Top 2 path

[tetoncat]

While NDSU and SDSU might be the best teams, until the committee chooses to ignore past year success and looks only at current year performance, they will continue to get home field advantages. That greatly enhances their chances to get to the championship. MVFC also needs to knock them off more but seems like there is so much respect for the conference 1 loss there doesn't really knock them out of top 4.

[technoCat]

While NDSU and SDSU might be the best teams, until the committee chooses to ignore past year success and looks only at current year performance, they will continue to get home field advantages. That greatly enhances their chances to get to the championship. MVFC also needs to knock them off more but seems like there is so much respect for the conference 1 loss there doesn't really knock them out of top 4.

When was the last time a team not containing the word Dakota in their name beat one of the DSUs?

EDIT:
NDSU to Southern Illinois in 2020
SDSU to Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa of all people in 2021

EDIT part 2:
Before that NDSU was 2014 to UNI. That is freaking insane.

[kwcat]

While NDSU and SDSU might be the best teams, until the committee chooses to ignore past year success and looks only at current year performance, they will continue to get home field advantages. That greatly enhances their chances to get to the championship. MVFC also needs to knock them off more but seems like there is so much respect for the conference 1 loss there doesn't really knock them out of top 4.

North Dakota State and South Dakota State have earned their respect and that is the way it will be until we change it consistently

[tetoncat]

While NDSU and SDSU might be the best teams, until the committee chooses to ignore past year success and looks only at current year performance, they will continue to get home field advantages. That greatly enhances their chances to get to the championship. MVFC also needs to knock them off more but seems like there is so much respect for the conference 1 loss there doesn't really knock them out of top 4.

North Dakota State and South Dakota State have earned their respect and that is the way it will be until we change it consistently

I don't disagree but the road team record in playoffs is not good overall. Staying at home nearly every year, sometimes when they probably did not have the best resume has certainly helped their playoff records and success.

[tetoncat]

While NDSU and SDSU might be the best teams, until the committee chooses to ignore past year success and looks only at current year performance, they will continue to get home field advantages. That greatly enhances their chances to get to the championship. MVFC also needs to knock them off more but seems like there is so much respect for the conference 1 loss there doesn't really knock them out of top 4.

When was the last time a team not containing the word Dakota in their name beat one of the DSUs?

EDIT:
NDSU to Southern Illinois in 2020
SDSU to Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa of all people in 2021

EDIT part 2:
Before that NDSU was 2014 to UNI. That is freaking insane.

I would not put UND and USD in there. They have not had same success and losing to them even if rivalry should impact seedings.

[TomCat88]

If UND beats the loser of the Marker, then MSU will be #2 seed if it wins out. UND has both at home.

If MSU, UM, SDSU, NDSU win out - sans Marker - up to Nov. 8 it’s gonna setup one of the greatest season finishes in FCS history.

[Catsrgrood]

Really pulling for Southern Illinois this weekend.

Need to get that one loss on NDSU and then pull for SDSU in the marker game.

That will likely 1)lock up the #1 seed for SDSU 2) leave #2 seed wide open for the next group of teams.

[TomCat88]

Really pulling for Southern Illinois this weekend.

Need to get that one loss on NDSU and then pull for SDSU in the marker game.

That will likely 1)lock up the #1 seed for SDSU 2) leave #2 seed wide open for the next group of teams.

Giving up 569 yards at home vs semo isn’t encouraging considering they’re at NDSU.

[Bobcat Sig]

I think we're already seeing the reality in the national polls - we got leapfrogged by the Griz after beating the brakes off of EWU and the Griz beat Idaho at home, yet the inverse did not happen after we smoked the #13 team on the road and the Griz squeaked by Idaho State.

We only have 2 ranked opponents left so it's not out of the possibility we fall further during the next 4 game stertch even if we go 4-0 vs ISU, CP, UNC, Weber.

The good news is we should have two top 10 opponents at the very end to earn our way into the top 4.

And that's the issue, frustratingly so. By most measures, we're a better team, and yet, the griz continue to dine out on their hype. It seems like a reasoned pollster would see their squeaker against ISU and rank them accordingly. Only they didn't. Frustrating.

