Game of the day is Quincy vs. Saint Joseph's. Since I'm involved I'll let ranger discuss if he has the time.

Quincy v. Saint Joseph's tomorrow. I'm calling it Quincy by 3 or 30......not sure which. But could be really wrong too. Icki has a hell of a squad.

Icki: It will be a heck of a game I'm sure. Curious to see the outcome.

Posted by brygold on 4/22/2016 11:24:00 PM (view original):
Quincy v. Saint Joseph's tomorrow. I'm calling it Quincy by 3 or 30......not sure which. But could be really wrong too. Icki has a hell of a squad.

3 or 30 seems most likely accurate. Hoping it's 3 and hoping I'm finally on the right side of it. But I'm guessing that's just not the way it will turn out. Good luck either way, bry!

Game of the day 1
Mansfield vs West Chester

West Chester has had a nice season but when you compare these two squads it is hard see any way they can come away with the win. You have to be impressed with the season Mansfield has put together. They are looking at a run at a National Championship. I don't see West Chester as an impediment to that pursuit. On the other hand West Chester is entering a span of three games which could determine if West Chester has a post season.

Game of the day #2
Quincy vs St Josephs
St Josephs has gone through it's schedule dominating their opponents. Ranked #2 Icki's squad has to be considered a serious opponent to Quincy. St Josephs can score points in bunches and it appears that is exactly what icky will need to do. In Quincy's only loss they still scored 31 points. Several games with 100 plus points. How do you do that? This passing attach is almost unstoppable. Indiana (PA) did beat them. That has to be encouraging to icki. I have serious reservations that the d-backfield for St Josephs can hold up. Unless brygold changes a game plan that has been so successful icki will have to slow the air attach down. If he can he will win. I see Quincy scoring more than 40 and winning the game. This is for the division.

Game of the Day #1
Indiana (PA) vs California (PA)

Ranked teams 4 & 5 with a combined record of 22 - 0. These teams are quite similar quality wise. Indiana doesn't do much with the running game while California is more balanced. Whichever team wins it will not be a surprise. The winner will most likely make it to the CCG. Both should get a high seed in the playoffs. Lyonzfan has the trophy so I will go with him.

Game of the Day #2
Stonehill vs Concord

This game has serious implications. Winner is probably representing division in CCG with opportunity to be conference champ. For Concord it also means an opportunity to move up into playoff position. A loss may drop then down to far to get back into consideration. Stonehill is presently ranked but a loss to an unranked team may put them right on the bubble. Stonehill is all about the running game. They also have a huge advantage on the turnover differential. 17 to 1 on INTs. These teams are close enough that this what I am thinking will be the difference in the game. If Stonehill. Can again get the all important turnover it could mean victory. The thing is the Concord QB has not thrown an INT this season. Without the turnover I am picking Concord Ina small upset.

Nobody is taking down Indiana; yet. At half Indiana killing Cal Pa. Looking forward to PSAC CC game where Fotman's Mansfield has decent shot to upset Lyonzfan's Indiana.

I've really slacked with bubble talk and have honestly just been kind of apathetic and lethargic lately. Oh well, let's talk.

CCG Previews
Quincy vs. Miles
This one shouldn't really be that close. Quincy has steamrolled passed all competition minus their lone loss against Indiana (PA) which they nearly won in a close 4th quarter. Miles just doesn't quite have the top talent or depth for this one to be all that close. Both these teams are definitely in and Quincy is aiming for a #1 seed while Miles is hoping for a #3 seed, even with a loss.

Humboldt vs. SDSU
Humboldt has owned this series fairly well so far (especially in the CCG) and I won't predict against that until it happens. SDSU should still be very safe with a loss, even if they get blown out, however, I see them at least keeping it within a couple scores, if not down to the last possession.

Indiana (PA) vs. Mansfield
These teams both enter the game undefeated and history has shown that Indiana has had the consistent edge but Mansfield still has close to a 50/50 shot I'd say and I won't be surprised by whoever comes out on top. It should be really close and I'll take Indiana in a nail biter.

ACU vs. SEO
The first game between these two wasn't very close. The 34-20 final score in favor of SEO was misleading, as all of ACU's 20 points came in the second half and it was basically over by then. I don't see much chance for ACU to come away with a win but it's not impossible. They'll have to get away with playing their kind of game with the right tempo but everything that needs to go right will have to go right for them to stand a chance.

NMHU vs. Colorado-Mines
Another game that wasn't close the first time these two met. Mines walked away with an easy victory and it looks like Highlands may just have to win to have a chance to get a bid at all. I think a loss would put them on the wrong side of the bubble, but it may be close. It might depend on just how much they lose by if they do in fact lose.

NCCU vs. Virginia State
Virginia State is in no danger of missing the playoffs and though I think NCCU will clearly win this one, I expect Virginia State to make it a bit more respectable than the last few meetings went. Next season Virginia State might be a little bit harder of a battle.

