There was something on the broadcast that said that first and second round games would be "regionalized" to save travel costs. This ain't men's basketball and March Madness.

I think they avoided teams playing conference opponents in the first game other than one game where the commentators mentioned that the teams did not meet in the regular season this year. Cannot recall which game that was.

UCD defeated California Baptist, 14-9, in the WWPA tournament finals. Ags will get the bid to the "play-in" portion of the NCAA tournament.

(Water polo is a little different. NCAA says the tourney is only 4 teams, but there are 6 (?) teams and two (?) play-ins earlier in the week at the same site as the Final Four. (Two teams get byes, the other four participate in play-ins.) This year the tourney is at UCLA on the weekend of December 4-5. NCAA will announce the brackets and teams later tonight. No TV...just a press release.)

Yeah, just thought of that.

Think we’ll travel to one of the Montanas. Blurb said first round games would be “regionalized.”

Apparently we lost the football game. Cup score: UCD 20, CSUS 10.

Next competition(s): Basketball doubleheader this Tuesday, 11/23.

From NCAA.com:

The writer has us in as the 7th at large bid, but with a caution that we may not be around very long. He ruled out two teams (VMI, William & Mary) who finished on three loss streaks.

Autobids:

CONFERENCE, TEAM

AQ7 - Sam Houston
Big Sky - Sacramento State
Big South - Kennesaw State
CAA - Villanova
MVFC - North Dakota State
NEC - Sacred Heart
OVC - UT Martin
Patriot - Holy Cross
Pioneer - Davidson
SoCon - ETSU
Southland - UIW

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-11-07/fcs-football-playoffs-tracking-automatic-bids-2021-fcs-playoffs?utm_campaign=inline-article


PREDICTED at large bids:

STAN BECTON | NCAA.COM | NOVEMBER 21, 2021
Predicting every at-large selection to the 2021 FCS playoffs
It's almost time for the 2021 FCS playoffs, with the selection show tomorrow, Nov. 21 at 12:30 p.m. With all of the automatic qualifying bids decided, the 13 at-large selections are still up for grabs. 
Luckily for FCS fans around the country, I have predicted all 13 teams that will receive an invitation to the 24-team field come tomorrow afternoon.
Here are the 2021 FCS playoff at-large selection predictions
1. James Madison (10-1) CAA
This was the easiest selection of the at-large bids. With just one loss, James Madison may receive the highly regarded two seed come Sunday afternoon.
2. Montana State (9-2) Big Sky
Montana State's loss in the Brawl of the Wild cost them the Big Sky's automatic bid, but the Bobcats remain in the playoff field thanks to an otherwise dominant regular season.
3. Eastern Washington (9-2) Big Sky
Eastern Washington likely receives a seed in this year's FCS playoffs with just two losses on its resume. The Eagles have one of the nation's top offenses led by arguably the nation's top quarterback.
4. Montana (9-2) Big Sky
Montana picked up a win in Week 12 over in-state rival Montana [State] that almost guarantees it a seed in this year's playoff field. The Grizzlies hold a ranked FBS win and their two losses came to other top teams in the Big Sky.
5. Missouri State (8-3) MVFC
Missouri State holds wins over South Dakota, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa this season. Head coach Bobby Petrino's team made it through a gauntlet of a schedule to make the playoffs for the second-straight season.
6. South Dakota State (8-3) MVFC
Last year's national championship runner-up returns to postseason play as an at-large team after finishing 8-3. The Jackrabbits hold an FBS win and defeated rival North Dakota State in the Dakota Marker.
7. UC Davis (8-3) Big Sky
UC Davis enters the FCS playoffs on a two-game losing streak. The Aggies will have to rediscover its top-10 form or face an early exit from this year's field.
8. Southeastern Louisiana (8-3) Southland
Southeastern Louisiana may have lost two of its final three games, but it still has reigning Walter Payton award winner Cole Kelley at quarterback. Kelley has the potential to right the ship and carry the Lions on a deep playoff run.
9. Florida A&M (9-2) SWAC
Florida A&M becomes the first SWAC team to make the FCS playoffs since 1997. The Rattlers have a dominant defense that scored two touchdowns in Week 12. With stars like the FCS's sacks and tackle for loss leader, linebacker Isaiah Land, Florida A&M's defense can keep it in any game.
10. Southern Illinois (7-4) MVFC
Southern Illinois' loss to Youngstown State in Week 12 came as a surprise, but wins over a talented South Dakota State team and a competitive North Dakota squad are enough to get the Salukis into the playoffs with a 7-4 record.
11. South Dakota (7-4) MVFC
South Dakota is one of the most interesting teams in this year's playoff field. The Coyotes lost to FCS programs Missouri State, Illinois State and North Dakota State, but defeated South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. How far South Dakota goes in this year's tournament depends on which Coyote team shows up.
12. Stephen F. Austin (8-3) AQ7
Stephen F. Austin holds just two FCS losses, one of which coming to reigning champion Sam Houston. Losses aside, it's Stephen F. Austin's head-to-head win over Eastern Kentucky that gets the Lumberjacks into the playoffs.
13. Northern Iowa (6-5) MVFC
UNI is my last-team-in as an at-large in this year's FCS playoffs. UNI holds three great wins over Big Sky champion Sacramento State and MVFC foes South Dakota State and Southern Illinois. None of the teams on the bubble can match this resume.
First team out
Rhode Island (7-4) CAA
Rhode Island would have been in as an at-large team if not for a Week 12 loss to Elon. With that loss, the Rams are the first team out of the 2021 FCS playoffs. Despite having an FBS win over UMass, Rhode Island's win over Delaware has only become less impressive as the season progressed.
Other teams that just missed out in my predictions
Eastern Kentucky (7-4) AQ7
Eastern Kentucky misses the playoffs because the Colonels do not have a notable win this season.
VMI (6-5) SoCon
VMI lost three straight games to end the season. That is enough to knock the Keydets out of the playoff picture.
Mercer (7-3) SoCon
Mercer lost a chance at an automatic bid, falling to ETSU in Week 12. While the Bears only have two FCS losses, their best win comes against a 6-5 Chattanooga team.
William and Mary (6-5) CAA
William and Mary is another program that fell out of the playoff picture with three straight losses to end the season. The Tribe hold a win over a likely seeded team in Villanova, but that isn't enough to sneak into the playoffs.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-11-20/fcs-playoff-predictions-predicting-every-large-selection-2021-fcs-playoffs?utm_campaign=trending

