OK, so here's the thing about the FCS Playoffs: The top eight teams get to eat Thanksgiving turkey at home with no game that weekend (nice reward … some more sweet potato casserole please). Each year, the NCAA tries to structure things so that teams don't have to travel extensively at least for the first two rounds, if not three. There's a lot of give-and-take, which means 'human input'.
So resident FCS lover Brian McLaughlin (that's me) took a personal look at creating the bracket after Week Nine, as in — if the season had to end today. Seeds, first-round hosts, who is in, who is out, who barely missed, you name it.
RELATED: Taking a look at the FCS Playoff picture, using several variables (not just Brian's)
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
A couple of nuggets to throw out before I post below: First off, to me Kennesaw State and Monmouth are very much in contention for the Big South title, and there's at least an outside chance there may be a second bid in the league. For now, I'm going with Kennesaw State by a hair because of a hunch — and I'm not listing a second Big South team just yet. Also, I'm going with Colgate in the Patriot League because they're just playing better than everyone right now, even though it lost to Lehigh earlier. I'm going with Duquesne and San Diego in the Northeast Conference and Pioneer League, too, as they are the frontrunners.
Also, as of today I have two Missouri Valley teams in the Top Four. That may not hold up because with three weeks left, they may chop each other up more. But for now? Two Valley teams deserve to be there, in my opinion.
So here's how I see it, as of the results of Oct. 28:
FIRST ROUND (Nov. 25)
Colgate at Stony Brook (statistical comparison)
Duquesne at Elon (statistical comparison)
Delaware at Furman (statistical comparison)
San Diego at Southern Utah (statistical comparison)
Weber State at Sam Houston State (statistical comparison)
Eastern Washington at South Dakota State (statistical comparison)
Samford at Western Illinois (statistical comparison)
Western Carolina at Kennesaw State (statistical comparison)[divider]
SECOND ROUND WITH SEEDS (Dec. 2)
1. James Madison vs. Colgate/Stony Brook winner
2. North Dakota State vs. Delaware at Furman winner
3. South Dakota vs. Samford/WIU winner
4. Jacksonville State vs. WCU/Kennesaw winner
5. Central Arkansas vs. Weber/Sam Houston winner
6. Northern Arizona vs. San Diego/SUU winner
7. Illinois State vs. EWU/SDSU winner
8. Wofford vs. Duquesne/Elon winner[divider]
THE REST OF THE WAY (Dec. 8-9)
QUARTERS (Dec. 8-9)
JMU bracket host Wofford bracket
NDSU bracket host Illinois State bracket
USD bracket host Northern Arizona bracket
JSU bracket host Central Arkansas bracket[divider]
SEMIS (Dec. 15-16)
JMU bracket hosts JSU bracket
NDSU bracket hosts USD bracket[divider]
CHAMPIONSHIP (Jan. 6)
at Frisco, Texas[divider]
RIGHT ON THE BUBBLE
Montana
Northern Iowa
Austin Peay
New Hampshire
Nicholls[divider]
HAIL MARY CHANCE
Montana State
Villanova
Richmond
Maine
Southern Illinois
McNeese
