2024 FCS Playoffs

[ST_Lawson]

That Tarleton State offense scheme was very strange.  If you have an RB with lightning quickness who can pick his own holes wisely and change direction on a dime, it can be deadly.  I dont think USD ever really figured out how to stop it but got some lucky turnover breaks to get the job done.  I might make a trip to Vermillion next week to catch the Quarters as well as the mens Hoops game.


 

Both games currentlly scheduled for 2pm on Saturday.  Surely they will make an adjustment to the start times?

 

Tip-off for the BBall game has been moved to 11 AM.
 

[ST_Lawson]

Couple of things...first isn't directly related to this year's playoffs, but the Ivy League has (finally) agreed to participate in the FCS playoffs beginning in 2025.

Also, this weekend's games:
11/21 at 11 AM - #3 South Dakota State at #2 North Dakota State, ABC - SDSU favored by 3
11/21 at 2:30 PM - #4 South Dakota at #1 Montana State, ABC - MSU favored by 7
Looks like the committee was pretty accurate this year. Seeds 1-8 all made the quarterfinals, with 1-4 all winning their games to play in the semifinals.

The DII championship is this Saturday as well, #1 Valdosta State (GA) vs #2 Ferris State (MI) at 1 PM. That game will be on ESPN2.
In DIII, the semifinals games are also going on, with Susquehanna (PA) at North Central College (Naperville) at 2:30 PM and Johns Hopkins at Mount Union (OH) 11 AM. Both games are on ESPN+.

[ST_Lawson]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... kota-state

[ST_Lawson]

In case anyone is interested and not watching, SDSU at NDSU is turning out to be a great game. Tied up at 21 with under 5 left in the game.

On ABC.

Edit - NDSU wins 28-21 to earn their spot in the championship game

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wiu712]

In the other Semi-Final game, #1 Montana State beat #4 South Dakota 31-17.

Attendance at Montana State = 20,557

[meganeck]

Couple of things...first isn't directly related to this year's playoffs, but the Ivy League has (finally) agreed to participate in the FCS playoffs beginning in 2025.

Also, this weekend's games:
11/21 at 11 AM - #3 South Dakota State at #2 North Dakota State, ABC - SDSU favored by 3
11/21 at 2:30 PM - #4 South Dakota at #1 Montana State, ABC - MSU favored by 7
Looks like the committee was pretty accurate this year. Seeds 1-8 all made the quarterfinals, with 1-4 all winning their games to play in the semifinals.

The DII championship is this Saturday as well, #1 Valdosta State (GA) vs #2 Ferris State (MI) at 1 PM. That game will be on ESPN2.
In DIII, the semifinals games are also going on, with Susquehanna (PA) at North Central College (Naperville) at 2:30 PM and Johns Hopkins at Mount Union (OH) 11 AM. Both games are on ESPN+.

 

Why didn't the Ivy League want to be in the playoffs, did they think the athletes would miss too much school?
 

[ST_Lawson]

I think that was one of the big arguments, but really I think it boiled down to them not wanting to "lower themselves" to playing the other FCS schools in the postseason. In the other sports, they compete at the highest level (DI)...so like, Princeton in Men's Basketball having occasional sweet sixteen runs and taking down teams like (in 2023), Arizona and Missouri. In FCS, however, they're not competing with Michigan, Georgia, or Notre Dame...they're competing with North Dakota State, Montana State, or Mercer. In the past, they could play a couple of other FCS teams in their region to start the season and consider it like how FBS teams play an FCS team early on, then they played their Ivy League season, ending with their precious rivalry games (biggest of which is Yale vs Harvard). I think there's been pressure to join the FCS playoffs for a while from players who want to actually compete for a championship, even if it isn't the top-level championship and from younger fans/alumni, but finally enough of the "old guard" people either passed away or relinquished control enough to allow them to join the playoffs.

If most of the Ivy League ever decided that they really wanted to put the full force of their alumni base and financial reserves towards football, most of them could easily rival other smallish private schools like Notre Dame, SMU, Tulane, or Miami (FL).

[meganeck]

 

I think that was one of the big arguments, but really I think it boiled down to them not wanting to "lower themselves" to playing the other FCS schools in the postseason. In the other sports, they compete at the highest level (DI)...so like, Princeton in Men's Basketball having occasional sweet sixteen runs and taking down teams like (in 2023), Arizona and Missouri. In FCS, however, they're not competing with Michigan, Georgia, or Notre Dame...they're competing with North Dakota State, Montana State, or Mercer. In the past, they could play a couple of other FCS teams in their region to start the season and consider it like how FBS teams play an FCS team early on, then they played their Ivy League season, ending with their precious rivalry games (biggest of which is Yale vs Harvard). I think there's been pressure to join the FCS playoffs for a while from players who want to actually compete for a championship, even if it isn't the top-level championship and from younger fans/alumni, but finally enough of the "old guard" people either passed away or relinquished control enough to allow them to join the playoffs.

If most of the Ivy League ever decided that they really wanted to put the full force of their alumni base and financial reserves towards football, most of them could easily rival other smallish private schools like Notre Dame, SMU, Tulane, or Miami (FL).

 

Interesting...thanks.. 
 

[wiu712]

Idaho Famous Potato Bowl -- 2 Overtimes:
Northern Illinois  28
Fresno State  20

Attendance at Boise, Idaho = 10,359

Northern Illinois finishes the season with an 8-5 record.
 
 

[wiu712]

NCAA Division 3 Championship Game at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Houston:

Sunday at 7:00 PM on ESPN:  #1 North Central College (14-0, Naperville, Illinois) vs #3 University of Mount Union (14-0, Alliance, Ohio).

The game will be played at Shell Energy Stadium -- home of Houston's soccer teams.