If we win out are we guaranteed at least two home playoff games?

[onceacat]

Yeah, the only thing that would hurt MSU at this point is if UM lost the next two games and went into Cat-gris outside the top 15. Even then, that's a solid win to add to the resume. But that would make things dicey. To go 3-2 against then-top-10 teams on the road is going to carry a lot of weight.

There are probably other scenarios that could come into play like Furman, Idaho and NDSU winning out that could be factors, but I think it's a fairly solid bet MSU gets a decent seed if they win out.

Everyone seems to be hinging Cats hopes on the Griz ranking. I don't agree. Win out Cats will be a top 4 seed, 2 last second losses to top seeds on the road with some solid wins

Style points. Its pretty im[ortant that voters who just see the final score see the Cats beat the Gris by 20 or so.

Two Top 5 wins on the road by double digits are going to make a convincing resume.

[Catprint]

Now that we have a new thread discussing the playoffs, I'll put my current bracket and thoughts here.

First off, I think the #2 seed is still achievable. Is it probable? No, but who's to say Idaho wins out? Should they? Yes. But if they don't, we jump ahead of them assuming we win out (which I am). I agree with Vim that we can still get the #3 seed, and that it's likely should we win out. The strength of schedule for both Furman and Delaware are far below ours. Although both could end up undefeated vs. the FCS, their resumes aren't impressive, and neither have anything else that will add much to it. Delaware plays one of the softest CAA schedules this year, and the SoCon has good/average teams and bad teams, no in between, which hurts Furman. The FCS has been even more weird than usual this year. My bracket as it currently stands assumes the weirdness will continue. I am saying Chattanooga will beat Furman this weekend, UM will beat Sac State this weekend but lose to PSU next weekend, and the MVFC continues to chew itself up.

So, the reasoning for my seeds.
#1 SDSU - Winning out, no doubt they are here
#2 Idaho - Even though they will have a loss to UM, their FBS win, wins over the Cats and Sac State propel them to #2 at 9-2 overall
#3 MSU - Inches away from beating #1, a 3 point loss to #2 and wins over top 5 teams on the road in Sac State and UM push the Cats to #3 ahead of 10-1 Delaware and 9-2 Furman
#4 Delaware - Could have a case for #3, but not a good enough case. Their weak SOS (currently 61st) should hold them back.
#5 Furman - Even at 9-2, the way the SoCon is playing out gives Furman a good shot at a top 6 seed. They've won some games ugly, and some convincingly. I have them at 5 with the assumption there are no other 9-2 teams out there (could very well change).
#6 Incarnate Word - This hurts me, but I don't see how the committee drops these jokers any lower than #6 when everyone else below them would have 3 losses.
#7 - South Dakota - Of the 3 loss teams in the MVFC and the BSC, I have USD with the best resume. Their loss to Mizzou can be thrown out because of how well Mizzou is playing, so really only 2 FCS losses in this scenario.
#8 Albany - What?! you may say. I had these guys at 6-6 to start the year, and 7-5 after OOC. The reason I have them here is because of their 12th game exception for travelfing to Hawaii. It gives them a chance at a 9th DI win, and a 9-1 record against the FCS.

Teams in the mix in order of best argument.

North Dakota State - A good win over a hot UNI team keeps them in the discussion. The UND loss looks worse now. A win over SIU in the is scenario is a boost as well.
Montana - Not much of an argument with 1 of their 8 wins being DII. Good wins over Idaho and Sac State though.

As usual, very well done by @BleedingBLue . I have a couple of variations that mean a Top 4 seed is NOT a given if we win out that I discuss at length in Path to the Playoffs.
1- I think we underestimate NDSU and their ability to beat SDSU next weekend. NDSU beats SDSU and wins out, and suddenly NDSU, SDSU and Idaho get the first three seeds in some order. #4 is only seed up in the air with Delaware, MSU, Furman, USD and possibly Sac State in the discussion for the #4 seed. I won't count out NDSU until they have at least 3 losses.

