it beats the alternative.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Disappointing season for UNH it seems.

[wh1t3bread]

Jstn,
USD has agreements with it's remaining foes that would let them out of their contracts with those teams if they made the playoffs. USD didn't make the playoffs because of their TERRIBLE strength of schedule.

Kyro,
UNH playing Hampton is pretty much a gimme game. Hampton is by far the best team in the MEAC. But it's highly debatable as to why that conference gets an auto-bid to the playoffs. Without that auto-bid Hampton wouldn't have made the playoffs. The selection committee did UNH a favor by scheduling them there even if they have to play UMASS in the 2nd round.

[rant]
James Madison gets screwed again by the selection committee. I am growing sick of this. Of course if they had beaten Villanova two weeks ago this wouldn't be happening. I honestly don't understand how a 7-4 Montana St. and 8-3 Furman can be matched against each other and how an 8-4 EIU and 8-3 Illinois St play each other while the 9-2 Dukes are on the road to Ohio to play the seeded 9-2 Youngstown St.

Nevermind I totally understand. This game is going to be televised on ESPN-2. Now I get it. The selection committee screwed one of these teams to make a favorable prime-time matchup to air on ESPN. I can't wait. Go DUKES!
[/rant]

Now that my mini-rant is over I started to think more about this. Maybe I shouldn't be complaining about this at all. Yeah YSU is a helluva team but this is the playoffs and you are going to have to beat the good teams to deserve the title. Also, being nationally televised on ESPN-2 during primetime is going to be awesome for both schools and both football programs. Bring it on!

[Needle77]

This game is coming down to the wire. Have been flipping back and forth. JMU needs a huge play here.

Edit: OWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Reciever was hit right in the 'special' area when he went up for the ball. 4th down, this is JMU's season.

[MyTurn2Raise]

huge hit by Youngstown ST on that 3rd down play