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There's gonna be controversy no matter what you do. Do the big record people in traditionally one-bid conferences get the nod this year? In a year where 8-3 seems to be the mark to get an at-large, does 7-4 Towson State sneak in? How do you arrange the teams picked? It's going to be tough no matter how you slice it.

So here's mine. Chop it up all you want. I don't particularly care.

First Round

Coastal Carolina (7-4, 5-1 Big South) @ Villanova (8-3, 6-2 CAA)
Wagner (8-3, 7-1 NEC) @ Tennessee-Martin (8-3, 6-2 OVC)
Colgate (8-3, 5-0 Patriot) @ Stony Brook (9-2, 5-1 Big South)
Eastern Illinois (7-4, 6-1 OVC) @ Albany (9-2, 7-1 NEC)

Second Round

CCU/Villanova Winner @ 1 North Dakota State (10-1, 7-1 MVC)
New Hampshire (8-3, 6-2 CAA) @ Cal Poly (9-2, 7-1 Big Sky)
Central Arkansas (9-2, 6-1 SLC) @ 5 Eastern Washington (9-2, 7-1 Big Sky)
Wagner/TN-Mar Winner @ 4 Sam Houston State (8-3, 6-1 SLC)

Col/SBU Winner @ 3 Montana State (10-1, 7-1 Big Sky)
Lehigh (10-1, 4-1 Patriot) @ Georgia Southern (8-3, 6-2 SoCon)
Appalachian State (8-3, 6-2 SoCon) @ Wofford (8-3, 6-2 SoCon)
EIU/Alb Winner @ 2 Old Dominion (10-1, 7-1 CAA)

I tried to keep teams from the same conference from playing each other in their first game in while maintaining something of East vs. West regionality, as will likely play out. Even with shifting some places, I wasn't able to do that in one case (SoCon teams with first round byes meeting in the second round).

As before, I STILL have NDSU beating ODU in the chipper.

Scratch this. I just realized I forgot Bethune-Cookman with the MEAC AQ. Ugh!

OK. Here we go again. Albany is OUT, B-C is in, and first-round people are shifted accordingly. Second Round stays the same.

CCU @ Villanova
EIU @ Wagner
Colgate @ TN-Martin
B-C @ Stony Brook

In the Second Round, CCU/Vill Winner goes to NDSU
EIU/Wagner Winner goes to SHSU
Colgate/TN-Martin Winner goes to MSU
B-C/SBU Winner goes to ODU.
All other Second Day games are the same.

Towson? Well, IMO, they are NOT a bye team. I can't see them getting in over Villanova. Stony Brook is an AQ, as are Wagner, EIU, Colgate, B-C, and CCU. That leaves TN-Martin as the only chance in my scenario for Towson to get in. Towson failed to win a FBS game, while Martin beat Memphis State. That's the difference-maker for me....

TN-Martin in over SDSU and Illinois St? Now I have to show you a real bracket lol

There will be more than one Valley team in the playoffs.

(16 Eastern Illinois 7-4* vs 17 Colgate 8-3*) vs #1 NDSU 10-1*
8 Central Arkansas 9-2* vs 9 Appalachian St 8-3
12 Richmond 8-3 vs 5 Eastern Washington 9-2*
(13 Illinois St 8-3 vs 20 Bethune-Cookman 9-2*) vs 4 Montana St 10-1
(14 Villanova 8-3 vs 19 Wagner 8-3*) vs 3 Georgia Southern 8-3*
6 Sam Houston St 8-3 vs 11 New Hampshire 8-3
7 SDSU 8-3 vs 10 Cal Poly 9-2
(15 Lehigh 10-1 vs 18 Coastal Carolina 7-4*) vs 2 Old Dominion 10-1*

Bubble teams Wofford 8-3, Stony Brook 9-2, Northern Arizona 8-3. Would like to see Stony Brook get in but don't see it. Also I'm not sure where to rank all the 8-3 CAA teams those teams could go anywhere and hope only 3 get in.

Auto's (10*)
Big Sky Eastern Washington
Big South Coastal Carolina
CAA Old Dominion
MEAC Bethune-Cookman
Missouri Valley NDSU
NEC Wagner
Ohio Valley Eastern Illinois
Patriot Colgate
Southern Georgia Southern
Southland Central Arkansas

SuperHornet wrote:Scratch this. I just realized I forgot Bethune-Cookman with the MEAC AQ. Ugh!

Bethune better work on its passing game if they wish to advance.They run the Wildcat offense and the Rattlers practically shut down their offense on 1st down they need to take advantage of play action passing.