[RKMCMT]

So here is a question. If NDSU loses to SDSU, then NDSU and Cats are both X-1 in FCS games. Cats loss to SDSU was inches in double overtime. If SDSU handles NDSU much easier, does that vault Cats over NDSU? I would think it should as well, but "will it?"

If we win out and SDSU beats NDSU, I think we're #2 for sure.

[RKMCMT]

You beat me to it. I agree, 2 FCS losses should put SDSU behind the 1 FCS loss Cats. Will it? who knows.

The teams would be in the same tier for seeds and the number 1 thing they would consider is head to head. It would trump everything else. If you are saying they would ignore that because of 1 extra loss you are mistaken.

Dude, no way a 10-2 FCS SDSU would be seeded higher than a 10-1 cat team. What are you smoking?

a Cat team with ZERO FCS losses was seeded behind a NDSU team with one FCS loss in '22. It has actually happened. I don't smoke.

We are in a different place as a program in '25 compared to '22. We were seeded below NDSU for the same reason Sac State was the year it happened to them. The committee is going to favor a proven commodity over an up and coming team. It's why Tarleton is a long shot for the 2 seed no matter how things play out around them. We're no longer unproven (don't get me started on the 2021 playoff run...).

At the end of the day it probably doesn't matter because SDSU is very unlikely to lose to anyone besides NDSU (and vice versa).

And SDSU isn’t a proven commodity? Come on.

Yep, that's what I said. Go ahead and bold it in my comment so everyone can see it.

You are literally arguing that MSU would get the nod over SDSU because we are a proven commodity now. You intimated it.

I literally was responding with the context for why NDSU was seeded over us. We weren't on the same level, now we are. Now that we're treated as equals SDSU with 2 losses should be seeded lower than us with 1 loss, even if it's to SDSU at home, because SDSU's second loss would be to a team outside our tier which makes it a worse loss.

My position is that a bad loss (a loss to a lower tier) added to a tier loss is worse than a 2OT loss within your tier. Your position appears to be, based on a comment towards the beginning, that SDSU beat us so it doesn't matter who their second loss is to, they're locked in ahead of us.

I don't think SDSU will lose 2 games so this is a pointless exercise that we can call a draw but I just want you to understand the opinion you're arguing against.

I will concede if the Jacks lose to UNI or Indiana St it would be a loss that would knock them lower than the Cats. But if they lose to ILST or @ UND, a team in the top 15, they would still be seeded higher than the Cats. (caveat: I noticed the UND game is their last so that might be different. We've seen the consequences of losing the last day of the year as your final impression on the committee.)

I've shown multiple times the committee seeded the MVFC team higher than the BSC team despite have more losses or less wins. None of those times did they also have a head to head to go along with it. They would here. I stand on a 10-2 Jacks team would be seeded higher than a 10-2 Cats because history has shown it to be true. I don't buy the "its different now" argument. That 10-2 Jacks team would have ranked wins over Sac St, YSU, either ILST or UND and of course the Cats. They would be the 2 or 3 Tarleton dependent and the Cats right below them.

In this context you might as well quit saying we're (if we win out) 10-2. The Oregon loss simply won't factor in at all.

[VimSince03]

So here is a question. If NDSU loses to SDSU, then NDSU and Cats are both X-1 in FCS games. Cats loss to SDSU was inches in double overtime. If SDSU handles NDSU much easier, does that vault Cats over NDSU? I would think it should as well, but "will it?"

If we win out and SDSU beats NDSU, I think we're #2 for sure.

Call me crazy but SDSU would have to win convincingly for this to happen...in my opinion. 10-2 and undefeated winner of the Big Sky with a 2OT loss to SDSU at home is a great resume but NDSU has the clout and history.

[TomCat88]

I think we're already seeing the reality in the national polls - we got leapfrogged by the Griz after beating the brakes off of EWU and the Griz beat Idaho at home, yet the inverse did not happen after we smoked the #13 team on the road and the Griz squeaked by Idaho State.

We only have 2 ranked opponents left so it's not out of the possibility we fall further during the next 4 game stertch even if we go 4-0 vs ISU, CP, UNC, Weber.

The good news is we should have two top 10 opponents at the very end to earn our way into the top 4.