2 - If Gris win 2 of 3 (entirely possible), they will be 9-2. Everything I read gets them a seed, maybe as high as #6 or #7. The D-II win is not much of a drag given the committee made it clear this year that a D-II win does count. AT 8-3 though unlikely to get a seed.

3 - There simply is not much historical evidence for a team currently ranked #23 (UAlbany) this late in the season to get a seed at 8-3. Same with giving Lafayette a seed with an SOS of 63. But I do understand the committee may have difficulty keeping a 10-1 Lafayette or a 9-1 UIW from a seed. I still think that decision is rewarding slightly above average teams from weak conferences with weak schedules.

4 - Furman wins out, they get a Top 4 seed at 10-1 - no doubt. I don't think the committee sees the Southern Conference with Furman, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Mercer as a weak conference. Sagarin ranks Southern as the 4th best Playoff Eligible Conference.

5- Finally, I think Villanova has a decent chance to win out and beat Delaware on the final weekend. That would put them at 9-2 and firmly in the seed conversation. Committee would have to choose Delaware or Villanova as only one CAA team gets a seed. In this case, it goes to Nova with similar SOS and head-to-head win over Delaware. But this is good for Cats as I don't think even winning out that Nova gets a Top 4 seed.

[seataccat]

I think we will be like South Dakota State was two years ago. The second best team in the country that will be on the road for most of the playoffs. They ran out of steam against us that year on their third road game in a row.

[TomCat88]

I think we will be like South Dakota State was two years ago. The second best team in the country that will be on the road for most of the playoffs. They ran out of steam against us that year on their third road game in a row.

Agreed, except for the ran out of steam part. But to your point I’ve been saying the same thing since the beginning of spring camp. And at this point I think MSU is better than SDSU was in 2021. By the time the playoffs roll around MSU will be numb and immune to road games. I don’t think anyone will have home field advantage over the Bobcats in the playoffs. Additionally, playoff games aren’t well attended. If MSU loses it won’t be because it was a road game.

[tetoncat]

Now that we have a new thread discussing the playoffs, I'll put my current bracket and thoughts here.

First off, I think the #2 seed is still achievable. Is it probable? No, but who's to say Idaho wins out? Should they? Yes. But if they don't, we jump ahead of them assuming we win out (which I am). I agree with Vim that we can still get the #3 seed, and that it's likely should we win out. The strength of schedule for both Furman and Delaware are far below ours. Although both could end up undefeated vs. the FCS, their resumes aren't impressive, and neither have anything else that will add much to it. Delaware plays one of the softest CAA schedules this year, and the SoCon has good/average teams and bad teams, no in between, which hurts Furman. The FCS has been even more weird than usual this year. My bracket as it currently stands assumes the weirdness will continue. I am saying Chattanooga will beat Furman this weekend, UM will beat Sac State this weekend but lose to PSU next weekend, and the MVFC continues to chew itself up.

So, the reasoning for my seeds.
#1 SDSU - Winning out, no doubt they are here
#2 Idaho - Even though they will have a loss to UM, their FBS win, wins over the Cats and Sac State propel them to #2 at 9-2 overall
#3 MSU - Inches away from beating #1, a 3 point loss to #2 and wins over top 5 teams on the road in Sac State and UM push the Cats to #3 ahead of 10-1 Delaware and 9-2 Furman
#4 Delaware - Could have a case for #3, but not a good enough case. Their weak SOS (currently 61st) should hold them back.
#5 Furman - Even at 9-2, the way the SoCon is playing out gives Furman a good shot at a top 6 seed. They've won some games ugly, and some convincingly. I have them at 5 with the assumption there are no other 9-2 teams out there (could very well change).
#6 Incarnate Word - This hurts me, but I don't see how the committee drops these jokers any lower than #6 when everyone else below them would have 3 losses.
#7 - South Dakota - Of the 3 loss teams in the MVFC and the BSC, I have USD with the best resume. Their loss to Mizzou can be thrown out because of how well Mizzou is playing, so really only 2 FCS losses in this scenario.
#8 Albany - What?! you may say. I had these guys at 6-6 to start the year, and 7-5 after OOC. The reason I have them here is because of their 12th game exception for travelfing to Hawaii. It gives them a chance at a 9th DI win, and a 9-1 record against the FCS.

