FCS Playoffs - Selection, Seeding, Bracketing, Game Sites

1. South Dakota State (10-0, 7-0 MVFC), 1,400 points (56 of 56 first-place votes) - Previous Ranking: 1 - AutoBid 1 - MVFC 1 - Field 1
2. Furman (9-1, 7-0 SoCon), 1,309 - Previous Ranking: 2 - AutoBid 2 - SoCon 1 - Field 2
3. Montana (9-1, 6-1 Big Sky), 1,301 - Previous Ranking: 3 - AutoBid 3 - Big Sky 1 - Field 3
4. Montana State (8-2, 6-1 Big Sky), 1,233 - Previous Ranking: 5 - AtLarge 1 - Big Sky 2 - Field 4
5. South Dakota (8-2, 6-1 MVFC), 1,183 Previous Ranking: 6 - AtLarge 2 - MVFC 2 - Field 5
6. Idaho (7-3, 5-2 Big Sky), 1,042 - Previous Ranking: 4 - AtLarge 3 - Big Sky 3 - Field 6
7. Delaware (8-2, 6-1 CAA), 1,029 - Previous Ranking: 8 - AutoBid 4 - CAA 1 - Field 7
8. Sacramento State (7-3, 4-3 Big Sky), 957 - Previous Ranking: 9 - AtLarge 4 - Big Sky 4 - Field 8
9. North Dakota State (7-3, 4-3 MVFC), 874 - Previous Ranking: 12 - At Large 5 - MVFC 3 - Field 9
10. Villanova (8-2, 6-1 CAA), 792 - Previous Ranking: 13(tie) - AtLarge 6 - CAA 2 - Field 10
11. Florida A&M (9-1, 7-0 SWAC), 750 - Previous Ranking: 13(tie) - CELEBRATION BOWL
12. UAlbany (8-3, 6-1 CAA), 690 - Previous Ranking: 18 - AtLarge 7 - CAA 3 - Field 11
13. North Dakota (6-4, 4-3 MVFC), 685 - Previous Ranking: 10 - AtLarge 8 - MVFC 4 - Field 12
14. Western Carolina (7-3, 5-2 SoCon), 601 - Previous Ranking: 17 - AtLarge 9 - SoCon 2 - Field 13
15. Austin Peay (8-2, 5-0 UAC), 556 - Previous Ranking: 20 - AutoBid 5 - UAC 1 - Field 14
16. Southern Illinois (6-4, 3-4 MVFC), 507 - Previous Ranking: 11 - AtLarge 10 - MVFC 5 - Field 15

17. North Carolina Central (8-2, 3-1 MEAC), 489 - Previous Ranking: 7 - CELEBRATION BOWL (Maybe...Need Morgan State to beat Howard!). If not, NCCU would bet an an At-Large bid in our 'game' here

18. Chattanooga (7-3, 6-2 Southern), 481 - Previous Ranking: 19 - AtLarge 11 - SoCon 3 - Field 16

19. UT Martin (8-2, 5-1 Big South-OVC), 475 - Previous Ranking: 21 - AutoBid 6 - Big South/OVC 1 - Field 17 (Except Gardner-Webb can clinch the Big South/OVC with a win over Charleston Southern, which they are favored to get...which means UT Martin would get an AutoBid in our 'game' unless they lose to Samford...GO BULLDOGS!)

20. UIW (7-2, 5-1 Southland), 464 - Previous Ranking: 16 - AtLarge 12 - Southland 1 - Field 18 (Nicholls has clinched the Southland AutoBid. UIW's schedule / wins may not be good enough to get them in the playoffs, but they do get a bid in our 'game.')

21. Mercer (8-3, 6-2 SoCon), 311 - Previous Ranking: 23 - AtLarge 13 - SoCon 4 - Field 19 - WOO HOO!!! We're IN!!! (in our game...maybe)
22. Northern Iowa (6-4, 5-2 MVFC), 285 - Previous Ranking: 15 - AtLarge - MVFC 6 - Field 20
23. Harvard (8-1, 5-1 Ivy), 168 - Previous Ranking: 24 - DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN PLAYOFFS

24. Lafayette (8-2, 4-1 Patriot), 142 - Previous Ranking: 25 - AutoBid 7 - Patriot League 1 - Field 21 (Holy Cross can still win the AutoBid if Lafayette loses to Lehigh AND HC defeats Georgetown...which would give Lafayette an At-Large in our 'game' and 'steal' the AtLarge below for Youngstown State)

25. Youngstown State (6-4, 4-3 MVFC), 126 - Previous Ranking: 22 - AtLarge 14 - MVFC 7 - Field 22 (AtLarge 14 can go to Lafayette if Holy Cross wins PL AutoBid)

