By THOMAS STOKES
SoCon Power Rankings
We enter in the last month of the season, which is wild to say as August just felt like last week.
1) ETSU
2) Tennessee Tech
Still the only undefeated team after winning 38-0 against VMI. The biggest test on the schedule comes Saturday when Tennessee Tech comes to Johnson City. This game could determine the SoCon’s automatic bid and no matter who wins the game will be a huge assistance in playoff seeding. ETSU would love to get into the Top 16 to host another game in November.
3) Chattanooga
Did the Mocs finally find an offense? 41 points scored in their win against Western Carolina this past weekend but is it too little too late for the team to race for the playoffs? Chattanooga played both Tennessee Tech and ETSU but only one game (ETSU) counted in the conference. How would the conference handle the TTU win if the three Tennessee schools end in a 3-way tie?
4) Wofford
Wofford is coming off its bye week and still in the playoff picture, be it a long shot. The Terriers need a few teams to lose twice (especially Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech) and then beat ETSU and hope the Bucs stumble somewhere else. Also note, Mercer has to lose at least one more game to have Mercer and Wofford share the title. It probably won’t happen for the Terriers but if they can keep some of their young talent like Ethan Drumm and Wyatt Ward, they could be set up for a run in 2027.
5) Mercer
After this Saturday I would say the Bears have the toughest remaining schedule left of any SoCon schools. After The Citadel, Mercer will face all three Tennessee schools in games that will shape the playoff future for the conference, not only the automatic bid but at-large as some outlets have SoCon getting three in and a fourth team in the Last Four Out section.
6) Western Carolina
I did not expect WCU to be 1-3 in conference at this point. But the past two weeks this has not been the normal Catamounts offense we are used to; they have only been able to score 14 and then 18 in the past two games. Western had a front-loaded conference schedule as they face the bottom of the half, minus the Wofford game, the rest of the season. A winning season is still possible in Cullowhee.
7) Samford
There is a huge gap between sixth and seventh in the SoCon right now.
8) Furman
Clay Hendrix announced this week that this is his last year coaching at Furman. The 2023 team was probably the best SoCon team since the Appalachian State days and came so close to going to Montana and upsetting the Grizzles that year. Since then, it has been rough going for the Paladins and that has continued this year.
9) The Citadel
The Bulldogs put up a fight against Tennessee Tech. At one point, The Citadel was up 10-3 in the second and then cut the deficit to one score late in the fourth at 21-13. Just not enough key plays were made to pull off an upset as The Citadel lost 28-13. I think the Bulldogs have a chance to win in two of the last four games, as Furman has no offense and VMI is a bad team right now. We shall see.
10) VMI
Another week and another loss for the Keydets. The first year for Ashley Ingram has not gone well. I will be interested to see what kind of talent he can bring in after the season to start his vision for the future. Four more games for them to be able to get his first win at VMI.
FCS Viewing Guide
(All games are Eastern and Rankings are based on Stats FCS Poll)
#11 Tennessee Tech vs #18 East Tennessee State (3:30 PM, ESPN+)
I would rather, if you are in the area, be at this game as this is probably the biggest game in William B. Greene Jr. Stadium since the North Dakota State game in 2024. That was an amazing atmosphere and would love to see that kind of crowd on Saturday. Minus the Western Carolina loss, Tennessee Tech has looked like a complete team winning in multiple ways throughout the season. This will be a game with huge playoff implications. If you can’t be in Johnson City on Saturday tune in for this one you will not be disappointed.
South Dakota Showdown Series
#6 South Dakota vs #5 South Dakota State (4 PM, ESPNU)
Another game that will have major playoff implications happens in Brookings, SD on Saturday. The outcome might determine a Top 4 seed, which will all but guarantee home field until the semifinals of the playoffs. Do the Coyotes have more in them after another rival in North Dakota took them to overtime at home? This game is also very important as they are two of the three teams remaining with one conference loss; the other is Youngstown State. All time, South Dakota State leads this series 58-54-7, which started back in 1889.
Who takes the Auto bids?
