Playoff chances

[fourthandshort]

A few NCAA stats I was looking at:

Fenlason is tied for 6th in FCS for FG % (.857).

J Rob #6 in rushing TD's, #7 in rushing yards, #8 rushing yards per game.

ISU #1 in the country in red zone defense - only allowed scores .545 of the time, #3 in red zone offense scoring .935 of the time.

ISU #14 in Total Defense - yards per game.

ISU #104 out of 124 in passing efficiency.

Fenlanson has to be up for most improved this year !

 

[GOP_Redbird]

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/bracketology

 

[fourthandshort]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

 

[Virginia Redbird]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

Having a true Freshman at the QB position does not help SDSU's situation. I don't know if that is taken into consideration or if it is just wins and losses but I think it will definitely be a factor in their playoff performance on the field. I thought he played well overall for his second start and in a big game but he also made a few mistakes too. You can't help injuries but losing their starting QB put a BIG hit on SDSU's chances this season.

 

[JHBird]

A very big win yesterday and that changes the whole outlook I think. If the team stays healthy and gets Edgar back, I can see them winning the next two games and then the only question is a first-round bye or not. I think at 9-3 they get the first-round bye with the win yesterday. The Jacks have a good team but having to go the rest of the season with a true Freshman at QB will not help their cause. I thought he played really well for most of the game but the interception and fumble really hurt the Jacks. A really big win and now the team has to get back to business and not slip up against Mo State.

Brock spoke to us yesterday before the basketball game. He wants us all to drag some of your friends to the game this weekend.
He said Edgar is practicing and will be ready for YSU, and that he'll make a big difference in the offense. We should take care of MSU this weekend, then have a real good shot at beating YSU on the road. Edgar is our big play receiver. He'll make everybody better offensively...IMO of course.

 

[Birdswin]

Good for Coach Spack. I did not see him yesterday - but, I will have extra people this Saturday. Our tailgate is open - we have hosted extra people - even those walking around have been invited to partake - and this Saturday will be no different. While it will be "regular" grill food this weekend - on HC weekend, in the rain - we went through 15 lbs of smoked brisket and 8 lbs of smoked turkey. Doing our part to help Redbird Football Atmosphere!!!!

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

They have 2 FCS losses and we have two with ISU + on the obvious head to head. Why does that surprise you Fourth?

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I looked at Accuweather and the forecast for next Saturday is a high of 42 degrees and a low of 33. Partly sunny but dry. That is pretty good football weather for mid-October in central Illinois. Also very good weather for the players. I would love to be there myself but that is a little too far.

 

[Manchester Matt]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

They have 2 FCS losses and we have two with ISU + on the obvious head to head. Why does that surprise you Fourth?

Agreed. Seems Fourth is putting way too much stock on SDSU losing to Minnesota and it being the difference.

The Rabbits' noncon wins aren't any better than ISU's, and we just won there. I'd argue that us beating NAU is better than anything SDSU did in their three out of conference wins.

 

[StLRedbird]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

Having a true Freshman at the QB position does not help SDSU's situation. I don't know if that is taken into consideration or if it is just wins and losses but I think it will definitely be a factor in their playoff performance on the field. I thought he played well overall for his second start and in a big game but he also made a few mistakes too. You can't help injuries but losing their starting QB put a BIG hit on SDSU's chances this season.

It has given their offense a vulnerability similar to ours. If you stuff the run and put some pressure on their QB, then they're gonna struggle now. Can create turnovers if the QB starts pressing... Happened to us against UNI. We did it to SDSU. Kudos to coach Niekamp.

 

[fourthandshort]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

They have 2 FCS losses and we have two with ISU + on the obvious head to head. Why does that surprise you Fourth?

the other 9 games should count for something .. their resume is better than ours, other than 1 game. Can't imagine how they would seed or rank teams, if head to head always outweighed all other games played, no matter how many quality wins and losses they have compared to us. 1 week ago, several of us were wondering if this was even a playoff caliber team and assumed SDSU was a top 4 team ... just 1 game later, were top 8 and theyre not ? I don't get it. It's seems like a see saw approach to ranking teams, that ignores 90% of the games played, and over-reacts to the latest data point.

The top 8 bubble is weak this year, so I do believe we are in contention. But I just can't believe SDSU is suddenly not a top 8 seed. They nearly beat top 10 FBS Minnesota. They nearly beat FCS # NDSU. Theyare beatting everyone else much more easily than wee did, except for our game .. and their SIU game was comparable to our.

 

[Manchester Matt]

Hard to believe 1 loss to us pushed SDSU out of top 8 seed and moved us up to #7.

They have same record, and basically they had better result than us in 8 or 9 out of 10 games.

