By THOMAS STOKES
Another week down and another week closer to the end of the season. As the season winds down, who is closing into the auto bid? Who is still looking to get their first win? Who is trying to stack momentum for 2027? Let’s break it down in the latest Southern Conference power rankings.
- Tennessee Tech – Another week, another Golden Eagles win, this time against dreadful VMI. Tech can seal the Southern Conference title and the automatic bid Saturday with a win against Mercer. Both ETSU and Chattanooga are hoping for a Mercer win and some chaos.
- Mercer – What a turnaround after losing to Furman early in the season. Joel Taylor has the Bears in control of their own destiny and if they go 2-0 in their final two SoCon games they will win the conference for a third straight year.
- Chattanooga – The Mocs defense did everything to win last Saturday against Mercer but the offense, which has been an issue all year, did not score enough to give Chattanooga the win. The Mocs still have a chance if the final standings end up in a four-way tie.
- ETSU – What a disappointing loss this past weekend to Samford. This loss means a lot of things must happen to not only get an at-large bid or the conference championship. It will be interesting to see if Will Healy and staff can keep the players motivated these last two games playing for the hope of a playoff road game.
- Western Carolina – Western Carolina could be a team to look at in 2027 if the Catamounts continue to stack wins. They could end up winning four straight games to close the season and have a favorable schedule to do it with games against Samford and then The Citadel.
- Samford – Dare I say the biggest upset of the Southern Conference season so far belongs to Samford after beating ETSU Saturday. Like WCU, Samford has the chance to end the SoCon season winning four games in a row. Samford then ends its season against Auburn.
- Wofford – Shawn Watson announced on Tuesday that he will be retiring at the end of the year. It was a tough year for the Terriers, with a lot of what ifs. They gave FBS program Kent State a fight early in the season, then almost took down Tennessee Tech at home. It will be interesting to see who Wofford tabs for the head coaching position.
- Furman – Furman finally was able to get a win, snapping a 6-game losing streak that dated to middle September. Great to see Clay Hendrix get a win as his coaching career is ending. If the rumors are true will be interesting to see what Furman puts on the field in 2027.
- The Citadel – The Citadel got within three points of Furman late in the third quarter but no closer. A lot of people are wondering if Citadel coach Maurice Drayton will be in the hot seat after a very disappointing year.
- VMI – Only two games left in this season. This weekend, it’s the big rivalry game with The Citadel, which is also in this week’s viewing guide.
FCS Viewing Guide
(All Times Eastern)
The Silver Shako: The Citadel at VMI (12:30 PM, ESPN+)
Army vs Navy is one of the biggest games on the FBS schedule but to me this is a big game overall in FCS land. The two Southern Conference military academies will face off this weekend, and it will be a hard-fought game between these two despite a combined record of 2-18. The Citadel leads this series 46-33-2 overall and since the trophy was introduced, has a 32-13-1 record. VMI hasn’t won at home against The Citadel since the Spring 2021 COVID season, in which they won the conference that season as well. This is one of the bucket list FCS games I would like to see in person one day.
Mercer vs Tennessee Tech (2:30 PM, Nexstar/ESPN+)
Tennessee Tech has a simple goal this Saturday. Win the conference and clinch a second straight trip to the playoffs, and do it in its first season in the SoCon. Tech was ninth in the latest playoff rankings, so the Eagles are in the running for a Top 8 seed, but probably need to run up the score on Mercer and hope for some upsets elsewhere across the country. Tech also needs to avoid getting clobbered in its final game, Nov. 21 at Mississippi State. One game at a time has to be the mentality for the Bears, who have been much better since benching former Buc Jaylen King and sticking with JP Pickles as starter.
Big Sky Shoutout
As mentioned in the preseason my absolute favorite FCS player is running back Eli Gillman from Montana. This past weekend he broke the Big Sky touchdown record held by former Eastern Washington WR and NFL athlete Cooper Kupp. Montana looks like they will be a top 16 seeded team so have a long path to Nashville but with the recent loss to Samford and ETSU most likely out of the running, I hope the Grizz find their way to Nashville and a loyal great athlete gets to hoist the national championship in January.
Auto Bid watch
Currently no one has locked up a playoff berth,a as neither pathway to clinching occurred last week. But this week we have a ton of situations that can lock up some automatic bids to the playoffs.
Auto Bid Clinching Scenarios:
Big Sky: Montana State
Scenario: Beats Northern Colorado AND Montana loses AND Idaho loses AND Northern Arizona loses
Coastal Athletic Association
Team: Monmouth
Scenario: Campbell loses to Elon
Ivy League
Team: Harvard
Scenario: Beats Penn AND Princeton loses AND Dartmouth loses
Missouri Valley Football Conference
Team: South Dakota State
Scenario: Beats Southern Illinois AND Youngstown loses
Northeastern Conference
Team: Central Connecticut State
Scenario: Beats Long Island OR Duquesne loses
Southern Conference
Team: Tennessee Tech
Scenario: Beats Mercer
Patriot League
Team: Lehigh
Scenario: Beats Richmond AND Villanova Loss
Southland
Team: Lamar
Sceario: Beats East Texas A&M AND Stephen F Austin loss
United Athletic Conference
Team: Tarleton State
Scenario: Beats West Florida
MEAC
Teams: Both South Carolina State and North Carolina Central are vying to clinch a spot in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta
South Carolina State Scenario: Beats NC Central AND Delaware State loses
North Carolina Central Scenario: Beats South Carolina State
SWAC East
Team: Jackson State, to clinch a spot in the conference championship
Clinches By: Beats Alabama State AND Alabama A&M loses AND Bethune-Cookman loses