26. Central Arkansas (7-3, 4-1 UAC) 119
27. Tarleton (8-3, 4-2 UAC) 80

28. Richmond (7-3, 6-1 CAA) 77

29. Nicholls (5-4, 6-0 Southland, including forfeit win) 25 - AutoBid 8 - Southland - Field 22
30. Holy Cross (6-4, 4-1 Patriot) 21

31. Gardner-Webb (6-4, 4-1 Big South-OVC) (Can clinch BigSouth AutoBid which would make UT Martin an AtLarge and 'steal' the AtLarge from Youngstown OR Lafayette) 
32. UC Davis (6-4, 4-3 Big Sky) 5

33. Drake (7-3, 7-0 Pioneer) 2 - Autobid 9 - Pioneer Football League 1 - Field 23

UNRANKED / Not Receiving Votes. Duquesne OR Merrimack (winner of their game on Sat.) - AutoBid 10 - NEC - Field 24

OK - The scenarios are getting too complicated and intertwined for FUBeAR to care about tracking. He is, after all, a Bear of very little brain.


SO....Here's who we need to cheer for this Sat...

North Carolina Central over Delaware State
Morgan State over Howard
VMI over WCU - Hate to do it to SoCon brothers, but their demise COULD ensure Mercer's survival...but if they lose, it makes the win over them lesser - so... shrug?
Bama over Chatt - They were cheering for Samford last week, so...
Austin Peay over Central Arkansas
Charleston Southern over Gardner-Webb - Sorry Coach T. Lamb
William & Mary over Richmond....

...and this is getting too complicated also....

GO BEARS!!!!

FUBeAR has started this post a number of times, but it keeps getting ‘zapped away’ while he’s off on another tab researching further. So…this is now a ‘living’ post as FUBeAR will save it each time he adds a game…so, if you’re out there reading this…just know it may not be done…yet.



This is a list of games on Saturday that Mercer Fans (all you MF’ers ) will want to watch/heed and the Team that you want to win…and/or, in most cases, to lose. FUBeAR has even provided your ‘why.’

1) Morgan State @ Howard (1PM) - we want the Morgan State Bears to maul ‘em as that will prevent the Howard Bison from clinching/winning the MEAC and going to the Celebration Bowl. Instead we want NC Central (8-2) to win the MEAC and go to the Celebration Bowl because NC Central, otherwise, would most likely receive 1 of 14 available At-Large bids to the FCS Playoffs. We want as many At-Large bids as possible to remain available for the Mercer Bears to receive. Howard (5-5 and would be 5-6) will not receive an At-Large bid.

2) Delaware State (1-9) @ NC Central (8-2) (2PM) COULD BE EITHER - NCCU has to keep up their end and win in order to clinch the MEAC and go to the Celebration Bowl instead of the Playoffs. NCCU is heavily favored, while the game above in 1) is a bit more of a toss-up, so an NCCU win seems preferable, BUT, if Howard wins, we would want Delaware State to win this game as an 8-3 NCCU Team, having lost its final 2 games to 2 Teams with combined 8-14 records, might be ‘in line’ behind the 8-3 Bears on a 4 game win streak with 1 of those wins on the road over a Top 10 Team. But a 9-2 NCCU would probably cut in front of Mercer in that same line. So…start out pulling for the NCCU Eagles, but if Howard wins the game that kicks off an hour earlier or appears near certain to win, immediately change your allegiance to the Delaware State Hornets.

3) Charleston Southern (4-6) @ Gardner Webb (6-4) (1PM) - We want the Charleston Southern (CSU) Buccaneers to pull off an upset here. If Gardner Webb (GW) wins, the Runnin’ Bulldogs will clinch the Playoff AutoBid that goes to the Champion of the Big South/OVC Football Alliance. If CSU wins, that AutoBid will go to Tennessee Martin (UTM) (8-2). If UTM is not the AutoBid, due to a GW win, and the Skyhawks defeat Samford (see 4) below), at 9-2, they may be ahead of Mercer in contention for an At-Large bid. A 6-5 GW Team will not be in the conversation for an At-Large bid.

4) Tennessee Martin (8-2) @ Samford (5-5) (1PM) - We want our good friends from Samford to win this game. Regardless of the outcome of 3) (above) a Samford win and a UTM loss in this game helps Mercer. If UTM gets the AutoBid, that’s good because it ‘saves’ an At-Large bid, and puts a Conference Champion Team in the field that just lost to a Team that Mercer just beat, which enhances Mercer’s ‘resume’ and Strength of Schedule (SoS).

5) Incarnate Word (7-2) @ Houston Christian (5-4) (3PM) - We want the Houston Christian (HCU) Huskies to win this one. Nicholls has already clinched the Southland AutoBid. So this is about preserving an At-Large bid. An 8-2 Incarnate Word (UIW) Team with a Sub D1 win and no ‘good wins’ should NOT be in front of Mercer for an At-Large bid, but the Cardinals did play NDSU to the wire in the Semifinals in Fargo last year. They were actually cheated out of the win there by a horrible and critical call, so the Committee may put them in and reel off a litany of reasons (AKA excuses / lies) why UIW received a bid. So, we want HCU to make UIW 7-3 / 6-3 D1 and make it much, much harder for the Committee to pull their typical shenanigans…in this case.