Teams in the mix in order of best argument.

North Dakota State - A good win over a hot UNI team keeps them in the discussion. The UND loss looks worse now. A win over SIU in the is scenario is a boost as well.
Montana - Not much of an argument with 1 of their 8 wins being DII. Good wins over Idaho and Sac State though.

As usual, very well done by @BleedingBLue . I have a couple of variations that mean a Top 4 seed is NOT a given if we win out that I discuss at length in Path to the Playoffs.
1- I think we underestimate NDSU and their ability to beat SDSU next weekend. NDSU beats SDSU and wins out, and suddenly NDSU, SDSU and Idaho get the first three seeds in some order. #4 is only seed up in the air with Delaware, MSU, Furman, USD and possibly Sac State in the discussion for the #4 seed. I won't count out NDSU until they have at least 3 losses.

2 - If Gris win 2 of 3 (entirely possible), they will be 9-2. Everything I read gets them a seed, maybe as high as #6 or #7. The D-II win is not much of a drag given the committee made it clear this year that a D-II win does count. AT 8-3 though unlikely to get a seed.

3 - There simply is not much historical evidence for a team currently ranked #23 (UAlbany) this late in the season to get a seed at 8-3. Same with giving Lafayette a seed with an SOS of 63. But I do understand the committee may have difficulty keeping a 10-1 Lafayette or a 9-1 UIW from a seed. I still think that decision is rewarding slightly above average teams from weak conferences with weak schedules.

4 - Furman wins out, they get a Top 4 seed at 10-1 - no doubt. I don't think the committee sees the Southern Conference with Furman, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Mercer as a weak conference. Sagarin ranks Southern as the 4th best Playoff Eligible Conference.

5- Finally, I think Villanova has a decent chance to win out and beat Delaware on the final weekend. That would put them at 9-2 and firmly in the seed conversation. Committee would have to choose Delaware or Villanova as only one CAA team gets a seed. In this case, it goes to Nova with similar SOS and head-to-head win over Delaware. But this is good for Cats as I don't think even winning out that Nova gets a Top 4 seed.

Solid points. All hinges on how much committee overlooks NDSU's really bad losses. Also interesting that Griz AD is on committee and this year they publicly state D2 wins count, at time of year Griz didn't look good but had that great D2 win. They have turned it around so shouldn't matter.

[BleedingBLue]

Now that we have a new thread discussing the playoffs, I'll put my current bracket and thoughts here.

First off, I think the #2 seed is still achievable. Is it probable? No, but who's to say Idaho wins out? Should they? Yes. But if they don't, we jump ahead of them assuming we win out (which I am). I agree with Vim that we can still get the #3 seed, and that it's likely should we win out. The strength of schedule for both Furman and Delaware are far below ours. Although both could end up undefeated vs. the FCS, their resumes aren't impressive, and neither have anything else that will add much to it. Delaware plays one of the softest CAA schedules this year, and the SoCon has good/average teams and bad teams, no in between, which hurts Furman. The FCS has been even more weird than usual this year. My bracket as it currently stands assumes the weirdness will continue. I am saying Chattanooga will beat Furman this weekend, UM will beat Sac State this weekend but lose to PSU next weekend, and the MVFC continues to chew itself up.

