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Herder's Ballot for 10/6

Here is McKinnell's ballot for this week with his analysis:

25. Lamar
24. Southeastern Louisiana
23. Stephen F. Austin
22. Mercer
21. Presbyterian
20. Youngstown State
19. Jackson State
18. Idaho
17. West Georgia
16. Austin Peay
15. Abilene Christian
14. Northern Arizona
13. Harvard
12. UC Davis
11. Illinois State
10. Monmouth
9. Lehigh
8. North Dakota
7. Tennessee Tech
6. Southern Illinois
5. Tarleton State
4. Montana State
3. Montana
2. South Dakota State
1. North Dakota State

Honorable Mentions: Furman, Rhode Island, Villanova, North Carolina Central, Alabama State

Analysis:​

The teams in my Top 6 remain unchanged, but Montana State does move up one spot with an impressive road win over Northern Arizona. The next few weeks will be telling for each of these teams, but I feel comfortable saying these are the six best teams in the country as of right now. North Dakota State and South Dakota State added another ranked win to their resume, both winning key road matchups.

Tarleton State survived an early scare from Southern Utah, but was missing multiple starters. Lastly, Montana put together a fourth-quarter comeback against Idaho State, but still has two ranked wins that keep the Griz at No. 3. Southern Illinois moved to 4-1 (4-0 vs FCS) with a win over Indiana State. The Salukis have a chance to really shake up the rankings against NDSU on Saturday.

Harvard made one of the biggest jumps in my ballot, moving into the Top 15. The Crimson may not have a ranked win, but have dominated their first three opponents, including Brown, which just beat No. 8 Rhode Island. It's a similar resume to Tennessee Tech, which remains in the Top 10 after another blowout win. The Golden Eagles moved to 5-0, outscoring their first five opponents 283-59.

I'm still buying stock in Lehigh right now, which appears at No. 9 on my ballot. The Hawks are 6-0 and have won all but one game by 14 points or more. They have two quality wins over Penn and Yale, along with a key conference win in Week 1 over Richmond. Barring an unexpected upset, this will be a team that will be in the conversation for a Top 8 seed.

As I've stated before, it's still early in the season, which means I'm not afraid to make significant changes to my ballot. After an upset loss to Brown, I didn't feel like Rhode Island had the resume to be ranked over teams with better overall resumes to this point in the season. Incarnate Word also dropped out of my ballot after a loss to Stephen F. Austin. The Cardinals are now 2-3 against FCS competition and have been one of the biggest disappointments in the FCS this season.

There were two new teams in my ballot this week. Southeastern Louisiana makes an appearance after a 38-0 win over McNeese. The Lions are 4-0 against the FCS, winning each game by 14 points or more. Lamar also returns to my ballot, which, despite an uninspiring offensive output, continues to find ways to win. The Cardinals are 4-0 against FCS opponents, including wins over South Dakota and Nicholls, both teams that were ranked at one point this season.

Austin Peay jumped a few spots after an impressive win over West Georgia. The Govs have an FBS win and now a ranked win, with a chance to add some other quality wins to their resume in the coming weeks. They remained behind Abilene Christian due to losing the head-to-head matchup. The Wildcats rebounded from an upset loss last week with a dominant win over North Alabama. They still have two ranked wins over Austin Peay and Stephen F. Austin, which keeps them in the Top 15.

Youngstown State remained in my ballot despite a loss to South Dakota State. The Penguins played their best game of the year and had chances to pull off the upset, making them an intriguing team to watch in the MVFC. Illinois State also remained in the Top 15 after a loss to North Dakota State, in which the Redbirds played well against an NDSU team that has dismantled every opponent they've played.
 
His Harvard ranking is ridiculous. They may be fairly good, but nothing close to that. They beat 0-6 Holy Cross by a good margin last weekend, and have won fairly big in the prior 2 games. He's had this thing for Harvard. I recall a number of years ago where he rated the Harvard recruiting class no. 1 in FCS a time or too. He was totally wrong then. He's out to lunch on that pick.

His top picks look fine to me, but at this point, who knows. Harvard is no. 22 in the Stats Poll. That looks about right.
 
I would love to see Harvard play a real team. They would get stomped and put to bed that they are a top 25 team altogether. Send them thru NAU or the state of Idaho….let alone the state of Montana or Dakotas. Let’s get Harvard on the schedule please dear god!!!!! What a joke
 
Downwiththefoe1984 said:
I would love to see Harvard play a real team. They would get stomped and put to bed that they are a top 25 team altogether. Send them thru NAU or the state of Idaho….let alone the state of Montana or Dakotas. Let’s get Harvard on the schedule please dear god!!!!! What a joke
Click to expand...
You might get your wish, as the Ivy Conference will join the 2025 FCS playoffs.
 
