Posted by nitros on 5/31/2016 11:32:00 AM (view original):
Nice summary Icki. Thanks for taking the time. Stuff like this always makes the game so much more enjoyable. I hope someday WIS will provide some credit for the extra content.

That would be a welcome surprise, though I highly doubt it. Btw, holy crap you're shutting out Valdosta State 24-0?!?!?! Granted he has backups in and that makes a huge difference but still quite a shock with that one, good job.

Va St over NCCU in "SEVEN" OT's !!! Great Game Guys !

Va St over NCCU in "SEVEN" OT's !!! Great Game Guys !

That was an amazing game. Also...very interesting seeing all Shotgun.

That would be a welcome surprise, though I highly doubt it. Btw, holy crap you're shutting out Valdosta State 24-0?!?!?! Granted he has backups in and that makes a huge difference but still quite a shock with that one, good job.

Yeah, bummer superv forgot to switch to his #1 unit. The second half was closer than I anticipated with his #1 unit, which means West Alabama is improving. Still 4 seasons away from competing but playoffs...here we come!

Hoping to get to the playoff previews tonight. Very busy day again so we'll see how late I get to it. Quick tidbit: that NCCU/VSU game was RIDICULOUS!!! More on that to come.

A couple of surprises in the CCGs included West Alabama upsetting Valdosta State and Virginia State winning a long and arduous battle against NCCU. This wasn't even a game that looked like it would be going to OT and it instead went to 7 OTs. Yes, you read that right. NCCU went up 39-32 with all of 45 seconds remaining and that appeared to be the final dagger but a long bomb put VSU in scoring position right away and they still had time outs left so they were able to move it the extra 15 yards they needed to knot things up at 39 and send it to OT. They traded TDs and field goals here and there and each team started going for two until finally NCCU failed one of the two point conversions to fall just short 79-77. A game ending in regulation with a score of 39 all and the final score reads 79-77. That's just insane! Props to pistol for surviving that battle and coming back to even send it to overtime. Tough loss for kevinbigham but maybe the best loss he'll ever be a part of. Pretty insane finish to the regular season. Anyway, on to the brackets. There are some good ones.

North Region
This is most definitely the toughest region as there really are 6 viable options to come out the victor of the north. It's a bit crazy and I wouldn't feel too comfortable if I were any team in this bracket.

#1 UMC vs. #8 Northeastern State
This one shouldn't be close and though it was a nice job for Techphan to get here this year, it won't be enough to be able to handle all of the talent that UMC has to offer.

#4 Quincy vs. #5 Colorado-Mines
A tough stick to draw for tiltwar here. Quincy is one of the #4 seeds that people were going to be dreading facing and somebody had to get that ugly draw. It ends up being Mines and also a game that shouldn't be close.

#3 Miles vs. #6 ESUP
I don't know if I'd call this game a coin flip but I'd say it's pretty darn close. The big question will be if ESUP can stop Miles' RBs at all. If they can, on even just a few drives, they may be able to put up just that many more points themselves and take this one in the end. I like Miles by a very slim margin but they'll have to have a good start and an error free 1st half to make sure they're in it. ESUP winning wouldn't be an upset by any means but I still think Miles has a slight edge.

#2 SEO vs. #7 Millersville
SEO may look like a decent favorite in this one as mojo is transitioning into a different offense but mojo could certainly have some tricks up his sleeve and this is probably one of the hardest #7 seeds you're going to have to face. Millersville still has a solid offense, it just depends on if the formation IQ will get in the way too much to keep them from having a better chance. SEO by a TD but wouldn't be too shocked if mojo steals this one.

South Region
Another very interesting bracket that has some new blood and one possible NC favorite to spoil everyone's hopes.

#1 Long Island vs. #8 WNMU
This is probably too early for WNMU to be able to put up a fight against a solid Long Island team but it's got to feel good just to be in this spot for tokerbob. Still a game that will likely get away from WNMU and have LI winning by a few scores or so.

#4 Indiana (PA) vs. #5 Stonehill
That's some killer bad luck for Stonehill after having a great season where they took down some good opposition and also had some slim defeats against some better competition. It sucks to put yourself in a position that may be better than projected at season's beginning, only to have that achingly crushed at the sight of your first round opponent, the twice defending national champion. Indiana by a wide margin.