So, the reasoning for my seeds.
#1 SDSU - Winning out, no doubt they are here
#2 Idaho - Even though they will have a loss to UM, their FBS win, wins over the Cats and Sac State propel them to #2 at 9-2 overall
#3 MSU - Inches away from beating #1, a 3 point loss to #2 and wins over top 5 teams on the road in Sac State and UM push the Cats to #3 ahead of 10-1 Delaware and 9-2 Furman
#4 Delaware - Could have a case for #3, but not a good enough case. Their weak SOS (currently 61st) should hold them back.
#5 Furman - Even at 9-2, the way the SoCon is playing out gives Furman a good shot at a top 6 seed. They've won some games ugly, and some convincingly. I have them at 5 with the assumption there are no other 9-2 teams out there (could very well change).
#6 Incarnate Word - This hurts me, but I don't see how the committee drops these jokers any lower than #6 when everyone else below them would have 3 losses.
#7 - South Dakota - Of the 3 loss teams in the MVFC and the BSC, I have USD with the best resume. Their loss to Mizzou can be thrown out because of how well Mizzou is playing, so really only 2 FCS losses in this scenario.
#8 Albany - What?! you may say. I had these guys at 6-6 to start the year, and 7-5 after OOC. The reason I have them here is because of their 12th game exception for travelfing to Hawaii. It gives them a chance at a 9th DI win, and a 9-1 record against the FCS.

Teams in the mix in order of best argument.

North Dakota State - A good win over a hot UNI team keeps them in the discussion. The UND loss looks worse now. A win over SIU in the is scenario is a boost as well.
Montana - Not much of an argument with 1 of their 8 wins being DII. Good wins over Idaho and Sac State though.

As usual, very well done by @BleedingBLue . I have a couple of variations that mean a Top 4 seed is NOT a given if we win out that I discuss at length in Path to the Playoffs.
1- I think we underestimate NDSU and their ability to beat SDSU next weekend. NDSU beats SDSU and wins out, and suddenly NDSU, SDSU and Idaho get the first three seeds in some order. #4 is only seed up in the air with Delaware, MSU, Furman, USD and possibly Sac State in the discussion for the #4 seed. I won't count out NDSU until they have at least 3 losses.

2 - If Gris win 2 of 3 (entirely possible), they will be 9-2. Everything I read gets them a seed, maybe as high as #6 or #7. The D-II win is not much of a drag given the committee made it clear this year that a D-II win does count. AT 8-3 though unlikely to get a seed.

3 - There simply is not much historical evidence for a team currently ranked #23 (UAlbany) this late in the season to get a seed at 8-3. Same with giving Lafayette a seed with an SOS of 63. But I do understand the committee may have difficulty keeping a 10-1 Lafayette or a 9-1 UIW from a seed. I still think that decision is rewarding slightly above average teams from weak conferences with weak schedules.

4 - Furman wins out, they get a Top 4 seed at 10-1 - no doubt. I don't think the committee sees the Southern Conference with Furman, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Mercer as a weak conference. Sagarin ranks Southern as the 4th best Playoff Eligible Conference.

5- Finally, I think Villanova has a decent chance to win out and beat Delaware on the final weekend. That would put them at 9-2 and firmly in the seed conversation. Committee would have to choose Delaware or Villanova as only one CAA team gets a seed. In this case, it goes to Nova with similar SOS and head-to-head win over Delaware. But this is good for Cats as I don't think even winning out that Nova gets a Top 4 seed.

All good points as well. In my brackets, I predict what I think is going to happen and make the bracket based on that. I could make multiple brackets for what ifs, but I don't have time for that. All of what you said are definitely possibilities.

In response to your points.

1. I have NDSU losing and being 8-3. Not much argument for a seed. Obviously if they win out then they have an argument for a seed, although I don't see it being a better argument than a 9-2 BSC team.

2. Also a good point, but I have them losing 2 of 3 (PSU and MSU). If they are 9-2 they most definitely get a seed as well. If the loss is to MSU and we go 9-2, the 5 or 6 seed is most likely.

3. Albany would not be 8-3, they would be 9-3. They got an exemption for a 12th game this season for traveling to Hawaii. I could see them being top 10 in the polls the final week of the season if they win out. A 7-1 CAA team who is 9-1 against the FCS will absolutely be considered for a seed. Lafeyette having a SOS of 63 can't be an argument for keeping them out, when Delaware, even at 10-1 has a SOS of 56 and will be in the discussion for a top 4 seed. Holy Cross has shown the last 2 years a 10-1/11-0 Patriot League team will absolutely be in the seeding discussion.

