Ranking the Remaining Playoff Teams

[andy7171]

Don't know where Maine should be placed on the list but they should definitely be behind UNH and Towson right now. I guess I'd say around #10-#12ish.

Just wondering, why behind Towson?

[Gil Dobie]

NAU Should be higher!

[Theee Catrabbit]

Oh, and I love how you selectively choose the USD game for comparison purposes, but conveniently ignore the UND comparison.

Well...personally I'd like to ignore UND and USD altogether....but I just plain forgot about UND.

[Adam H]

1. North Dakota State
2. Eastern Illinois
3. Southeast Louisiana
4. South Dakota State
5. Eastern Washington
6. Towson
7. Montana
8. McNeese State
9. Coastal Carolina
10. Maine
11. Jacksonville State
12. New Hampshire
13. Sam Houston State
14. Tennessee State
15. Fordham
16. Furman

-Eastern Illinois: Forget their conference and only look at non-conference results. They dominated San Diego St and Illinois St, narrowly beat Southern Illinois, and narrowly lost to N Illinois. That's a damn good stretch of 4 games against two solid MVC teams and two FBS teams (one undefeated and the other with a winning record, btw). So enough with the "OVC teams suck until they prove themselves" - they've already proven themselves.

[Gil Dobie]

-Eastern Illinois: Forget their conference and only look at non-conference results. They dominated San Diego St and Illinois St, narrowly beat Southern Illinois, and narrowly lost to N Illinois. That's a damn good stretch of 4 games against two solid MVC teams and two FBS teams (one undefeated and the other with a winning record, btw). So enough with the "OVC teams suck until they prove themselves" - they've already proven themselves.

They haven't proven anything yet. In 2010 when NDSU took eventual champion EWU to OT and lost, it didn't prove anything until NDSU won the championship the next year. NDSU had beaten Minnesota, MAC Champion CMU, a good Ball St, but still needed that NC to prove themselves.

[BlackFalkin]

-Eastern Illinois: Forget their conference and only look at non-conference results. They dominated San Diego St and Illinois St, narrowly beat Southern Illinois, and narrowly lost to N Illinois. That's a damn good stretch of 4 games against two solid MVC teams and two FBS teams (one undefeated and the other with a winning record, btw). So enough with the "OVC teams suck until they prove themselves" - they've already proven themselves.

They haven't proven anything yet. In 2010 when NDSU took eventual champion EWU to OT and lost, it didn't prove anything until NDSU won the championship the next year. NDSU had beaten Minnesota, MAC Champion CMU, a good Ball St, but still needed that NC to prove themselves.

Yup and anyone who watched the EWU v NDSU game could see that NDSU was a great team and would've been in the NC had their road not lead them into Cheney. EWU WAXED Villanova and scored 20 straight on Delaware to win it. NDSU was the biggest test. Point is your record or past wins cant help you in the playoffs. That's what makes the playoffs great.

[AZGrizFan]

Eastern Illinois: Forget their conference and only look at non-conference results. They dominated San Diego St and Illinois St, narrowly beat Southern Illinois, and narrowly lost to N Illinois. That's a damn good stretch of 4 games against two solid MVC teams and two FBS teams (one undefeated and the other with a winning record, btw). So enough with the "OVC teams suck until they prove themselves" - they've already proven themselves.

Proving yourself in the regular season <> proving yourself in the playoffs. EIU has the yoke of a 0-56 (or something like that) conference playoff record they are carrying around.

[hippieteach]

Ya know- at least no one is getting the number one team wrong!! Go Bison!!

[Adam H]

How a team did in the playoffs every year other than this year means soooo much less than how good a team is this year.

Maybe we're talking about two different things. Eastern Illinois has not proven that they are going to win the playoffs this year. But they HAVE proven that they are an elite team capable of winning the championship (just like pretty much every team still in the playoffs).

[93henfan]

Z has all the Big Sky teams too damned high!

[hippieteach]

I am testing my connection here. I am a die hard Bison fan. Go BISON!! Some poster recently refered to us as "trolls". Really? In all rankings, it is never disputed that the BISON are still on top!! My finals prediction EWU vs NDSU. NDSU walking away with the big hardware!!

[AZGrizFan]

How a team did in the playoffs every year other than this year means soooo much less than how good a team is this year.

Maybe we're talking about two different things. Eastern Illinois has not proven that they are going to win the playoffs this year. But they HAVE proven that they are an elite team capable of winning the championship (just like pretty much every team still in the playoffs).

Nope. Not even close. The following teams have NO shot of winning the championship:

Eastern Illinois
Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville State
Tennessee State
Fordham

[Brock Landers]

Why? EIU has homefield throughout

[Grizalltheway]

Why? EIU has homefield throughout

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Townsend go in and beat them.

[JohnStOnge]

Jacksonville State is going to make McNeese St look better than they really are.

Well...I hope you're right. I guess. I'll be on pins and needles until McNeese actually wins a playoff game again. Jacksonville State did look pretty good the other night. And the weather conditions are not going to be the best for what I think are McNeese's advantages in team speed and offensive balance. However good Jacksonville State is or is not, i do think after watching them Saturday that they're built better for winter football than McNeese is. It's basically physical power football offense. They wont be as affected by the predicted winter conditions as McNeese is. It might not be cold by northern standards, but it's predicted to be in the lower 40s or upper 30s, damp, and windy at game time.