#3 Carson-Newman vs. #6 West Alabama
This is a very interesting game. West Alabama comes through with a shocking upset over Valdosta State (though 1st scrubs were in for Valdosta, but I thought the talent gap would be big enough to overcome that in the 2nd half) and still has their undefeated season in tact. Carson-Newman has strided easily with a pretty cake schedule but also dominated teams when they needed to and put up some good efforts. I see this one coming down to the wire potentially, but CN is still probably the favorite with a decent amount of better talent.

#2 Virginia State vs. #7 Findlay
Pistol is on a tear and VSU is shocking the nation with their stellar performances. And it's not just on the offensive side of the ball (though that's where the excitement primarily takes place). They've given some very good offenses some tough looks and had a lot of pressure on the opposing QBs. VSU should handle this one with ease and fly right into the 2nd round. No offense to Findlay, just hitting a red hot brick wall.

East Region
It's not exactly like this region is taking it easy on the quality of good teams. It just so happens that there are a LOT of very good teams in this playoff's class.

#1 Mansfield vs. #8 Glenville
Fotman won his 2nd straight CC and Glenville is going to suffer a bit in this one. It was good for them to get to the playoffs as they had some tough games that they overcame towards the end of the season to allow them to get in. But Mansfield will take care of business easily in this one.

#4 SDSU vs. #5 Valdosta State
As long as Valdosta has their starters in place and ready to go in the 1st half, this should be a very close game. SDSU has played great and nearly had the comeback win in the 2nd half of their CCG against Humboldt State (which they dominated the 2nd half). So that's all the more reason for Valdosta needing to come out early with some offense and smart playing. I like SDSU in a squeaker but I won't be too surprised if Valdosta can walk away a winner.

#3 Bryant vs. Delta State
Bryant is proving that they're on their way to getting back on the right track to make themselves a winning franchise again. I like them in this game by 10 points or so. Delta State isn't a bad team by any means, but their experience will be more abundant next year, so their young talent probably isn't enough to get them through to the 2nd round.

#2 GVSU vs. #7 California (PA)
Watch out for a potential upset in this one. California is a team that played Indiana well earlier this year and has some good experience playing very good teams out of the PSAC, where GVSU has played very well this year but this just has the feel of a close game with a tense finish. I still like GVSU and they could run away with it, but I think it will end up being a pretty close one.

West Region
I feel like this could be the weakest region overall, but that seems silly to say with the 1,2, and 3 seeds here. It's just such a good overall amount of talent from team to team this year that it's hard to say there are any weak regions.

#1 Saint Joseph's vs. #8 Concord
Saint Joe's won their first CC in nearly 100 years and only their 2nd ever. Concord was lucky to get into the playoffs and has to be pretty pleased with that result. The talent gap is pretty wide though so this one shouldn't be very close. Concord has good chances of getting there in the next couple seasons but this one probably is a little too much to hope for.

#4 Lock Haven vs. #5 Indianapolis
I don't know what to make of this game as LH hasn't played anyone really and Indianapolis has done just about what was expected of them. My gut tells me it's a coin flip that Indianapolis might be on the right side of. I'll take them by a field goal. Lock Haven could dominate though but it's just too hard to pinpoint if they have that in them when the schedule was filled with weak opponents.

#3 NCCU vs. #6 Ferris State
I think NCCU is probably the best of the #3 seeds and this one feels like it could end up being a frustration blowout after how their CCG ended. I like NCCU big against Ferris State as the styles seem a little lopsided. Ferris State will have to pile up the sacks if they want to be able to compete and make it close. That will be their biggest potential advantage. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how they're going to put up enough points to make it interesting though.

#2 Humboldt State vs. #7 Northern State
Northern State seems a bit checked out and even if they weren't, they are having to face a very, very good team in Humboldt State. The offense will out-power Northern State a bit too much for them to ever really be in it, or at least that's my take on it. Humboldt by a few scores or more.

Well, this should be a very exciting playoffs, folks! Can't wait to get it underway! GL to all!

Disappointing showing for the NEC-10. 4 teams in and 3 out of the four out in the first round. A good game plan by Delta St. coupled with my young secondary and special teams did me in. Good luck to all the teams left on the run to the cup!