Downwiththefoe1984 said:
I would love to see Harvard play a real team. They would get stomped and put to bed that they are a top 25 team altogether. Send them thru NAU or the state of Idaho….let alone the state of Montana or Dakotas. Let’s get Harvard on the schedule please dear god!!!!! What a joke
Click to expand...
Harvard has a top QB.

"Jaden Craig | QB | Harvard
Week 5 Stats: 24-of-31 attempts, 317 yards passing, four passing TDs, four big-time throws, 142.3 passer rating, 13.0 average depth of target, 18 first downs

Craig was efficient, working with good timing and rhythm throughout this game. He gave his receivers the ability to run after the catch. His ball placement was good, and he showed quality velocity to fit passes into tight windows. He had some overthrows on a few deep passes. His ability to throw on the run and maintain his velocity to make precise passes was on display. He did his best work throwing on the intermediate and shallow areas of the field. He did nothing to hurt his stock, and he will be in a battle for the QB1 spot in the FCS."
 
The way I see it, watching bits and pieces of all the FCS games I can get when the Ducks aren't on:

Okay, so this is MY unofficial, I suck at all things football, but think I am sometimes an expert, because I watch a lot of football, FCS top 25, TOTALLY unbiased rankings for all the teams except Tarleton. They suck.

It is also my way too early, but some are clear and some are murky playoff prediction teams because we are technically but not in week but really week 6.

1. North Dakota State - MVFC Auto Bid - Will be in the NC.
2. South Dakota State -#2 Seed.
3. Montana - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 - 8 Seed. Should make quarters IF they play 4 quarters.
4.Tennessee Tech - OVC Auto bid. 3 - 8 seed.
5. Montana State - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 -8 Seed.
6. Southern Illinois - Wont stay here but should get an at large.
7. North Dakota - 4-8 Seed.
8. UC Davis - Won't stay here but should get an at large
9. Illinois State - 5 - 8 seed. Should get an at large
10. Idaho - At Large should stay around here.
11. Youngstown - Tis is how I see it that was a heck of a game and they would beat #11 - #25
12. Tarleton State - Might get at large bid if they don't lose to ACU or WGU (they will)
13. Lehigh - PLC Auto Bid.
14. Abilene Christian - should get at large bid after they beat Tarleton.
15. Northern Arizona - At-large.
16. West Georgia - UAC Auto bid after they beat Tarleton and ACU.
17. Presbyterian - PFL Auto bid
18. Mercer - SoCon Auto bid
19. Jackson State - will play in the Celebration Bowl. Doesn't matter where they are ranked.
20. Monmouth - Auto bid. Bounced in the first round
21. Austin Peay - At large
22. Rhode Island - Trash team couldn't beat any of the 22 teams in front of them.
23.Southeastern Louisiana University - AT Large
24. Harvard - Auto bid. Easy conference. Bounced first round.
25. UIW
 
SinCityGriz2005 said:
The way I see it, watching bits and pieces of all the FCS games I can get when the Ducks aren't on:

Okay, so this is MY unofficial, I suck at all things football, but think I am sometimes an expert, because I watch a lot of football, FCS top 25, TOTALLY unbiased rankings for all the teams except Tarleton. They suck.

It is also my way too early, but some are clear and some are murky playoff prediction teams because we are technically but not in week but really week 6.

1. North Dakota State - MVFC Auto Bid - Will be in the NC.
2. South Dakota State -#2 Seed.
3. Montana - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 - 8 Seed. Should make quarters IF they play 4 quarters.
4.Tennessee Tech - OVC Auto bid. 3 - 8 seed.
5. Montana State - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 -8 Seed.
6. Southern Illinois - Wont stay here but should get an at large.
7. North Dakota - 4-8 Seed.
8. UC Davis - Won't stay here but should get an at large
9. Illinois State - 5 - 8 seed. Should get an at large
10. Idaho - At Large should stay around here.
11. Youngstown - Tis is how I see it that was a heck of a game and they would beat #11 - #25
12. Tarleton State - Might get at large bid if they don't lose to ACU or WGU (they will)
13. Lehigh - PLC Auto Bid.
14. Abilene Christian - should get at large bid after they beat Tarleton.
15. Northern Arizona - At-large.
16. West Georgia - UAC Auto bid after they beat Tarleton and ACU.
17. Presbyterian - PFL Auto bid
18. Mercer - SoCon Auto bid
19. Jackson State - will play in the Celebration Bowl. Doesn't matter where they are ranked.
20. Monmouth - Auto bid. Bounced in the first round
21. Austin Peay - At large
22. Rhode Island - Trash team couldn't beat any of the 22 teams in front of them.
23.Southeastern Louisiana University - AT Large
24. Harvard - Auto bid. Easy conference. Bounced first round.
25. UIW
Click to expand...
There are a few holes in this plan. For one, unless, I am overlooking it, you don't have an automatic bid from the NEC. I don't believe West Georgia is playoff eligible until 2027, so they can't receive an automatic bid if that is the case.
 
