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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Some potential FCS playoff teams could still be riding high come midnight Saturday.

It's during the wee hours of Sunday, when the NCAA football selection committee is expected to finalize their 20-team field for the FCS playoffs, that the carriage could turn into a pumpkin.

Unfortunately for too many teams with playoff-worthy resumes, the bubble is bigger than Donald Trump's ego.

"There seemed to be at least a consensus (among selection committee members) that this may be the most difficult year to pick the at-large teams," said Appalachian State athletic director Charlie Cobb, the chair of the committee.

In recent years, the committee has wrapped up discussions around midnight on the eve of Selection Sunday.

The members are ready for some overtime this year. The field will be announced at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPNU.

It's the final year before the FCS playoffs are increased to 24 teams, so there will be 10 automatic bids for conference champions and 10 at-large bids.

The at-large bids pose the biggest problem for the 11-person committee, which is composed of one representative from each FCS conference with an automatic bid plus one from the Pioneer Football League, which won't get one until next year.

Depending on how Saturday's Week 12 action plays out, there could be about 12-14 teams in serious discussion for roughly the final three at-large spots.

The discussion is not just about wins, but quality wins. For instance, if Lehigh wins on Saturday to improve to 10-1, will the Patriot League school's resume be better than, say, an eight-win team from the higher-rated CAA Football (perhaps James Madison, Richmond or Villanova)?

There aren't any easy answers, and there may be not right or wrong answers. The committee has to decide which are the best answers.

"We're trying to listen to some conversations, but also get a pretty good understanding of how teams match up when there's not a lot of cross-sectional games, I think is really going to be important," Cobb said.

"I don't think anybody walks in with an agenda that says we're going to exclude this team or that."

more.......

ASUG8 wrote:

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Some potential FCS playoff teams could still be riding high come midnight Saturday.

It's during the wee hours of Sunday, when the NCAA football selection committee is expected to finalize their 20-team field for the FCS playoffs, that the carriage could turn into a pumpkin.

Unfortunately for too many teams with playoff-worthy resumes, the bubble is bigger than Donald Trump's ego.

"There seemed to be at least a consensus (among selection committee members) that this may be the most difficult year to pick the at-large teams," said Appalachian State athletic director Charlie Cobb, the chair of the committee.

In recent years, the committee has wrapped up discussions around midnight on the eve of Selection Sunday.

The members are ready for some overtime this year. The field will be announced at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPNU.

It's the final year before the FCS playoffs are increased to 24 teams, so there will be 10 automatic bids for conference champions and 10 at-large bids.

The at-large bids pose the biggest problem for the 11-person committee, which is composed of one representative from each FCS conference with an automatic bid plus one from the Pioneer Football League, which won't get one until next year.

Depending on how Saturday's Week 12 action plays out, there could be about 12-14 teams in serious discussion for roughly the final three at-large spots.

The discussion is not just about wins, but quality wins. For instance, if Lehigh wins on Saturday to improve to 10-1, will the Patriot League school's resume be better than, say, an eight-win team from the higher-rated CAA Football (perhaps James Madison, Richmond or Villanova)?

There aren't any easy answers, and there may be not right or wrong answers. The committee has to decide which are the best answers.

"We're trying to listen to some conversations, but also get a pretty good understanding of how teams match up when there's not a lot of cross-sectional games, I think is really going to be important," Cobb said.

"I don't think anybody walks in with an agenda that says we're going to exclude this team or that."

more.......

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I didn't know ASU's Cobb was committee chair