Wow! What a first round! Quite a few upsets and I was wrong nearly everywhere where the picks were close.

North
#1 UMC vs. #4 Quincy
Both teams took care of business easily in the first round as was expected. Not what either team was wanting when it comes to 2nd round hopeful matchups. Quincy has a lot of firepower but UMC just has so many seniors and have really been beating everyone pretty badly except for one close game back on day 5 against SEO. However, Quincy has been challenged by a few tougher teams this year and included an impressive win against Indiana on their resume. I suspect this game to be close all the way through with a key moment that will shift the game near the end of the 4th. I think UMC has a slight edge and I'll guess that key moment with a lucky bounce of the ball will fall their way. But watch out for special teams blunders for UMC as they've had far too many games in recent years be decided with some ill-timed returns.

#6 ESUP vs. #7 Millersville
The ever so rare #6 vs. #7 matchup. In fact, both teams really ended up winning without much trouble against two very solid opponents. Now it's a classic PSAC playoff battle. Last year was badaxe's time to steal the show from fotman's Mansfield. We'll see if mojo can do the same this season. Mojo did abandon his new offense and went back to the Pro Set which his team has a better IQ in. I was suspecting such a thing may happen. These teams are fairly equal in terms of talent and I think I'll just barely favor the team who took out a very good Miles team that I thought may go to the 3rd round. ESUP in a close one, probably by less than a TD.

South
#1 Long Island vs. #4 Indiana (PA)
Bad news for Long Island. The only team left from the NE-10 has to face the daunted returning champs of two years. Based on how close LI's first round match was, I'll say this one won't be too close. Indiana is just a #1 seed in #4 seed's clothing anyhow, so I think they'll be able to dominate this one for the majority of the game.

#3 Carson-Newman vs. #2 Virginia State
In the only region that had all better seeds win their 1st round games, I'm not quite sure what to make of these two teams. I'm thinking the 2nd half VSU team we saw against the 1st round game against Findlay will be the team that is more likely to show up. I was quite surprised to see them only up 13-10 after the end of the 1st half after they had so magnificently beat NCCU in the miracle, 7 OT CCG. Carson-Newman on the other hand is really taking care of business and have been doing so very consistently this year. I still like Virginia State as they are more proven based on the tougher schedule this year and they just have the harder offense to stop. I think it may be close until midway through the third when VSU starts to open it up.

East
#1 Mansfield vs. #5 Valdosta State
A rematch from earlier in the year where Mansfield edged out Valdosta State 38-31. Valdosta proved they are to be reckoned with after a solid beatdown against a good SDSU team. And they hung tight with Mansfield the first time around but Mansfield is just so solid that I think they may be just a bit too much to overcome for Valdosta. Valdosta certainly has a decent chance but I'd put them as an underdog to win maybe 25-30% of the time. I don't think this one will be a blow out by any means. I'll give Mansfield a TD edge.

#2 GVSU vs. #6 Delta State
Boy was I wrong with these two games. GVSU handled California without a sweat and Delta State played a very nice game against Bryant to come away with a bit of a surprising win. GVSU is definitely the better of these two teams, so we'll see if Delta State can come up with another good game plan in order to pull off their second straight upset. I like GVSU by a couple of scores. I imagine realist is now uncomfortable with that prediction after my first round follies.

West
#1 Saint Joseph's vs. #4 Lock Haven
Both teams dominated their 1st round games and there's now a clearer picture that LH is worth of their record. Indianapolis was the toughest team they have faced all season due to a weak SOS but they took care of them without any problems. A solid defense for LH will be trying to stop a consistent offense for Saint Joe's. I think LH is the underdog but if they can keep the score down, they have a very solid chance at stealing this one.

#3 NCCU vs. #7 Northern State
Holy wow! More games I was wrong about. NCCU did not dominate Ferris State like I had thought they would (though they still advance, which is all that really matters) and Northern State absolutely pulls the biggest surprise of round 1 with defeating a stellear Humboldt State team. I honestly did not think that Northern State had the kind of offense to be able to win a shootout against a team like Humboldt. I would have expected a win would have been low scoring but they threw that theory out the window quickly. That makes me wonder what this game will be like. Due to being wrong in both directions, it seems like maybe this one will be close. But I really do think that NCCU has a decent talent advantage. I'll pick NCCU by maybe 10 instead of more like 20-25, which I would have picked if this were a regular season game.