They have 2 FCS losses and we have two with ISU + on the obvious head to head. Why does that surprise you Fourth?

the other 9 games should count for something .. their resume is better than ours, other than 1 game. Can't imagine how they would seed or rank teams, if head to head always outweighed all other games played, no matter how many quality wins and losses they have compared to us. 1 week ago, several of us were wondering if this was even a playoff caliber team and assumed SDSU was a top 4 team ... just 1 game later, were top 8 and theyre not ? I don't get it. It's seems like a see saw approach to ranking teams, that ignores 90% of the games played, and over-reacts to the latest data point.

The top 8 bubble is weak this year, so I do believe we are in contention. But I just can't believe SDSU is suddenly not a top 8 seed. They nearly beat top 10 FBS Minnesota. They nearly beat FCS # NDSU. Theyare beatting everyone else much more easily than wee did, except for our game .. and their SIU game was comparable to our.

SDSU will be a top 8 seed unless it loses another game. Sure, their resume of close losses is impressive, but if they stumble down the stretch, which would include a loss to us and another in its final two games, I don't see how they could award this current SDSU team a seed at 8-4. They are a totally different team than they were three weeks ago.

 

[Bender]

Here are the two main FCS Bracketology sites.

First, College Sports Madness that was listed above makes their projections including future results predicted when coming up with their bracket. The way I see this is that they believe UNI will beat SDSU this week. Which would bump them from the top 8.

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/bracketology

Here is another site, No Bowls. They make their weekly updates as if the season ended today. They still have SDSU hanging on to an 8 seed after their loss on Saturday.

http://www.nobowls.com

 

[isuquinndog]

I looked at Accuweather and the forecast for next Saturday is a high of 42 degrees and a low of 33. Partly sunny but dry. That is pretty good football weather for mid-October in central Illinois. Also very good weather for the players. I would love to be there myself but that is a little too far.

Even better for mid-November.

 

[Redbird28]

Here are the two main FCS Bracketology sites.

First, College Sports Madness that was listed above makes their projections including future results predicted when coming up with their bracket. The way I see this is that they believe UNI will beat SDSU this week. Which would bump them from the top 8.

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/bracketology

Here is another site, No Bowls. They make their weekly updates as if the season ended today. They still have SDSU hanging on to an 8 seed after their loss on Saturday.

http://www.nobowls.com

I love that first one. In a pod with no other MVFC teams until we might see SDSU in the semi-final. I'd take that in a heartbeat. Just keep winning Birds.

 

[Chi-bird]

UNI vs SDSU will answer a lot of questions this week.

We currently sit #8 in the coaches poll:
https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll

 

[StLRedbird]

UNI vs SDSU will answer a lot of questions this week.

We currently sit #8 in the coaches poll:
https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll

I said SDSU@UNI earlier, but it's the other way around. Jacks cannot afford to lose two in a row at home. UNI is going to attack them the same way they did against us. Then they have to play at instate rival USD a week later. USD is suddenly looking pretty good.

Out of curiosity, what's SIU gotta do before we can start calling that a quality win?

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I looked at Accuweather and the forecast for next Saturday is a high of 42 degrees and a low of 33. Partly sunny but dry. That is pretty good football weather for mid-October in central Illinois. Also very good weather for the players. I would love to be there myself but that is a little too far.

Even better for mid-November.

Yep it is! There are Christmas Carols playing on the radio stations down here and it is not yet Thanksgiving...I am all messed up! :lol:

 

[Virginia Redbird]

Here are the two main FCS Bracketology sites.

First, College Sports Madness that was listed above makes their projections including future results predicted when coming up with their bracket. The way I see this is that they believe UNI will beat SDSU this week. Which would bump them from the top 8.

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/bracketology

Here is another site, No Bowls. They make their weekly updates as if the season ended today. They still have SDSU hanging on to an 8 seed after their loss on Saturday.

http://www.nobowls.com

I love that first one. In a pod with no other MVFC teams until we might see SDSU in the semi-final. I'd take that in a heartbeat. Just keep winning Birds.

If that bracket holds up and the Birds were to win their first game then they would likely play #2 James Madison here in Harrisonburg, VA. That is no easy assignment for the Redbirds but it is a doable road trip for me!

 

[crazzymark]

I looked at Accuweather and the forecast for next Saturday is a high of 42 degrees and a low of 33. Partly sunny but dry. That is pretty good football weather for mid-October in central Illinois. Also very good weather for the players. I would love to be there myself but that is a little too far.

Even better for mid-November.

was great weather with the game against UNI...another crowd of 2000, ugh....and all the season ticket holders out eating lunch on vets pkwy. sad