With 16 teams already eliminated from the FCS playoffs and another four set to bite the dust over the next 48 hours, it's time to take another look at our eight quarterfinal teams.
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Here's our question: if we reseeded the eight remaining teams before the start of the quarterfinal round, which teams would rank where? With the regular season serving as a baseline, we evaluated playoff teams on their postseason performance thus far and moved them up or down accordingly.
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1. James Madison
The undefeated defending champs picked up the best win of any seeded team last week when the Madison defense mopped a really good Stony Brook team. The road ahead is brutal for the Dukes, but until somebody can find a way to score points on them, they're still the team to beat.
ALSO: JMU Should Repeat as National Champions
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2. North Dakota State
There's an extremely compelling case to make for the Bison as the No. 1 seed, both in this exercise and in the actual playoff bracket. Computer rankings seem to like North Dakota State a smidge more than the Dukes, and NDSU entered the 24-team field with one more win over postseason teams, too.
As for last week's performance? NDSU did exactly what we all thought it would with a smothering 31-3 win over San Diego. The separation between the Dukes and the Bison is microscopic.
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3. South Dakota State
South Dakota State almost slides into the No. 3 spot by default, but it's not like the Jackrabbits' ascension is undeserved. A 15-point revenge win over Northern Iowa is the latest piece of evidence that South Dakota State is a worthy candidate to spoil the JMU-NDSU duopoly.
Here's the real question — who would Bison fans rather see in Frisco?
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4. Weber State
The Big Sky's best defense has really flexed its muscles in the playoffs, knocking out MVFC darling Western Illinois before owning Southern Utah's offense over the final three quarters of last week's Round of 16 game. The Wildcats are double-digit underdogs in Harrisonburg on Friday night, but they do present an intriguing challenge for JMU, given their tight defense and tight end-heavy offense.
MORE: JMU vs. Weber State Predictions
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5. Wofford
The Terriers beat conference rival Furman, 28-10, in a ho-hum sort of second-round game. They weren't unimpressive, but they didn't knock my socks off either. Wofford could really make a splash with a win in Fargo on Saturday.
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6. Kennesaw State
Let's hear it for Kennesaw, eh? In their first-ever playoff appearance, the Owls make the trip to Jacksonville and shock JSU in a tough defensive struggle. Now, KSU can reach the FCS semifinals — they didn't even have a team four years ago! — if they can knock off another seeded team in Sam Houston. Odds are the final score won't be 17-7.
MORE: Kennesaw State Continues To Be One of 2017's Top FCS Stories
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7. Sam Houston State
In some ways, reseeding Sam Houston State this low in the list isn't really fair. But the Kats' reputation for less-than-stellar defense was once again on display last week, in an admittedly tough matchup with Chris Streveler and South Dakota. Watching the Coyotes fire their way back into that game left most fans wondering if Sam could survive and advance to the quarterfinals.
In the end, the Bearkats are still alive, but those defensive shortcomings are bound to be a liability for SHST at some point. At this point in the playoffs, the fall is likely to happen sooner, rather than later.
MORE: Sam Houston Offense, Kennesaw Defense Set for Intriguing Matchup
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8. New Hampshire
Every year, a team from somewhere in the CAA seems to mount an unexpected run into the quarterfinals or beyond. This year, that team is New Hampshire. And though the Wildcats scored a huge upset win over Central Arkansas last week, I doubt many fans give them any chance to stay within 10 points of South Dakota State this weekend — particularly when most fans, myself included, didn't expect them to make the playoff field at all.
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NEXT: NFL Draft Prospects on FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals Teams
