Brace yourselves, FCS football fans. There will be a lot of opinions below — and ornery opinions in general — at Gridiron Heroics.
First of all, let us repeat (again) what we’ve said for a couple of weeks now: Let’s go ahead and establish that pecking order — the Big Sky Conference is the top league in the FCS universe in 2022.
After the above?: MVFC is clearly next … and then the CAA/SoCon are co-sharing the No. 3 spot (for now). We can make the final determination two weeks from tonight, but it’s close. And this year? It’s different.
I doubt anybody outside of the Big Sky conference will like the above being said, nor will they accept it. But that’s OK. But that’s FCS reality in 2022.
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In my opinion? This week, the Big Sky took the position of the No. 1 spot in the FCS playoff argument. Sacramento State has now knocked off Weber State on the road, along with potential Top 10s Idaho and Montana at home. Oh, and the Hornets have beaten an FBS team (Colorado State) by 31 points on the road in a “money” game.
By the way, can you imagine how it feels for you to sign a contract (like Colorado State did) to have a team come to your place for a one-off home game — and they kick your ass AND take the money? Yikes.
The Hornets deserve No. 1. You can make arguments to the contrary, but you won’t convince me to change my mind as of Nov. 6. Now, do the Big Sky and Sac. State and the others need to prove it in the 2022 postseason? You better believe it, and the MVFC elite have owned the Big Sky in recent years. But if Sac. State wraps at 11-0 under coach Troy Taylor — beating Portland St on the road this weekend and bitter rival UC Davis at home in the finale? Why would the FCS committee go with anybody else at No. 1?
If the committee does, because of precedence instead of what has happened this year? It’s wrong. But again, Sac. State had better earn it the next two weeks. The Hornets have zero pedigree, but they do have 2022 — and so far so good.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? So let’s discuss this below:
BMAC’S FCS FOOTBALL POLL BALLOT VOTE (NOV 6): What do you disagree with?
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BMAC’S POLL – THE TOP-FOUR DEBATE …
Yes, I switched Sacramento State with my poll ballot of last week, South Dakota State.
Are they admittedly 1A and 1B? Well, yes. SDSU’s win over NDSU a few weeks back is massive. Sacramento State doesn’t have a win like that. But then again? SDSU doesn’t have three straight wins like Sac. State does — Weber State, Idaho, and Montana. Welcome to the big argument.
Of course, the big, elephant in the room question is — why does any of this matter. NDSU has a 2-point loss at SDSU and the Pac 12’s Arizona barely survived the Bison — and apparently, nobody thinks the 2022 version of NDSU is exactly the team of the decade in Fargo?
Yikes. But, again — the seeding picture should be based on results so far.
This is a key thing to keep in mind. We’ can all be idealistic, but the Bison-Shark is still here, and it won’t suck.
But for now, this is my list. And yes, I did put NDSU ahead of Montana State this week, even though MSU is 8-0 versus the FCS. Sorry Bobcats, you can’t go down to Flagstaff and barely survive NAU and stay ahead of NDSU.
Right?
BMAC’S FCS FOOTBALL POLL BALLOT VOTE (NOV 6): What do you disagree with?
BMAC’S POLL – SEEDING THE NO. 5 THROUGH NO. 8 DEBATE …
I’m not 1000 percent sold on my sister’s alma mater as a high seed, William & Mary, but The Tribe is certainly doing some special things. If they get business done at home this weekend with Villanova and win at rival Richmond in the final week? Yes, they will be a very respected seed.
And yes, I slipped them ahead of Weber State — for now. It’s hard to see a WSU team that has fallen by 7 total points to highly seeded teams be some sort of disaster, and anybody who ranks that way and floats teams like Jackson State above WSU? Don’t get me started.
I’m sorry — do you really think Weber State and Jackson State would even be close on a neutral site? Please just think about your vote (Tuesday included). As they say, it’s not a right — it’s a privilege.
And Incarnate Word and Holy Cross? I only wish they’d played tougher schedules BUT — the young men playing at these two schools? Not THEIR fault. They didn’t build these scheduled, they’ve just won games. They’ve taken care of business. If they both go perfectly the rest of the way? They’re seeds IMO.
THE RISE AND FALL:
Not a lot of movement here, honestly. New Hampshire was leading the CAA coming into this weekend’s Richmond game, but the Wildcats lost. And UNH didn’t have the toughest situation so far this year with CAA schedule rotation. Richmond won by 6 on Saturday, and that was big.
Eastern Kentucky knocking off a good Central Arkansas program was another needle-pusher. EKU has beaten an FBS (Bowling Green in OT) and has beaten a very good (and potential OVC champ) SEMO team in the past few weeks. How can you ignore EKU as a potential playoff team?
Not a whole lot of movement in my poll ballot since last week. I know the SoCon crowd will be disappointed but the truth is? When I saw what I’d consider the SoCon leader Samford (8-1) behind to a rebuilding VMI (1-8) at the half? I realized — we must get a firmer grasp of where this conference is going before we start rewarding seeds.
I do believe a SoCon leader will nab a seed, but right now? I’m just not sure who it is, so I’m not going to guess. We need these two final, critical weekends.
BMAC’S FCS FOOTBALL POLL BALLOT VOTE (NOV 6): What do you disagree with?
THE CUSP
Youngstown State got it done this weekend and honestly in its two MVFC losses hasn’t exactly stunk things up The Penguins have now beaten four straight opponents in a brutal league, but they also lost to North Dakota and of course, NDSU. YSU has games at quickly descending Missouri State and a dangerous but hard-to-figure Southern Illinois. If YSU gets that done? It’s a no brainer — YSU is in the FCS playoffs. No question.
The other school we have our eyes on that is “on the cusp”? It’s UC Davis — a school we were curious about in the preseason but had a brutal start. Well, now the Aggies have won four in a row. UC Davis can’t complain — it has its work ahead of it — it must win on the road at Idaho and Sacramento St. But if it does? No way a 7-4 UC Davis team with those kinds of quality wins isn’t in the playoffs.
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