Next NC comes from which conference?

[Get'em_Griz]

Hey Einstein....App State hasn't missed the playoffs since 2004.

Oh, and even if Montana and App State came into this game after each going 2-9 last year it would STILL be a bigger game than any game involving SHSU.

Right, way bigger than say the NC. 4 and 1

Well when you have two teams with the two largest fan bases by far in the FCS playing against each other, it's gonna be a bigger game than any other.

[JohnStOnge]

If I had to pick I'd pick the MVFC. But we really don't know.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Taking out my bias for NDSU and the MV, I would have to say the Big Sky this year.

Montana with JJ back
EWU
Montana State

They all are legit NC contenders this year. Although I think UND beats one of these teams this year since they are all at Grand Forks.

[dal4018]

1. MVFC preseason favorite
2. Big Sky/Southland/Southern
5. CAA

Could easily change once the games begin.

What about the OVC as a long shot????

[clenz]

Dal....go look up the ovc playoff record

quando omni flunkus moritati

[AZGrizFan]

1. MVFC preseason favorite
2. Big Sky/Southland/Southern
5. CAA

Could easily change once the games begin.

What about the OVC as a long shot????

[UNHWildcat18]

Richmond CAA, saying here, mark it down. funny about the post above, I remember when someone was arguing that the OVC deserved 2 bids(eastern Kentucky fan maybe?), only got 1 and that team got crushed. I thinkkkk that was last year.

[Appaholic]

BS. MSU knows exactly what to do, and they're quite good at it!

Step 1: Win Big Sky Co-Champs
Step 2: Meow ferociously.
Step 3: Piss down legs.
Step 4: Tuck tail until next year.

MSU has also mastered the follow-a-FBS-win-with-a-D-II-loss strategy....

Agree. By the way, who's the hooker in your avatar?

[Ibanez]

WHOA! APPAHOLIC SIGHTING!

[Appaholic]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

[Ibanez]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

Um, why wait. Are you travelling for work? Lets hear this hooker story?

[Appaholic]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

Um, why wait. Are you travelling for work? Lets hear this hookers story?

fify

[Screamin_Eagle174]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

What base did you get to before you found out they had dicks?

[Ibanez]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

What base did you get to before you found out they had dicks?

At $2,700 a pop( ) I don't think that'd be a deal breaker for App.

[Appaholic]

I'm a travelling sumbitch these days...just got back from China & Germany (remind me to tell you about the $2500 hooker night) and heading out to Bangkok & Malaysia Monday...missed you guys!

What base did you get to before you found out they had dicks?

Actually, from my research, there is a higher likelihood of "Ladyboy" snafu in my upcoming trip to Bangkok....gotta be on my guard...stay away from the tall ones....

[S F State Gaters]

Want to see one of the California schools from the Big Sky. My gut says either Missouri Valley or the Colonial.

[JohnStOnge]

Well when you have two teams with the two largest fan bases by far in the FCS playing against each other, it's gonna be a bigger game than any other.

Depends on what one thinks makes for a "big game." Me, I think in terms of playoff ramifications so the fact that Appalachian State is transitional so that it's not (as I understand it) eligible for the playoffs diminishes this game's magnitude. It's important for Montana but it's not like this matchup would've been last year when both teams could look at this as a potential high quality win that could make the difference between them getting into the playoffs or not.

Very sad too because Appalachian State had such a nice tradition of "small college" football. That's going to be gone. They'll never have that kind of mystique again. And with Georgia Southern an even bigger mystique will be lost.

[grizzaholic]

Well when you have two teams with the two largest fan bases by far in the FCS playing against each other, it's gonna be a bigger game than any other.

Depends on what one thinks makes for a "big game." Me, I think in terms of playoff ramifications so the fact that Appalachian State is transitional so that it's not (as I understand it) eligible for the playoffs diminishes this game's magnitude. It's important for Montana but it's not like this matchup would've been last year when both teams could look at this as a potential high quality win that could make the difference between them getting into the playoffs or not.

Very sad too because Appalachian State had such a nice tradition of "small college" football. That's going to be gone. They'll never have that kind of mystique again. And with Georgia Southern an even bigger mystique will be lost.

Well if the game isn't all that important I will go fishing that weekend...no need to be in town to watch something that is not a "big game".

[JohnStOnge]

Well if the game isn't all that important I will go fishing that weekend...no need to be in town to watch something that is not a "big game".

It's a big game from Montana's standpoint. If they win it's likely it'll be seen at the end of the season as a quality win. Just not as big a game from a national standpoint as it would have been before this year.

[JohnStOnge]

BTW, while I obviously wouldn't pick the Southland as the conference from which the national champ comes since it hasn't happened for that league since 1987 and no team currently in the league has done it, it is going to be a year during which the overall strength relative to the rest of IAA/FCS of the Southland looks going in to be the highest it's been for a long time. In fact I think I would have to go back to the 80s when Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech were still in the league to recall a time when the league was at least as strong in terms of number of potentially good teams relative to the rest of the subdivision.

I do think Sam Houston State will be down a little in spite of what our Bearkat friend says. But they should still be good and I think every other team in the league will be better than it was last year. There's an asterisks by that last Statement in that McNeese State will probably not start the season with a team that is as good as the one that started the season last year. But they should start the season with a better team than the one they had after Weber State devastated them injury wise and they entered conference play. And that injury depleted team still missed tying for the conference championship by the margin of two 1 point losses including that one where Central Arkansas needed an onside kick recovery followed by a 47 yard field goal at the end.