If McNeese was playing them in 70 degree dry weather with a 5 mph wind I'd be very confident because the Gamecocks look slow and they don't throw the ball well while McNeese does. Under such conditions I think McNeese would run circles around them. But that's not what it's going to be like.

[jcfrancis]

It should be no surprising. People on here are clouded by the fog of past failures and unwilling to recognize the abilities of the present. The people that made the decisions on the rankings pay attention. It is going to take EIU making it to Texas for anyone to recognize the overall quality of the team. If that doesn't happen, it will be a lot of "I informed you thusly," from the nay-sayers even when their team was eliminated before hand.

[89Hen]

It should be no surprising. People on here are clouded by the fog of past failures and unwilling to recognize the abilities of the present.

Maybe they will prove everyone wrong, but on the other hand, I guess you've never heard of the axiom of "those that choose to ignore history are doomed to repeat it". Do you remember another 10-1 EIU that only lost to a I-A and lost first round? Fact is, EIU has lost TEN playoff games in a row. Maybe this is the year they change that, but if you had to wager your money, and somebody told you the team was 0 for their last 10, who would you bet on?

[JohnStOnge]

Sorry but I just can't rank SELA ahead of SDSU, we won in a head-to-head matchup.

Southeastern Louisiana was playing on the road, was -5 in turnover margin, and lost by 8 points. To be in the game at all with a -5 turnover margin is something else. If two teams are evenly matched and one is -5 you'd expect a multiple touchdown loss by that team.

In any case, power rating systems that take all game results into account including the head to head between the two teams generally have Southeastern Louisiana ranked higher. And that's not necessarily inconsistent with reality. The better team losing in any one game happens all the time. Like North Dakota State losing to Indiana State in 2012 due to turnovers. Whether that's what happened in the Southeastern Louisiana at South Dakota State game or not It happens.

[jcfrancis]

I remember that team as well. I was an undergrad at Murray. And, again, I know the past has clouded the thoughts of those around the nation. But I were handed the stats of the teams in the playoffs with no names and no history, I would bet on them.

[vutomcat]

Yup and anyone who watched the EWU v NDSU game could see that NDSU was a great team and would've been in the NC had their road not lead them into Cheney. EWU WAXED Villanova and scored 20 straight on Delaware to win it. NDSU was the biggest test. Point is your record or past wins cant help you in the playoffs. That's what makes the playoffs great.

EWU "waxed Villanova"? What game did you watch? Nova turned the ball over 6 times and was still within 3 points with a minute or so left in the game. These posts are a riot. If you are just going to make stuff up, what's the point?

[EWURanger]

EWU "waxed Villanova"? What game did you watch? Nova turned the ball over 6 times and was still within 3 points with a minute or so left in the game. These posts are a riot. If you are just going to make stuff up, what's the point?

I wouldn't say EWU waxed Vanilla. But they did have almost twice as many yards of offense, a greater TOP, hung on to the ball a lot better (only 2 TO's as compared to 6), and basically shut down Sczcur, limiting him to only 36 yards of rushing. Vanilla's supposedly far superior O-Line got man-handled in that game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AZGrizFan]

Why? EIU has homefield throughout

OVC, Big South, MEAC, Shitty SoCon this year.

[JoltinJoe]

How a team did in the playoffs every year other than this year means soooo much less than how good a team is this year.

Maybe we're talking about two different things. Eastern Illinois has not proven that they are going to win the playoffs this year. But they HAVE proven that they are an elite team capable of winning the championship (just like pretty much every team still in the playoffs).

Nope. Not even close. The following teams have NO shot of winning the championship:

Eastern Illinois
Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville State
Tennessee State
Fordham

You've never seen Fordham play.

Fordham can put points up against any team in the nation. We have a BCS-level quarterback and two BCS-level receivers who will be among the best athletes on the field in any FCS game.

The writers who vote in the Lambert Cup (people who have actually seen all the Eastern teams play) have Fordham #2 in the East, only behind Towson. Fordham was ahead of Towson all season until it lost one game without Nebrich playing.

If you are thinking Fordham is a PL team, and thus you rate them lightly, keep in mind Fordham has 60 scholarships, routinely dropped 50 or more points on its opponents this year, and it played its games against Bucknell and Lafayette without Nebrich.

Towson has a game on its hand Saturday.

[BlackFalkin]

EWU "waxed Villanova"? What game did you watch? Nova turned the ball over 6 times and was still within 3 points with a minute or so left in the game. These posts are a riot. If you are just going to make stuff up, what's the point?

I wouldn't say EWU waxed Vanilla. But they did have almost twice as many yards of offense, a greater TOP, hung on to the ball a lot better (only 2 TO's as compared to 6), and basically shut down Sczcur, limiting him to only 36 yards of rushing. Vanilla's supposedly far superior O-Line got man-handled in that game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So in other words, they got waxed. Especially since most ppl thought (even EWU fans on this site ) sczcur and the gang were gonna kill EWU. Btw one of novas turnovers was an EWU player TAKING THE BALL FROM THE RB and running it in for a TD. =manhandled/waxed. To be the best you gotta beat the best. Wooo!

Check dat 2010/2011 Siggy you overly-conservative bastards.

[Gil Dobie]

Fordham can put points up against any team in the nation. We have a BCS-level quarterback and two BCS-level receivers who will be among the best athletes on the field in any FCS game.

So did Kansas St.