4. I agree on Furman, but I think Chattanooga having them at home, results in a loss.

5. I'm not sure Villanova is good enough to avoid a slip up and finish 9-2. I don't think any CAA is that good. Delaware is the best bet in my opinion.

[91catAlum]

If Ndsu beats sdsu and wins out, there is a very good chance they'd be seeded higher even if MSU wins out. In that scenario, these would be the resumes:

ndsu: 9-2, 4 ranked wins (UCA, sdsu, UNI, SIU), both losses to ranked teams, best win in the country over #1 sdsu.
MSU: 9-2, 2 ranked wins (Sac, um), 1 then-ranked win (weber); both losses to top 10 teams.

Depends on what the committee values more, but I could definitely see ndsu getting seeded above MSU if both win out.

[catscat]

Also interesting that Griz AD is on committee and this year they publicly state D2 wins count, at time of year Griz didn't look good but had that great D2 win.

If that's the case, I call BS.

[Prodigal Cat]

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-202 ... ns-3-bzbz/

Sam projecting Cats winning out results in the #3. Also his bracket has NDSU and Sac St in the Idaho qtr and I think both teams have a punchers chance at beating the Vandals which would give Cats a 3rd home game for the semifinals. I'd take this bracket.

[Cats15]

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-202 ... ns-3-bzbz/

Sam projecting Cats winning out results in the #3. Also his bracket has NDSU and Sac St in the Idaho qtr and I think both teams have a punchers chance at beating the Vandals which would give Cats a 3rd home game for the semifinals. I'd take this bracket.

I was just looking at his bracket and would be THRILLED if the bracket ended up that way!!

[Prodigal Cat]

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-202 ... ns-3-bzbz/

Sam projecting Cats winning out results in the #3. Also his bracket has NDSU and Sac St in the Idaho qtr and I think both teams have a punchers chance at beating the Vandals which would give Cats a 3rd home game for the semifinals. I'd take this bracket.

I was just looking at his bracket and would be THRILLED if the bracket ended up that way!!

Not only would it be great for the Cats it would be good for the Big Sky. 4 seeds and 3 of which are on the opposite half of SDSU. I'm not saying it would be a guarantee but first game vs a dome team that got absolutely smacked by SDSU, qtr verses the CAA champ (see last year), and a rematch with Idaho. Good chance the BSC could get 3 Semifinal teams in this bracket.

[nanacat]

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-202 ... ns-3-bzbz/

Sam projecting Cats winning out results in the #3. Also his bracket has NDSU and Sac St in the Idaho qtr and I think both teams have a punchers chance at beating the Vandals which would give Cats a 3rd home game for the semifinals. I'd take this bracket.

I was just looking at his bracket and would be THRILLED if the bracket ended up that way!!

I was just looking at that too and it looks very promising. Winning out is the key. Go Cats!

[Camo_Cat]

To answer the original question, I think the most unfortunate thing to come out of last Saturday's loss is that we left it more in the hands of the pollsters rather than our own. I get the "now we control our own destiny, we just gotta win out" mentality. But does anyone really think the majority of voters who have a say in the polls really pay attention? Yes, it's good to have voters like Sam Herder and Craig Hailey, but I really think that most of the voters are just looking at scores and records without doing much analysis.

If the majority of voters were informed and took the time, I honestly don't think you would have teams like Furman & Delaware occupying 2 of the top 5 poll spots. I'm not saying they aren't good, but no way are they top 5 teams nor are they better than MSU, IMHO. I look back even at last year, and there is suspicion that either Sac State or NDSU should have received a seed higher than the Cats.

So yes - we need to win the last 3 games, and in convincing fashion. But I think we're gonna need some help in having some of those teams currently ahead of us drop a game or two. Idaho, Furman, and Delaware all have relatively easy schedules so I am not sure if we're gonna get the help we need. But hey - it's college football and anything can happen!