[htownbearkat]

BTW, while I obviously wouldn't pick the Southland as the conference from which the national champ comes since it hasn't happened for that league since 1987 and no team currently in the league has done it, it is going to be a year during which the overall strength relative to the rest of IAA/FCS of the Southland looks going in to be the highest it's been for a long time. In fact I think I would have to go back to the 80s when Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech were still in the league to recall a time when the league was at least as strong in terms of number of potentially good teams relative to the rest of the subdivision.

I do think Sam Houston State will be down a little in spite of what our Bearkat friend says. But they should still be good and I think every other team in the league will be better than it was last year. There's an asterisks by that last Statement in that McNeese State will probably not start the season with a team that is as good as the one that started the season last year. But they should start the season with a better team than the one they had after Weber State devastated them injury wise and they entered conference play. And that injury depleted team still missed tying for the conference championship by the margin of two 1 point losses including that one where Central Arkansas needed an onside kick recovery followed by a 47 yard field goal at the end.

has the southland ever had 3 teams make the playoffs? im guessing not, but i will defer to you sir. I think a good chance this year with 24 spots up for grabs.

[JohnStOnge]

has the southland ever had 3 teams make the playoffs? im guessing not, but i will defer to you sir. I think a good chance this year with 24 spots up for grabs.

Yes I can immediately remember it happening at least once and your school was involved. McNeese State, Northwestern State, and Sam Houston State all made the playoffs in 2001.

The Southland hasn't been in the running for the top league over time but hasn't been that bad. It's had a team make the championship game at the end of 8 of its 31 years as a I-AA/FCS league. Nothing like tip top conferences but a team in the championship game about once every 4 years on average isn't all that bad.

It's just they could only win once when they got there. They've had teams good enough to win. Like Stephen F. Austin losing 37-34 to Georgia Southern, the first team to end the year as an undefeated and untied national champ, after deciding to try to go for it instead of playing for overtime. Georgia Southern intercepted a pass and kicked a field goal at the end to win. Then there was McNeese losing 10-9 to Youngstown State in 1997. The only touchdown of the game came after McNeese sacked the Penguins' quarterback on third down but raked his facemask in the process to give Youngstown State another shot. Also a TD pass dropped by McNeese's tight end during the contest. So McNeese ended the year by losing to the Gateway conference's third place team after having beaten that conference's champion, Western Illinois, in the quarterfinals and its second place team, Northern Iowa, during the regular season. Then there was McNeese losing 34-14 to Western Kentucky in the 2002 championship game in spite of racking up over 400 yards of offense and after having beaten the HIlltoppers 38-13 during the regular season. No doubt they were playing a team they were capable of beating but they just didn't do it.

Sam Houston State's two teams were also good enough win it, I think. But they didn't get a good matchup. They'd have been better off if someone had knocked North Dakota State off, and that did almost happen. Also I think Sam Houston State kind of failed to take advantage of controlling the game early last year.

Yeah the Southland has had teams at times that can play with and have a chance to beat anybody in the country. They just need to just actually do it in the national championship game.

[htownbearkat]

has the southland ever had 3 teams make the playoffs? im guessing not, but i will defer to you sir. I think a good chance this year with 24 spots up for grabs.

Yes I can immediately remember it happening at least once and your school was involved. McNeese State, Northwestern State, and Sam Houston State all made the playoffs in 2001.

The Southland hasn't been in the running for the top league over time but hasn't been that bad. It's had a team make the championship game at the end of 8 of its 31 years as a I-AA/FCS league. Nothing like tip top conferences but a team in the championship game about once every 4 years on average isn't all that bad.

It's just they could only win once when they got there. They've had teams good enough to win. Like Stephen F. Austin losing 37-34 to Georgia Southern, the first team to end the year as an undefeated and untied national champ, after deciding to try to go for it instead of playing for overtime. Georgia Southern intercepted a pass and kicked a field goal at the end to win. Then there was McNeese losing 10-9 to Youngstown State in 1997. The only touchdown of the game came after McNeese sacked the Penguins' quarterback on third down but raked his facemask in the process to give Youngstown State another shot. Also a TD pass dropped by McNeese's tight end during the contest. So McNeese ended the year by losing to the Gateway conference's third place team after having beaten that conference's champion, Western Illinois, in the quarterfinals and its second place team, Northern Iowa, during the regular season. Then there was McNeese losing 34-14 to Western Kentucky in the 2002 championship game in spite of racking up over 400 yards of offense and after having beaten the HIlltoppers 38-13 during the regular season. No doubt they were playing a team they were capable of beating but they just didn't do it.

Sam Houston State's two teams were also good enough win it, I think. But they didn't get a good matchup. They'd have been better off if someone had knocked North Dakota State off, and that did almost happen. Also I think Sam Houston State kind of failed to take advantage of controlling the game early last year.

Yeah the Southland has had teams at times that can play with and have a chance to beat anybody in the country. They just need to just actually do it in the national championship game.

good stuff, thanks for the info.

Ill be coming to Lake Charles for the game, should be a good one.

[93henfan]

1. NDSU
2. CAA
3. Rest of MVFC
4. Tie - Big Sky/SoCon
6. Everyone else

[Appaholic]

1. NDSU
2. CAA
3. Rest of MVFC
4. Tie - Big Sky/SoCon
6. Everyone else

SoCon isn't even in the mix with App St & Ga South not qualified. Who else is there? Elon Chatty? Furman?