Why would we even want to go to the playoffs?

Why is it that some people feel coaching is a genetically transferred trait?

Pete and Brendan Carrol at USC and Seattle, Kirk and Brian Ferentz at Iowa, Lou and Skip Holtz.....I'll leave it there.

So we're looking at the possibility of Sac winning the conference championship at our stadium, maybe in a shut out?

Wide FG attempt. That about sums it up.

Davis advances to WWPA Championship with 8-5 win over LMU. In a mild upset California Baptist edged UC San Diego, 14-13, in the other semi-final. Davis defeated Calfornia Baptist 17-9 in the regular season. Final will be Sunday at noon.

Ags easily defeated Biola, 21-5, in Friday's first round, quarter-final match.

10 minutes left in the 4th and Montana up comfortably, 26-3.

Montana up comfortably on Montana State, 26-3, with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Go Ags!

In 2009, shortly before former Hornet coach Bob Mattos passed away the Causeway game was at Sac and when the Slack State team came out before the game each of their jerseys bore the name "MATTOS." http://www.egcitizen.com/sports/notebook-sac-state-football-honors-mattos/article_cd3776b6-48a3-564f-a621-73053f135faa.html

Would not be surprised Saturday to see a similar tribute to Knapp. They have dedicated the season to him.

I recall that in the 1988 game the Band-Uh's pregame show included a bit where every band member who was not yet born the last time Slack beat Davis sat down. That would have been October of 1969 and the streak had reached 18 years. A LOT of Band-Uh members were sitting down.

Ah, good times.

Blimey! We made the British papers!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10204111/UC-Davis-baseball-teams-annual-hazing-rituals-revealed-scathing-report-coach-resigns.html

In ths day and age there are LOTS of statistics, and it is possible to find statistics to support many views, including seemingly contrary ones....but the following items would suggest that if you have to contact COVID, you're more likely to die in Florida than in California:

States ranked by COVID-19 death rates: Nov. 12
Mackenzie Bean - Updated Friday, November 12th, 2021
As of November 12, more than 759,000 people in the U.S. had died after contracting COVID-19, according to The New York Times.
The Times used data from reports of coronavirus cases and deaths by U.S. states and counties. The database includes cases and deaths that have been identified by public health officials as probable coronavirus patients, which means they did not have confirmed tests for coronavirus infection but were evaluated using criteria developed by national and local governments. Read more about the data here. 
Here is a breakdown of average daily COVID-19 deaths and COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people over the last seven days in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The data was last updated Nov. 12.
Note: States are ranked by deaths per 100,000. The list includes ties. 
(#14) Florida 

Deaths per 100,000: 0.5

Daily average deaths: 106.9
(# 40) California

Deaths per 100,000: 0.21

Daily average deaths: 81.7
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/us-coronavirus-deaths-by-state-july-1.html


Or this chart:
Death rates from coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States as of November 11, 2021, by state
(per 100,000 people)
(#9) Death rate for Florida: 282 per 100,000
(# 36) Death rate for California: 181 per 100,000https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/

As someone named Andrew Lang once said, “He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.”

Idaho State, who defeated the Ags, lost to Cal Poly.

Is reducing the non-conference schedule a flat out punishment? Or is it as much a fact of life in mid-November when most schools have already filled their non-conference schedule?

Are there new or transitioning teams looking for a game who will schedule anyone until they find a place to land? Maybe the Lincoln University Oaklanders have a baseball team, too.