GO CATS!!!

[catatac]

To answer the original question, I think the most unfortunate thing to come out of last Saturday's loss is that we left it more in the hands of the pollsters rather than our own. I get the "now we control our own destiny, we just gotta win out" mentality. But does anyone really think the majority of voters who have a say in the polls really pay attention? Yes, it's good to have voters like Sam Herder and Craig Hailey, but I really think that most of the voters are just looking at scores and records without doing much analysis.

If the majority of voters were informed and took the time, I honestly don't think you would have teams like Furman & Delaware occupying 2 of the top 5 poll spots. I'm not saying they aren't good, but no way are they top 5 teams nor are they better than MSU, IMHO. I look back even at last year, and there is suspicion that either Sac State or NDSU should have received a seed higher than the Cats.

So yes - we need to win the last 3 games, and in convincing fashion. But I think we're gonna need some help in having some of those teams currently ahead of us drop a game or two. Idaho, Furman, and Delaware all have relatively easy schedules so I am not sure if we're gonna get the help we need. But hey - it's college football and anything can happen!

GO CATS!!!

You are correct in terms of getting the #1 or #2 which obviously was the goal, and we lost that part of controlling our own destiny when we lost to ID. However, getting the #3 or #4 seed is still in our control, just need to win out.

[catatac]

I think we will be like South Dakota State was two years ago. The second best team in the country that will be on the road for most of the playoffs. They ran out of steam against us that year on their third road game in a row.

The only way the Cats end up on the road for "most of the playoffs" is if they lose one of the next three games. Which one are you predicting a loss?

[Catprint]

Also interesting that Griz AD is on committee and this year they publicly state D2 wins count, at time of year Griz didn't look good but had that great D2 win.

If that's the case, I call BS.

Reminder that if your team is up for discussion with the committee, you have to step out of the room and get no verbal input for a seed or whether in or out. However, since the ADs vote on seeds twice all ADs do get to vote for their team as I understand it. That vote is essentially a secret ballot. One vote at start and then after discussions the second vote is final and sets the seeds from 1 to 8. Otherwise , it would result in a very odd vote count since multiple ADs could have teams in the seed consideration. Anyone correct me on that understanding?

[Bocephus]

3 seed is within reach, would not be a bad route. Opposite SDSU, home until semis which would be a rematch in the Kibbie. Possible home semifinal if Idaho gets upset by SAC, which is very possible. That would mean CA team in MT in December.

Herder's bracket projection looks favorable for um until the Brookings part.

[Camo_Cat]

To answer the original question, I think the most unfortunate thing to come out of last Saturday's loss is that we left it more in the hands of the pollsters rather than our own. I get the "now we control our own destiny, we just gotta win out" mentality. But does anyone really think the majority of voters who have a say in the polls really pay attention? Yes, it's good to have voters like Sam Herder and Craig Hailey, but I really think that most of the voters are just looking at scores and records without doing much analysis.

If the majority of voters were informed and took the time, I honestly don't think you would have teams like Furman & Delaware occupying 2 of the top 5 poll spots. I'm not saying they aren't good, but no way are they top 5 teams nor are they better than MSU, IMHO. I look back even at last year, and there is suspicion that either Sac State or NDSU should have received a seed higher than the Cats.

So yes - we need to win the last 3 games, and in convincing fashion. But I think we're gonna need some help in having some of those teams currently ahead of us drop a game or two. Idaho, Furman, and Delaware all have relatively easy schedules so I am not sure if we're gonna get the help we need. But hey - it's college football and anything can happen!

GO CATS!!!

You are correct in terms of getting the #1 or #2 which obviously was the goal, and we lost that part of controlling our own destiny when we lost to ID. However, getting the #3 or #4 seed is still in our control, just need to win out.

I'm not sure getting #3 or #4 is completely in our control. Four teams currently ahead of us - SDSU, Furman, Idaho, and Delaware - can easily win out as well. And that's their goal, just as it is ours. When we beat dUMb, we will leap them in the polls, but are you saying you're confident that if the four teams I mentioned AND MSU all win out, that somehow the pollsters are gonna move us in front of one of those four? I'm not so confident in the voters doing that, given their past history.