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Griz in Texas said:
There are a few holes in this plan. Just a couple of them:

West Georgia is not yet playoff eligible, so they won't get the UAC automatic bid.
Unless, I am overlooking it, you don't have an automatic bid from the NEC
Click to expand...
Okay, I wasn't aware of West Georgia's status. There are a lot of new teams.

Armed with this new knowledge, I KNOW the purple team in Abilene is playoff eligible.

I strongly desire for the purple team in Abilene to beat down the purple team in Stephenville and shut my wife's fat sassy lips up.

The Purple team in Abilene beat the Purple team in Nacogdoches.

Both purple teams lost to the Red Team from San Antonio.

The purple team in Abilene has a couple of losses, two FBS and one FCS loss. The FBS losses was to the purple team in Fort Worth.

The light at the end of the tunnel could be one of the purple teams beating the purple team I don't like or the red team beating that purple team as well.

So much purple...

I am good with anyone beating the other purple team from Stephenville right now.

Even better would be Montana getting the Purple team from Stephenville in the playoffs in the confines of Wa-Griz and watching them give a good old ass whooping like we did the last time SFA played Montana in the playoff in 1994. That was awesome. It also shut my wife's family's football sized mouths right up. I don't care if I would have to sleep on the couch for the rest of the year.

The NEC does get an Auto bid. My unofficial sources via the all knowing internet says that the Ivy League. does get an auto bid for the first time ever, it is also the first year the Ivy League is participating in the playoffs... psssh they're to smart to win a NC. it's like saying the brainiac's in the Air Force would ever win a NC.

The FCS independents, MEAC and SWAC don't get auto bids. However, the #2 teams in the MEAC and SWAC could qualify for the playoffs since the top teams in each conference play in the Celebration bowl.

The teams not eligible for post season play this year are:

East TAMU - Southland - eligible 2027
Lindenwood - OVC -Eligible 2027
Stonehill - NEC - eligible 2027
West Georgia - UAC -eligible 2028
Mercyhurst - NEC -eligible 2028
New Haven - NEC -eligible 2028
UTEPRGV - Southland -eligible in 2029
Chicago State - NEC - still up in the air since they won't actually have a football team until next year. so maybe never.

Dadgum!!! Making an amateur football armchair coach/idiot/unofficial pundit do their dadgum work.
 
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HelenaHandBasket said:
I am still not too sure about Tenn Tech. They have played NAIA Cumberland (3-2), Davidson (1-4), Chattanooga (2-4), Tenn St (1-4), and W. Ill (1-5). They will most likely end up with one of the weakest SOS in FCS at season's end.
Click to expand...
This is how I see it. All cupcakes. Though I do have a “but”, lol. With all cupcakes, a potential contender should smash them all, and they have.
 
SinCityGriz2005 said:
Okay, I wasn't aware of West Georgia's status. There are a lot of new teams.

Armed with this new knowledge, I KNOW the purple team in Abilene is playoff eligible.

I strongly desire for the purple team in Abilene to beat down the purple team in Stephenville and shut my wife's fat sassy lips up.

The Purple team in Abilene beat the Purple team in Nacogdoches.

Both purple teams lost to the Red Team from San Antonio.

The purple team in Abilene has a couple of losses, two FBS and one FCS loss. The FBS losses was to the purple team in Fort Worth.

The light at the end of the tunnel could be one of the purple teams beating the purple team I don't like or the red team beating that purple team as well.

So much purple...

I am good with anyone beating the other purple team from Stephenville right now.

Even better would be Montana getting the Purple team from Stephenville in the playoffs in the confines of Wa-Griz and watching them give a good old ass whooping like we did the last time SFA played Montana in the playoff in 1994. That was awesome. It also shut my wife's family's football sized mouths right up. I don't care if I would have to sleep on the couch for the rest of the year.