6) Western Carolina (7-3) @ VMI (4-6) (12Noon) - Hate to do it to our friends from Cullowhee, but they are ranked ahead of Mercer, would have an identical record, and seem to be media darlings this year. Unfortunately, that matters. Mercer’s road win over WCU doesn’t seem to have tipped the scales toward the Bears in the eyes of poll voters, so the Committee may mimic that feeling. So, sadly, we want VMI to, most likely, knock WCU out of the Playoffs, but certainly behind the Bears @ 7-4.

7) Central Arkansas (7-3) @ Austin Peay (8-2) (2PM) - We are fans of the Austin Peay (APSU) Governors in this one. APSU is ahead of Mercer in the rankings and can clinch the United Athletic Conference (UAC) AutoBid with a win. If the Central Arkansas (UCA) Bears win, they will Clinch the AutoBid. UCA is ranked behind Mercer and would be unlikely to move ahead of Mercer in the At-Large bid line at 7-4 and a season-ending loss. APSU is a near-lock for an At-Large bid even if they lose this game.

8) Indiana State (1-9) @ Southern Illinois (6-4) (2PM) - We are Indiana State Sycamores fans in this one. It may be a long shot, but knocking Southern Illinois (SIU) down to 6-5 with a season-ending loss to a 2-9 Team, albeit an MVFC Team, would, most likely, put the Salukis behind the Bears. They are, most likely, ahead of Mercer if they win and get to 7-4.

9) Chattanooga (7-3) @ Alabama (9-1) (12Noon) - Again, we gotta be anti-SoCon. Chattanooga may be ahead of Mercer now with a similar record and the head-to-head win @ Mercer. If the Mocs win this game, they will undoubtedly move ahead of Mercer

10) Richmond (7-3) @ William & Mary (6-4) (1PM) - The CAA AutoBid is a giant cluster and Richmond still is in the running for that bid. But, Delaware, Villanova, and Albany are most likely in the Playoffs regardless of how the Autobid is resolved. So, we don’t want Richmond to get the AutoBid and ‘move’ 1 of those other 3 to fill an At-Large spot. Richmond could still get in @ 7-4 and we risk bringing a 7-4 W&M Team back into the conversation at 7-4, but that is unlikely.

11) North Dakota State (7-3) @ Northern Iowa (6-4) (5PM) - NDSU is almost certainly in as an At-Large, even at 7-4 if they lose this game. If UNI loses, they are probably (but not certainly - they are MVFC) out at 6-5

12) Tarleton State (8-3) @ NCAA (?) - Tarleton, like James Madison in FBS, has petitioned the NCAA for a waiver allowing them to participate in post-season play in 2023, during their transitional period, the terms of which they agreed to when they made the decision to transition to D1. Tarleton has the same record as Mercer and one can almost assume if the NCAA grants the waiver, it would be for a reason. - HEY!!! WE ALREADY WON ONE - NCAA DENIED TARLETON'S REQUEST!!!

13) Georgetown (5-5) @ Holy Cross (6-4) (12Noon) - A Georgetown win will clinch the Patriot League AutoBid for Lafayette (8-2) which is fine. It will also ensure that last year’s & earlier this year’s media darling, Holy Cross, is out of the conversation at 6-5.

14) Lafayette (8-2) @ Lehigh (2-8) (12Noon) - This is another interesting one, but after considering several angles, FUBeAR thinks it best if Lafayette clinches the PL AutoBid to remove them from the At-Large pool.

15) Illinois State (6-4) @ North Dakota (6-4) (2PM) - Fine cut one here. FUBeAR thinks it would be best of lower ranked Illinois State defeats higher ranked North Dakota. This could “backfire” as the Committee could decide to still love 6-5 North Dakota, without any real reason, just as poll voters, apparently, do AND to now also love 7-4 Illinois State more than the Bears also. So, it’s a close call, but let’s prefer ISUr over UND.

16) Youngstown State (6-4) @ Murray State (2-8) (2PM) - Another longshot, but a 6-5 YSU squad is much better for Mercer than a 7-4 Penguins squad.

17) Eastern Illinois (7-3) @ Robert Morris (4-6) (12Noon) - Longshot in a few ways, but Robert Morris has been playing better. Eastern Illinois hasn’t been ranked, but 8-3 is 8-3. Bears are safer if the Panthers are 7-4.

18) Sacramento State (7-3) @ UC Davis (6-4) (3PM) - SacState is highly ranked. They will be in the field. With a loss, we can be sure the UC Davis Aggies @ 6-5 will not.

Now that is ugly