The Kicker wrote:TN-Martin in over SDSU and Illinois St? Now I have to show you a real bracket lol

Along with TWO OVC TEAMS....one of which at 7-4

The Kicker wrote:TN-Martin in over SDSU and Illinois St? Now I have to show you a real bracket lol

Along with TWO OVC TEAMS....one of which at 7-4

Bison Fan in NW MN wrote:There will be more than one Valley team in the playoffs.

Too bad it's not Tenn St.

clenz wrote:

The Kicker wrote:TN-Martin in over SDSU and Illinois St? Now I have to show you a real bracket lol

Along with TWO OVC TEAMS....one of which at 7-4

If that is the case then Tenn St should be in due to their 8-3 mark.

Lot of teams could make it this year. Teams not in my bracket above that had 7 DI wins

Stony Brook 9-2
Albany 9-2
Northern Arizona 8-3
Wofford 8-3
Eastern Kentucky 8-3
Tennessee-Martin 8-3
Tennessee State 8-3
Towson 7-4
James Madison 7-4
Youngstown St. 7-4
Citadel 7-4

The Kicker wrote:(16 Eastern Illinois 7-4* vs 17 Colgate 8-3*) vs #1 NDSU 10-1*
8 Central Arkansas 9-2* vs 9 Appalachian St 8-3
12 Richmond 8-3 vs 5 Eastern Washington 9-2*
(13 Illinois St 8-3 vs 20 Bethune-Cookman 9-2*) vs 4 Montana St 10-1
(14 Villanova 8-3 vs 19 Wagner 8-3*) vs 3 Georgia Southern 8-3*
6 Sam Houston St 8-3 vs 11 New Hampshire 8-3
7 SDSU 8-3 vs 10 Cal Poly 9-2
(15 Lehigh 10-1 vs 18 Coastal Carolina 7-4*) vs 2 Old Dominion 10-1*

Bubble teams Wofford 8-3, Stony Brook 9-2, Northern Arizona 8-3. Would like to see Stony Brook get in but don't see it. Also I'm not sure where to rank all the 8-3 CAA teams those teams could go anywhere and hope only 3 get in.

Auto's (10*)
Big Sky Eastern Washington
Big South Coastal Carolina
CAA Old Dominion
MEAC Bethune-Cookman
Missouri Valley NDSU
NEC Wagner
Ohio Valley Eastern Illinois
Patriot Colgate
Southern Georgia Southern
Southland Central Arkansas

I don't think ODU is eligible for the auto-bid. I think Villanova gets it.

The Kicker wrote:Lot of teams could make it this year. Teams not in my bracket above that had 7 DI wins

Stony Brook 9-2
Albany 9-2
Northern Arizona 8-3
Wofford 8-3
Eastern Kentucky 8-3
Tennessee-Martin 8-3
Tennessee State 8-3
Towson 7-4
James Madison 7-4
Youngstown St. 7-4
Citadel 7-4

I agree.

My predictions:

no 7-4 teams will get an at large
OVC will not get two teams in
Stony Brook and Albany are also out
Final spot comes down to NAU, Wofford and Lehigh.

NAU is out because they lost their last two and didn't play two of the top three teams in the Big Sky this year.
The last pick is between Wofford and Lehigh. I'll stick with Lehigh to get in, but would not be shocked if Wofford gets the nod.

Any bracket without South Dakota St or Illinois St is pure rubbish

BlueHen86 wrote:

The Kicker wrote:Lot of teams could make it this year. Teams not in my bracket above that had 7 DI wins

Stony Brook 9-2
Albany 9-2
Northern Arizona 8-3
Wofford 8-3
Eastern Kentucky 8-3
Tennessee-Martin 8-3
Tennessee State 8-3
Towson 7-4
James Madison 7-4
Youngstown St. 7-4
Citadel 7-4

I agree.

My predictions:

no 7-4 teams will get an at large
OVC will not get two teams in
Stony Brook and Albany are also out
Final spot comes down to NAU, Wofford and Lehigh.

NAU is out because they lost their last two and didn't play two of the top three teams in the Big Sky this year.
The last pick is between Wofford and Lehigh. I'll stick with Lehigh to get in, but would not be shocked if Wofford gets the nod.

I ended up with 14 out of 16 teams, nothing to brag about.

Didn't have Wofford and Stony Brook in. Not shocked by Wofford getting in, never expected Stony Brook.
Richmond not making it surprises me. I thought Lehigh would be in, but it was far from being a lock.