The NEC does get an Auto bid. My unofficial sources via the all knowing internet says that the Ivy League. does get an auto bid for the first time ever, it is also the first year the Ivy League is participating in the playoffs... psssh they're to smart to win a NC. it's like saying the brainiac's in the Air Force would ever win a NC.

The FCS independents, MEAC and SWAC don't get auto bids. However, the #2 teams in the MEAC and SWAC could qualify for the playoffs since the top teams in each conference play in the Celebration bowl.

The teams not eligible for post season play this year are:

East TAMU - Southland - eligible 2027
Lindenwood - OVC -Eligible 2027
Stonehill - NEC - eligible 2027
West Georgia - UAC -eligible 2028
Mercyhurst - NEC -eligible 2028
New Haven - NEC -eligible 2028
UTEPRGV - Southland -eligible in 2029
Chicago State - NEC - still up in the air since they won't actually have a football team until next year. so maybe never.

Dadgum!!! Making an amateur football armchair coach/idiot/unofficial pundit do their dadgum work.
Click to expand...
I feel your pain, and I commiserate with my SHSU wife, although she has to admit that the Bearkats are far worse off for their move and probably staring an 0-12 season down. I can say that the worst two college football stadiums I have been to are related to Sam Houston. Number one was established this year at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex and the horrible spacing between seats and then there is Memorial Stadium in Stephenville why they sold us tickets to the visitor's side where they had taken out the seats leaving us on concrete, hadn't cleaned the restrooms in months and had no concessions.

West Georgia has actually been put on an escalated schedule for eligibility, as was St. Thomas who was made eligible for this year (not gonna happen, but originally they were set for 2026). The original plan was for 2028, but they have met all of the requirements for moving up so they are eligible in 2027. I have not heard of any of the other teams on your list meeting the requirements for escalated eligibility, but this was a rule change the NCAA instituted toward the end of last year.

If West Georgia wins over Tarleton though, you can claim a victory in the fact that they lost to a team still transitioning! Or not, might be the better option and just keep it to yourself as one of those unspoken moral victories to keep the peace.
 
SinCityGriz2005 said:
The way I see it, watching bits and pieces of all the FCS games I can get when the Ducks aren't on:

Okay, so this is MY unofficial, I suck at all things football, but think I am sometimes an expert, because I watch a lot of football, FCS top 25, TOTALLY unbiased rankings for all the teams except Tarleton. They suck.

It is also my way too early, but some are clear and some are murky playoff prediction teams because we are technically but not in week but really week 6.

1. North Dakota State - MVFC Auto Bid - Will be in the NC.
2. South Dakota State -#2 Seed.
3. Montana - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 - 8 Seed. Should make quarters IF they play 4 quarters.
4.Tennessee Tech - OVC Auto bid. 3 - 8 seed.
5. Montana State - Maybe BSC auto bid. 3 -8 Seed.
6. Southern Illinois - Wont stay here but should get an at large.
7. North Dakota - 4-8 Seed.
8. UC Davis - Won't stay here but should get an at large
9. Illinois State - 5 - 8 seed. Should get an at large
10. Idaho - At Large should stay around here.
11. Youngstown - Tis is how I see it that was a heck of a game and they would beat #11 - #25
12. Tarleton State - Might get at large bid if they don't lose to ACU or WGU (they will)
13. Lehigh - PLC Auto Bid.
14. Abilene Christian - should get at large bid after they beat Tarleton.
15. Northern Arizona - At-large.
16. West Georgia - UAC Auto bid after they beat Tarleton and ACU.
17. Presbyterian - PFL Auto bid
18. Mercer - SoCon Auto bid
19. Jackson State - will play in the Celebration Bowl. Doesn't matter where they are ranked.
20. Monmouth - Auto bid. Bounced in the first round
21. Austin Peay - At large
22. Rhode Island - Trash team couldn't beat any of the 22 teams in front of them.
23.Southeastern Louisiana University - AT Large
24. Harvard - Auto bid. Easy conference. Bounced first round.
25. UIW
Click to expand...

Are these seedings based on if the playoffs were to start now after week 6? Cause if so, looks good. Otherwise, I don't see how South Dakota State (likely loses to NDSU) would get the #2 seed over an undefeated Montana team (assuming based on winning the autobid - I think Montana will have to go undefeated to win the bid) from the second-toughest FCS conference.
 
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