FCS Bracketology: Week 12

With the FCS college football regular season coming to an end in just two weeks, races for the 24 playoff spots are heating up.  Here are some of the highlights from last week.

• Eastern Washington was dominant in a 54-29 victory over Montana State in a FCS top 5 showdown.
• Charleston Southern won 31-26 against Coastal Carolina.  Charleston Southern needs just one more conference win to secure the Big South’s automatic-bid, while Coastal Carolina looks to still have a strong playoff resume.
• Eastern Illinois remains as arguably the most surprising team in the FCS this season defeating Murray State last week 37-17.  The Panthers remain #2 in the country with their only loss to FBS Northern Illinois.
• Chattanooga took sole control of first place in the SoCon with a win 20-10 win over Wofford.  The Mocs will secure the automatic-bid with a win over Samford next week.
• The Southland’s three strong playoff contenders in Sam Houston State, McNeese State, and Southeastern Louisiana all secured big victories last week.  Southeastern Louisiana will host Sam Houston State next week in a game with huge conference title and playoff implications.

Without further ado, let’s get to this week’s bracket:

Automatic-Bids:

Big Sky: Eastern Washington

Big South: Charleston Southern

Colonial: Maine

Mid-Eastern: Bethune-Cookman

Missouri Valley: North Dakota State

Northeastern: Robert Morris

Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois

Patriot: Lehigh

Pioneer: San Diego

Southern: Chattanooga

Southland: Sam Houston State

At-Large Bids:

Big Sky: Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona

Big South: Coastal Carolina

Colonial: Delaware, Towson, William & Mary

Missouri Valley: South Dakota State, Youngstown State

Ohio Valley: Tennessee State

Patriot: Fordham

Southland: McNeese State, Southeastern Louisiana

Last Four Out: Jacksonville State, New Hampshire, Samford, Southern Utah

The Field:

The bottom is the first round match up.  The winner would then play at the above team in the second round.

#1 North Dakota State
Charleston Southern @ William & Mary

#8 Southeastern Louisiana
Bethune-Cookman @ McNeese State

#5 Maine
Delaware @ Youngstown State

#4 Eastern Washington
San Diego @ Montana

#3 Sam Houston State
Lehigh @ Coastal Carolina

#6 Fordham
Robert Morris @ Towson

#7 Montana State
South Dakota State @ Northern Arizona

#2 Eastern Illinois
Tennessee State @ Chattanooga