GL in the 2nd round all! Hope it's as exciting as the 1st!

Thanks, icki!

"Boo" Icki. Now I'm going into my laboratory and creating a "Special" gameplan to discombobulate E Stroudsberg ! Bwahaha !

3 of the best left from the PSAC. NC from the PSAC this season !

The 2nd round didn't have nearly as many surprises as the 1st. Some might say there were zero surprises.

North
#1 UMC vs. #6 ESUP
Once again ESUP has advanced this far in the playoffs with 4 losses on their resume. And what do you know, it's a quarterfinal rematch from last year. Though there is a big difference in experienced talent on UMC's roster this year and they will be the clear favorite walking into this game. Badaxe will have to come up with some feistiness and good game planning to be able to make this one close. I don't know if ESUP's defense is quite good enough to want a low scoring game in this one. On the other hand, it's going to be difficult to put up points on UMC's defense but I think they may be hoping for a final score along the lines of 30-27 and hope they can be on the winning side. I still like UMC by 10 or so.

South
#2 Virginia State vs. #4 Indiana (PA)
Virginia State keeps rolling but now they face their toughest challenge yet. The defending champs won't be taken down easily but they'll have their work cut out for them on defense as VSU's passing attack isn't to be trifled with. I do think Indiana has enough of an edge on talent to come out on top though. They'll need to make sure to have a solid first half because VSU isn't the kind of team you'd want to face a big deficit against at the half because they'll probably be able to keep putting up at least some points here and there in the second half. I like Indiana by a TD or two as long as they have a good start.

East
#1 Mansfield vs. #2 GVSU
Two of the remaining four undefeated teams will face off in this quarterfinal matchup. The big difference is that GVSU hasn't had to face the caliber of teams that Mansfield has had to face. Coming out of the PSAC makes that a bit unavoidable. GVSU still has lots of weapons and can win this one if they bring their A game. But I think Mansfield will come away the winner due to having a bit more firepower and also due to being used to playing great talent nearly day in and day out. I like Mansfield by a couple scores in this one.

West
#1 Saint Jospeh's vs. #3 NCCU
Two very good offensive and defensive teams that both do it in mildly different ways. Outside of maybe Quincy for SJC and Virginia State for NCCU, both these teams are the most talented that each will have faced all season long up until this point. This seems like a very even matchup. Probably the closest to a coin flip out of the four remaining games. Given the fact that these coaches have never faced off before, it's hard to know what to expect for sure, but my gut tells me NCCU has a slight edge. I could also see either team winning by a couple scores but I'd more likely expect a close finish that's decided by 7 points or less.

GL all! It's getting down to the wire.

Down to the final four. After some very interesting upsets, the last four teams are maybe the same teams that would have been considered the four best to start the year, or at least very close to that.

UMC vs. Indiana
After less than average victories for Indiana, they came back in good form against VSU and handled them with ease. UMC took care of business against ESUP fairly easily themselves. This will be a very hard task for UMC be it's doable. They're going to want to keep the score down which isn't something that most teams can do against Indiana but if there is a team that can, it will be UMC. Lots of great talent on the defensive side of the ball. I think the key to add to that will be trying to stay on the field for long periods of time so Indiana doesn't have the ball very much. Even if UMC can have decently long drives and punt, that can still be a win. All that said, I still like the defending champs to win this one. I think it will be close but I think Indiana's offense will break through towards the end of the game to clinch another NC appearance.

Mansfield vs. NCCU
This should be a very tight game against two very worthy semifinal teams. Mansfield was able to hang on against GVSU and likewise for NCCU against Saint Joseph's. I think this one will come down to Mansfield's secondary and if they can be consistent. I think that will prove to be the case and that Mansfield will succeed in being the other piece to the puzzle that will create a PSAC CCG rematch for the NC. I mostly think that this is just a not so favorable matchup for NCCU. If they can cause Mansfield to turn the ball over a few times, I think they'll have a great chance, but I think they might need those in order to get the win.

GL, you four!

Don't wanna jinx it, but at half it really looks like an All PSAC NC ! :)