[Bocephus]

To answer the original question, I think the most unfortunate thing to come out of last Saturday's loss is that we left it more in the hands of the pollsters rather than our own. I get the "now we control our own destiny, we just gotta win out" mentality. But does anyone really think the majority of voters who have a say in the polls really pay attention? Yes, it's good to have voters like Sam Herder and Craig Hailey, but I really think that most of the voters are just looking at scores and records without doing much analysis.

If the majority of voters were informed and took the time, I honestly don't think you would have teams like Furman & Delaware occupying 2 of the top 5 poll spots. I'm not saying they aren't good, but no way are they top 5 teams nor are they better than MSU, IMHO. I look back even at last year, and there is suspicion that either Sac State or NDSU should have received a seed higher than the Cats.

So yes - we need to win the last 3 games, and in convincing fashion. But I think we're gonna need some help in having some of those teams currently ahead of us drop a game or two. Idaho, Furman, and Delaware all have relatively easy schedules so I am not sure if we're gonna get the help we need. But hey - it's college football and anything can happen!

GO CATS!!!

You are correct in terms of getting the #1 or #2 which obviously was the goal, and we lost that part of controlling our own destiny when we lost to ID. However, getting the #3 or #4 seed is still in our control, just need to win out.

I'm not sure getting #3 or #4 is completely in our control. Four teams currently ahead of us - SDSU, Furman, Idaho, and Delaware - can easily win out as well. And that's their goal, just as it is ours. When we beat dUMb, we will leap them in the polls, but are you saying you're confident that if the four teams I mentioned AND MSU all win out, that somehow the pollsters are gonna move us in front of one of those four? I'm not so confident in the voters doing that, given their past history.

Unfortunately, worst case scenario, the committee might keep sending us to Brookings until we prove we can win there. Sigh.

[catatac]

To answer the original question, I think the most unfortunate thing to come out of last Saturday's loss is that we left it more in the hands of the pollsters rather than our own. I get the "now we control our own destiny, we just gotta win out" mentality. But does anyone really think the majority of voters who have a say in the polls really pay attention? Yes, it's good to have voters like Sam Herder and Craig Hailey, but I really think that most of the voters are just looking at scores and records without doing much analysis.

If the majority of voters were informed and took the time, I honestly don't think you would have teams like Furman & Delaware occupying 2 of the top 5 poll spots. I'm not saying they aren't good, but no way are they top 5 teams nor are they better than MSU, IMHO. I look back even at last year, and there is suspicion that either Sac State or NDSU should have received a seed higher than the Cats.

So yes - we need to win the last 3 games, and in convincing fashion. But I think we're gonna need some help in having some of those teams currently ahead of us drop a game or two. Idaho, Furman, and Delaware all have relatively easy schedules so I am not sure if we're gonna get the help we need. But hey - it's college football and anything can happen!

GO CATS!!!

You are correct in terms of getting the #1 or #2 which obviously was the goal, and we lost that part of controlling our own destiny when we lost to ID. However, getting the #3 or #4 seed is still in our control, just need to win out.

I'm not sure getting #3 or #4 is completely in our control. Four teams currently ahead of us - SDSU, Furman, Idaho, and Delaware - can easily win out as well. And that's their goal, just as it is ours. When we beat dUMb, we will leap them in the polls, but are you saying you're confident that if the four teams I mentioned AND MSU all win out, that somehow the pollsters are gonna move us in front of one of those four? I'm not so confident in the voters doing that, given their past history.

Other posters smarter than I had pointed out that this poll isn't what they use for bracketing and seeding. It sounded like general consensus is that IF all five of those teams win out (Not very likely), MSU would end up a #3 or #4 seed, ahead of Furman or Delaware, or both based on all the resumes. I know that's not an absolute fact, and you could be right, but we'll see.