Stonehill vs. Long Island
Stonehill should be safe to make the playoffs, even with a blowout loss, but they might be thinking of trying to steal a win and the conference. Not very likely but it could happen. They've had instances of playing some tough competition pretty tough this season.

Northern State vs. UMC
UMC should have had a wider margin of victory in the first game but Northern State's special teams made the game a lot closer. Still not close enough to make me think that they have much of a chance at winning but UMC still doesn't want to sleep in this one. I can't imagine that Northern State could miss the playoffs as the only team out of the top 32 who is playing in the CCGs is West Alabama, and though nitro's squad has had a solid second season for sure, I don't think they'll be upsetting Valdosta State anytime soon.

Ferris State vs. GVSU
GVSU handled Ferris State easily enough the first go round so can't imagine this will be much different. But Ferris State has surprised GVSU in the past so this isn't a gimme game. I still like GVSU to hang on and win by a couple of scores or more and hang on to a much deserved #1 seed going into the playoffs.

Lock Haven vs. Truman State
This should be a very interesting game and might be a lot closer than some would think. Lock Haven had a breeze of a schedule and nearly lost their final game to the SIM Missouri Rolla. Truman State is a team that nearly beat teams like California, UMC and Carson-Newman (which was lost on the last play of the game with 1 second left on a miracle 37 yard TD pass, ouch). They are easily the best team that Lock Haven has played so far and Truman State beat the shared opponent SBS by 27 where as Lock Haven only beat them by 13. I'll take Truman State in an upset but maybe LH has been lolly gagging a little bit because of the easy schedule and will put on more of a game face for this one. We'll see. A loss by Truman State wouldn't automatically eliminate them from the playoffs if this one is real close. It still might but they should be squarely on the bubble if they do.

Glenville vs. Carson-Newman
This, to me, is where the bubble teams can hope for a team to slide the furthest but I still think Glenville is in with a loss. The SIM may even have a shot at winning but CN has been much more solid this year with MOV and had only one close call in the game against Truman State. I still like CN to win, even if it's a close one. Glenville should be safe to get in but if they got blown out and Highlands and Truman State were to win, then there may be a slight chance that they wouldn't make it in. Still very doubtful to me.

West Alabama vs. Valdosta State
West Alabama has improved much, much better than they thought they had a chance to do so this year and it's been very impressive. That means nothing for this game, however, as Valdosta State is an entirely different animal and will be trying to make it as lopsided as possible to try to salvage maybe a #5 seed if they're lucky.

Teams that have the most hope to sneak in if everything turns out right for them are Delta State and Kutztown with Concord most likely needing a miracle. Kutztown also seems like they're out, simply because they already have 6 losses and I've never seen a 6 loss team make the playoffs and even throughout dachmann's data keeping it never happened so I really doubt that anybody but Delta State has a solid chance. This could be totally different if there were either more teams with a chance to steal an outright bid who were out of the top 32 or if there were more teams around the bubble that were likely to lose but this isn't the year for that. All that being said, Kutztown has proven that it's possible to make it in with 6 losses if you have a ridiculous SOS (not only does it have to be #1 overall but it also has to be a very high percentage) and have a lot of help with a soft bubble. This doesn't seem like the year to quite do that, but it may be possible. Time will tell.

Good luck to all in the CCGs and looking forward to the playoffs.

Mansfield leading Indiana PA by a few at the half. Heckuva Shootout .

Well, made it a lot closer game than the 1st time I played Colorado mines which I figure is why i'm in the tournament. Not a bad 1st year I guess, and I challenged a lot of good teams for next year so I will most likely have more losses but still hoping for a tourney birth. Ickiwonkin, I ask that you please take it a little easy on me tomorrow. Thank you

The playoff gods seem to be conspiring against the PSAC this year as the four best teams out of the PSAC (Mansfield, Indiana, ESUP, Millersville) will have two 2nd round matchups (if they all win in the 1st round that is) to halt what could be otherwise considerably deeper runs. Mansfield is set up to potentially play ESUP and Indiana to play Millersville. Pretty bad luck there. Some more bad luck for the SIAC conference as all three teams are set up in the same bracket. Great way to maximize playoff cash, right?

I'll be going over the 1st round games some time soon tonight, so keep your eye on the blog. The way the brackets have been set up could certainly make for much more variance when it comes to the final four.

North
GVSU (1) vs. Delta State (8)
GVSU has played perfect so far, even if there have been some close calls. That isn't going to change after this game as Delta State is far too young to make it a game and also just far less talented on both sides of the ball. Ftbeaglesfan is, however, probably pretty glad he was able to sneak into the playoffs ahead of Findlay for that last overall spot.

SDSU (4) vs. Colorado-Mines (5)
SDSU was able to come away with a CC after two straight seasons of losing to Humboldt in the CCG. A little surprising maybe but not a whole lot. Those two teams are pretty close to evenly matched, even if I initially gave the nod to Humboldt. Mines also had their second straight CC but it wasn't a real breeze against New Mexico Highlands, at least not as much as their first go around. I think that SDSU has a pretty clear advantage here but this is still one that has the possibility of coming down to the wire. I still expect it to be SDSU by a couple scores.

