The marquee game this weekend in the FCS is No. 4 UC Davis traveling to No. 5 Eastern Washington. The Aggies are 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Sky. EWU is 7-2 and 5-1 in conference play.
Not only is this going to make a big impact on the Big Sky title race, but it could decide who's going to be a playoff seed between the two.
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That may seem drastic, considering the two's overall records, but it's reality.
Conference foe Weber State is ranked No. 3 in the country at 7-2 and 5-1 in the conference. The Wildcats play at Idaho State, who is also 5-1 in the Big Sky standings, next weekend. If Weber wins that game, this weekend's loser between UC Davis and EWU may have to play Thanksgiving weekend in the first round.
Here's the scenario:
Let's say Weber wins its last two games. The Wildcats have a seed locked up. Now let's say EWU gets a home win against UC Davis. If the playoff committee values head to head more than overall resume, the Eagles would get the nod for a seed over the Aggies. While getting three seeds is possible for one conference, it's just not likely to happen.
Would it be fair for a 9-2 UC Davis team with an FBS win to play in the first round? Absolutely not. But two teams have better arguments to get a seed.
Like it or not, politics play a part in the playoff committee's selections. One can assume the MVFC will get two seeds with NDSU and SDSU. And the CAA will also sort itself out to get two seeds. There's a very small chance the committee, made up of athletic directors from each conference eligible for the playoffs, would let seven of the eight seeds come from three conferences by giving the Big Sky three.
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The Big South is going to want a seed for Kennesaw State if it wins out. Same for the OVC champion and probably even the Southland champion. Heck, even the Patriot League's representative has a solid argument for Colgate to get a seed.
There just doesn't appear to be room for three seeds from one conference. So this game for UC Davis and EWU is going to play a huge part in how their postseason outlooks shape up.
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We discussed more of the Big Sky's seeding situation and the big game on this week's podcast (23:30).
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NEXT: Predicting The FCS Playoff Field After Week 10