As we enter the final month of the regular season, let’s take a look who I think will win the automatic bid for each conference. I will also check in to the most important game to clinch the automatic bid for the playoffs in each league,
Northeastern Conference: Central Connecticut State
Key Matchup: November 14th @ Long Island
CCSU put the whole conference on notice with how it played against at the time #1 Montana State. I believe as the only undefeated team in conference left in the NEC, Central Connecticut will continue that trend and win the conference once again. There is not a team that should compete with CCSU.
Pioneer Football League: Dayton
Key Matchup: Just don’t get Upset
The back of their conference schedule sees some of the weaker PFL teams. Stetson and Davidson are not good this year. Valparaiso and Presbyterian could sneak an upset if the Flyers do not come prepared. Drake’s early-season loss means no chance at a Top 16 seed with two non-Division I wins.
Coastal Athletic Association: Campbell
Key Matchup: November 21st vs. Monmouth
Campbell is getting a lot of national love after this past weekend. As media in FCS looks at Campbell and some of the other one loss and even undefeated teams and point to the ETSU win as a better win than most of those teams. Campbell should make light work of three of its four remaining games setting up a conference championship game with Monmouth the day before selection Sunday.
Ohio Valley Conference: Southeast Missouri
Key Matchup: November 21st vs. UT Martin
SEMO after this week is now the last remaining undefeated team in the OVC-Big South mash up conference. Like Campbell the Redhawks should make easy work of their games until November 21st when they play the one-loss Skyhawks. A win by UT Martin would create a three-way tie for the automatic bid in a conference that has had some strange ways of determining ties. In 2022 the conference used a virtual coin flip to choose SEMO over UT Martin as the automatic bid.
Big Sky Conference: Northern Arizona
Key Matchup: November 14 vs. Weber State
I believe Brawl of the Wild will go to the Grizzles this year so Montana State will lose another conference game for sure this year. NAU has on paper what looks to be an easy schedule for the rest of the conference schedule other than a Weber State team that gave MSU all it had last weekend. If NAU can get past the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks might be in line for the conference bid.
Missouri Valley Football Conference: South Dakota State
Key Matchup: October 31st vs. South Dakota
The Jacks got a lot of help this past Saturday with South Dakota beating North Dakota. Win out and the Conference is theirs now. SDSU’s schedule after this Saturday aligns with that goal as the Jackrabbits are facing teams in the middle of the pack or bottom half of the conference after the rivalry game on Saturday. Could these final few games push the Jackrabbits to a number one seed?
Patriot League: Richmond
Key Matchup: November 14th vs. Lehigh
Richmond could have been number one at the conference this past weekend if it was not for a terrible loss to Fordham a couple of weeks ago. But, in a few weeks the Spiders will host Lehigh in what should be a matchup of the only one-loss Patriot League members and most likely will determine the conference.
United Athletic Conference: Tarleton State
Key Matchup: November 7th vs. Abilene Christian
The number one team in the country should stay undefeated in the regular season and should by that accomplishment be the #1 seed in the playoffs, but Tarleton was behind Montana State in the first poll of the year from the FCS Playoff committee.
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
Key Matchup: November 7th vs. Lamar
Another Texas school that is undefeated but due to strength of schedule is not in the same spot in the playoff committee’s eyes as it is in the polls. SFA is currently #2 in the stats poll but come in at #4 with the committee behind Montana State, TSU and Youngstown State. On November 7th all the bubble teams should be watching. If Lamar can upset SFA, that would make the Southland Conference a two-bid league. A Lamar loss would put them on the bubble along with the other teams.
Ivy League: Harvard
Key Matchup: October 30th vs. Dartmouth
Dartmouth comes in with one loss in conference and a win for the Crimson will give the head-to-head advantage to Harvard for everyone in shooting distance of the Ivy auto bid. It looks like this will be a one-bid league this year. It will be interesting, if Harvard can go 10-0, if the Crimson can earn a Top 16 or maybe even a Top 8 seed.
SoCon: ETSU
Key Matchup: October 31st vs. Tennessee Tech
Right now, no one is hotter in the SoCon as the Bucs. The Golden Eagles are still the most complete team in the conference but got upset on the road once already. If ETSU can win on homecoming weekend the Bucs will almost certainly get a strong hold on the conference race with three games remaining after Saturday against Samford, Wofford, and Mercer.