SEO (3) vs. Virginia State (6)
An interesting match here. Virginia State was able to put up a good amount of points against NCCU in the CCG but gave up a ton too. SEO has not blown away their opponents lately nearly the way that their talent could allow them to. I still doubt that spells an upset here but pistol has overachieved so far with not as much talent at Virginia State. I still like SEO to run away with it in the 2nd half just due to VSU's poor depth and weak secondary.

Long Island (2) vs. Glenville (7)
Long Island will most likely walk through this one against a SIM that has some talent but most likely not enough to make it interesting.

South
Saint Joseph's (1) vs. NMHU (8)
New Mexico Highlands snuck into the playoffs even with a loss in the CCG though it was still a pretty close game, maybe why they got in. Highlands hasn't been tested by a team like Saint Joe's but Saint Joe's is clearly the weakest of the #1 seeds so if there were potential for an upset, it would be here. Still likely for Saint Joe's to have a solid victory as Highlands doesn't have enough talent to keep up.

Miles (4) vs. Ferris State (5)
Miles put on an impressive performance against Quincy in the CCG, only losing by 14 and finding a way to put up 31 points. That really is saying a lot against a defense like that and I think this makes Miles a clear favorite against Ferris State in what would maybe otherwise look like a toss up game between some #4/#5 matchups. Ferris State put on a better performance in the 2nd half against GVSU in their title game but they'll have to have two solid halves in this one in order to be in it.

California (PA) (3) vs. Abilene Christian (6)
California has had a very impressive year with a very solid win against ESUP that I totally didn't see coming and a great OOC as well. ACU hasn't had any signature victories really this year but that doesn't mean they don't stand a chance here. I like California to win this one but I think it will be very, very close. I see an overtime or two in there. Now for that prediction to fall totally flat.

Quincy (2) vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (7)
Quincy should be able to win this one by 60+ against a SIM that won't be able to come close to keeping up.

East
NCCU (1) vs. Charleston (8)
Another game that will most likely be blowout city against a SIM that has but three human recruited players on it and that's it.

Humboldt State (4) vs. Valdosta State (5)
This one may be very interesting and possibly the best matchup of round one. Humboldt certainly has to feel unlucky to pull Valdosta in their bracket and might be headed home early. That being said, Valdosta is certainly not the team they were the last few years and struggled a bit this year. I see this as a coin flip that is slightly weighted in Valdosta's favor but won't be surprised if Humboldt walks away with the win and certainly wouldn't even call that an upset.

Millserville (3) vs. Bryant (6)
I don't see this game as being a very close one. I think mojo takes care of business and actually wins by more than 3 scores. Bryant hasn't been in many games against elite opponents and Millersville is right on the line of being an elite team and mojo certainly has the coaching skills to bring them over that edge. Not a very good draw for Bryant.

Indiana (PA) (2) vs. Northern State (7)
Indiana should be able to cruise in this one without many problems. Northern State is still very young and should start to be more of a force to be reckoned with by next year at the earliest.

West
Mansfield (1) vs. Truman State (8)
A rematch from earlier this year where Mansfield won 51-3. I don't see this one being close at all but Truman State has to just be happy to make it in, so one and done won't be disappointing.

Lock Haven (4) vs. ESUP (5)
Lock Haven had a breeze of a schedule and didn't take care of Truman State in the CCG by more than 6 points so I could see this one getting away from them and ESUP running away with it either early or in the 2nd half. It's certainly not an auto-win for ESUP, but I think they're the favorite.

Carson-Newman (3) vs. Stonehill (6)
I think CN has a good edge in this one but I wouldn't be shocked if Stonehill could pull the upset. Stonehill has played teams pretty closely this season, except for Bryant and Long Island, which they got blown out in both games. They might need the lucky bounces and a few breaks but they have a shot in this one.

UMC (2) vs. Indianapolis (7)
A very interesting game that I'm looking forward to see just how it will turn out. Indianapolis pushed NCCU to the edge and that's a team with similar talent to UMC's so there is potential for an upset here. I think the toughest thing for sethstorer to do is come out in the first half and make it a game. In both the NCCU and GVSU losses, they got beat down in the first half and couldn't get anything going on offense. It was the 2nd half where they shined and in order to win against a team like UMC, they have to put two equally solid halves together, while making minimal mistakes. But I think UMC will end up taking care of business and win by a couple scores. I'll keep a close eye on this one though.

GL all and enjoy the first round!

Do I get bonus points for my loss margin being the most lmao? Ickiwonkin, I was very lucky to make it in the tournament and you sent me back to where I belong. Hoping for a decent recruiting class next year

I'm not quite sure how I lost.... My team goes for it on 4th and 1 from the 35 with the lead late in the game and my setting set to ultra conservative? Then my QB throws his 2nd pick of the year in OT to close out it out. Back to the drawing board for next year! Good luck all! And Icki, your posts have been stupendous! Keep up the great work and Ranger for filling in!