We had our 'easy' year this year.

Southern Illinois 35 Nicholls State 0 - Final

So much for a part of selection committee's decision to deny the Aggies a playoff spot by noting Sac's "significant win over Nicholls State." It looks like Nicholls was a real powerhouse...

Chattanooga 24 Austin Peay 21 - Final
Mercer 17 Gardner-Webb 7 - Final

I hate these autobid teams getting in and getting destroyed. Ags would have definitely fared better

I get it about why they do it but, I agree, it should be the top 24 teams only.

It is a championship, they have to take conference champions and give them a shot. Fifth place teams from major conferences have already proved they aren’t the best teams, they have to give lesser teams a chance to prove the same thing on the field.
In 2009 Davis won a conference without an autobid. Team was 6-5 but two losses were to Boise State and Fresno State, a third was to the #5 team Montana by 17 to 10, and they didn’t get a bid.

NDSU 66 Drake 3 - Final
Youngstown State 40 Duquesne 7 - Final

Pioneer started getting an auto-bid in 2013. It was a mistake.

The conference has gone 2-9 in 1st round games, being outscored 408-168.

USD won 2 first round games but got shellacked in round 2. The conference is 2-11 in the FCS overall being outscored 491-178.

Aside from USD's 2 wins (Cal Poly in 2016 and NAU 2017), their conference has been a joke in the FCS playoffs.

They are the only non-scholarship conference with an autobid, and it hasn't gone well for them.

Yeah, my info is from wikipedia...shoot me :D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Football_League

Drake almost had the Bison today... Another 15 minutes and they surely would have turned it around.

In all seriousness though it is frustrating that the Pioneer gets an auto bid when they are so clearly not at a competitive level with the rest of the playoff teams.

In our non scholarship DII days in the FWC, what was our winning percentage in the playoffs - 35%?

Montana fans bummed for the Aggies.

https://www.egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic.php?t=92344

I don’t know the winning % of non scholarship D2 teams, but in a way it is deceiving because in the early years they would lose to the eventual champion; Lehigh, Eastern Illinois, Southwest Texas State. There were only eight teams in the playoffs in those years,

12/02 Playoff Games:

Youngstown State @ #8 Villanova - 9 am
Richmond @ #5 Albany - 9 am
Chattanooga @ #7 Furman
Mercer @ #1 South Dakota State - 11 am
Sac State @ #3 South Dakota - 11 am
North Dakota State @ #6 Montana State - 12 noon
Delaware @ #2 Montana - 6 pm
Southern Illinois @ #4 Idaho - 7 pm

I just do not see how South Dakota and North Dakota are so dominant in FCS football. They are in the middle of nowhere and they still get the best players in the FCS.

Of course you mean South Dakota St and North Dakota St. It's the only game in town and it's prioritized.

and for the Dakota schools other than SDSU, it's hard to beat going to a dome in the winter. Granted you lose the cold weather edge but people like going inside in the late season.

Hoping SD holds off Sac today. They are up 17-0 but Sac is in the red zone in the early 2nd half.

24-7 USD leading after a long TD pass.

Bennet out and Sac looking to be in big trouble. Their secondary is looking porous.

Sac threw a pick, and had a ball stripped.

South Dakota looking unstoppable right now.

Montana state misses easy field goal after a decent drive. Curious to see how NDSU will fare today against them.

Montana States weaknesses are passing game and field goal kicking. Just as I say that they score with a pass. Worked off a fake run.

#5 Albany 41 Richmond 13 - Final
#8 Villanova 45 Youngstown State 28 - Final

What I've never liked about college sports polls is how they rank teams in the preseason based on a combination of reputation, their previous season and additions/losses. All before a single game has been played. Then it is hard for teams to move into or up within the polls once play begins culminating in (for both FCA and NCAA basketball) committees using those polls to determine who gets into the playoffs. I like the suggestion some sportswriters have made to NOT have preseason polls, but poll them after two or three games have been played. By the way, I note that as I write this, Sac State is trailing South Dakota State at the half 24-14.

Now 31-17 as Sac opts to kick a FG on 4th and 10 to make it a 2 score game, trailing 31-17,

#7 Furman 26 Chattanooga 7 - Finał
#1 South Dakota State 41 Mercer 0 - Final
#3 South Dakota 34 Sac State 24 - Final

Montana State and NDSU are locked in a great battle.

Montana State 28 NDSU 21 at the end of the 3rd.

Overtime