And that's the issue, frustratingly so. By most measures, we're a better team, and yet, the griz continue to dine out on their hype. It seems like a reasoned pollster would see their squeaker against ISU and rank them accordingly. Only they didn't. Frustrating.

You’re giving the work pollsters put into their poll way too much credit. They look at the record first and rarely look at the opponents. Ultimately it won’t matter.

[RKMCMT]

I think we're already seeing the reality in the national polls - we got leapfrogged by the Griz after beating the brakes off of EWU and the Griz beat Idaho at home, yet the inverse did not happen after we smoked the #13 team on the road and the Griz squeaked by Idaho State.

We only have 2 ranked opponents left so it's not out of the possibility we fall further during the next 4 game stertch even if we go 4-0 vs ISU, CP, UNC, Weber.

The good news is we should have two top 10 opponents at the very end to earn our way into the top 4.

And that's the issue, frustratingly so. By most measures, we're a better team, and yet, the griz continue to dine out on their hype. It seems like a reasoned pollster would see their squeaker against ISU and rank them accordingly. Only they didn't. Frustrating.

A convincing win over ISU this week should drive home the point. Hopefully we deliver it.

[TomCat88]

I think we're already seeing the reality in the national polls - we got leapfrogged by the Griz after beating the brakes off of EWU and the Griz beat Idaho at home, yet the inverse did not happen after we smoked the #13 team on the road and the Griz squeaked by Idaho State.

We only have 2 ranked opponents left so it's not out of the possibility we fall further during the next 4 game stertch even if we go 4-0 vs ISU, CP, UNC, Weber.

The good news is we should have two top 10 opponents at the very end to earn our way into the top 4.

And that's the issue, frustratingly so. By most measures, we're a better team, and yet, the griz continue to dine out on their hype. It seems like a reasoned pollster would see their squeaker against ISU and rank them accordingly. Only they didn't. Frustrating.

A convincing win over ISU this week should drive home the point. Hopefully we deliver it.

The pollsters won’t make the connection between MSU and UM playing ISU on successive weeks. You guys are way to kind about their work ethic regarding polls.

[RKMCMT]

I think we're already seeing the reality in the national polls - we got leapfrogged by the Griz after beating the brakes off of EWU and the Griz beat Idaho at home, yet the inverse did not happen after we smoked the #13 team on the road and the Griz squeaked by Idaho State.

We only have 2 ranked opponents left so it's not out of the possibility we fall further during the next 4 game stertch even if we go 4-0 vs ISU, CP, UNC, Weber.

The good news is we should have two top 10 opponents at the very end to earn our way into the top 4.

And that's the issue, frustratingly so. By most measures, we're a better team, and yet, the griz continue to dine out on their hype. It seems like a reasoned pollster would see their squeaker against ISU and rank them accordingly. Only they didn't. Frustrating.

A convincing win over ISU this week should drive home the point. Hopefully we deliver it.

The pollsters won’t make the connection between MSU and UM playing ISU on successive weeks. You guys are way to kind about their work ethic regarding polls.

I think some will, especially since they're back to back. But it also impacts the computer rating algorithms which others lean on.

[CelticCat]

We only need what, 10 pollsters to figure it out. We are only like 13 votes behind the Griz.

[VimSince03]

We only need what, 10 pollsters to figure it out. We are only like 13 votes behind the Griz.

We could beat ISU by 40 and the Griz could squeak by Cal Poly and I would put money down that nothing would change in the polls. Tom is right.

[coloradocat]

We technically don't need any pollsters to figure it out if the playoff committee isn't lying to us when they say they don't use the polls. Might be a lot to ask of these ADs that they actually watch games outside their conference though.

[RKMCMT]

We only need what, 10 pollsters to figure it out. We are only like 13 votes behind the Griz.

We could beat ISU by 40 and the Griz could squeak by Cal Poly and I would put money down that nothing would change in the polls. Tom is right.

I mean I'm as sold on FCS' weird UM bias as anyone.

But I think our smoking NAU closed the gap considerably. If we start to look like we're going to roll through the schedule anything like last year and those other guys keep every game interesting like they like to do, we're going to flip.

The only reason we fell behind earlier was on style points vs Mercyhurst.