With many of the FCS conference races moving into their second half, we’re ranking them in tiers from the best on down.
FCS football teams aren’t just pacing themselves anymore – the action is shifting into a sprint to the finish line.
Through Week 8 of the regular season and with only four full weeks of games remaining, the top contenders in 13 different conference races are focused on winning their respective title and unlocking an automatic bid to the postseason (11 conference champs participate in the FCS playoffs; the MEAC and SWAC champs meet in the Celebration Bowl).
Some of the conference races are hotter than others, so we’re ranking them in tiers.
Best FCS Conference Races
Missouri Valley Football Conference
The Scenario: All four of the top teams are nationally ranked in the Top 10 and unbeaten at home (a combined 18-0). South Dakota (7-2) and Youngstown State (6-2) are tied for first at 4-1 each, with South Dakota State (6-2, 3-1) nipping at their heels. North Dakota (6-3, 3-2) is a game off the pace after falling in ovetime at South Dakota. Illinois State (6-2) and UNI (3-4) are both 2-2 in conference.
Four Key Games: North Dakota at Youngstown State (Oct. 31), South Dakota at South Dakota State (Oct. 31), Illinois State at Youngstown State (Nov. 14), South Dakota at Illinois State (Nov. 21)
Patriot League
The Scenario: Lehigh (6-2, 4-1) still has a share of first place despite its 17-game PL winning streak ending against Villanova, but the Mountain Hawks appear vulnerable following their 6-0 start to the season. Richmond (6-2, 4-1) is the other co-leader even with a loss to struggling Fordham. Basically, there are flaws to go around, but that’s keeping the expanded PL bunched up with Colgate (4-4), Georgetown (3-4), Villanova (4-4) and Holy Cross (3-5) at 3-2 each. Plenty of games remain within the top half of the standings.
Four Key Games: Richmond at Holy Cross (Oct. 31), Colgate at Lehigh (Nov. 7), Richmond at Villanova (Nov. 7), Lehigh at Richmond (Nov. 14)
Pioneer Football League
The Scenario: Marist had sole possession of first place entering Saturday’s action, but didn’t keep it. With Marist suffering its first PFL loss to St. Thomas, Presbyterian could have grabbed the lead but failed to do so. What came out of a particularly strong schedule is Dayton (6-1), Butler (6-2), St. Thomas (6-2) and Marist (4-4) are in a four-way tie for first place at 3-1 each. Interestingly, Butler plays the other trio over the next three weeks. Presbyterian (4-4) and Valparaiso (4-4) are tied for fifth even though they’re only a half-game back at 3-2 each.
Four Key Games: Butler at Presbyterian (Oct. 31), Marist at San Diego (Oct. 31); St. Thomas at Butler (Nov. 7), Dayton at Presbyterian (Nov. 21)
Southern Conference
The Scenario: ETSU (6-2) is 4-0 in conference, sitting in first place ahead of Tennessee Tech (6-2) and Chattanooga (5-3) at 4-1 each and two-time defending champion Mercer (6-2) at 3-1. The best is yet to come as ETSU still has to play Tennessee Tech and Mercer, Tennessee Tech has to face ETSU and Mercer, and Mercer has to play both of those teams as well as Chattanooga. Chattanooga is working to overcome a loss to ETSU, but its defeat against Tennessee Tech was considered nonconference.
Four Key Games: Tennessee Tech at ETSU (Oct. 31), Mercer at Chattanooga (Nov. 7), Mercer at Tennessee Tech (Nov. 14), ETSU at Mercer (Nov. 21)
SWAC
The Scenario: No FCS conference has been as unpredictable, as all 12 SWAC teams had at least one loss in as few as two conference games. In the East Division, overwhelming preseason favorites Alabama State (4-3, 2-2) and Jackson State (6-2, 3-2) are looking up in the standings to Alabama A&M (6-2, 3-1) and Bethune-Cookman (5-3, 3-1). In the Western Division, defending conference champ Prairie View A&M (4-5, 3-2) has good wins and bad losses among its results, and holds a half-game lead over Grambling State (4-3), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-3) and Alcorn State (4-4) at 2-2 each.
Four Key Games: Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State (Oct. 31), Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M (Nov. 7), Grambling State at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 14), Jackson State at Alabama State (Nov. 14)
Conferences Catching Fire
Montana State (7-1, 5-1) and Northern Arizona (6-2, 4-1) are tied for first place in the Big Sky, but the defending national champion Bobcats hold the head-to-head tiebreaker (a 28-14 win) for the conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs. NAU still has to play third-place Weber (5-4, 4-2), while MSU will wrap up its regular season against rival Montana (5-3, 3-2). UC Davis (5-3, 3-2) and Idaho (3-5, 3-2) climbed into a fourth-place tie with UM on Saturday.
CAA Football has some depth to its race with five teams within one loss of first place. But an upset or two is needed in the coming weeks or the title may simply come down to Monmouth (6-2, 5-0) at Campbell (7-1, 4-0) on Nov. 21. UAlbany, Stony Brook and Bryant are all 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Two-time defending NEC Football champ Central Connecticut State (4-3, 3-0) sits alone in first place after Stonehill knocked off LIU. But there’s a crowd behind CCSU, which still has to play LIU (3-6, 3-1), Robert Morris (4-4, 2-1), Duquesne (3-4, 2-1) and Stonehill (3-5, 2-1).
Still Time to Heat Up
Harvard (6-0, 3-0) beat Princeton (4-2, 2-1) in the Ivy League to take sole possession of first place. Next up for the Crimson is a trip to the other second-place team, Dartmouth (3-3, 2-1), with a win offering a serious hold on the title race.
The MEAC schedule opened this weekend with South Carolina State (6-2) and North Carolina Central (3-5), the top two picks in the conference’s preseason poll, respectively, as well as Howard (4-4) getting the jump with wins.
In the Ohio Valley, Southeast Missouri (5-3, 3-0) has won its conference games by 11, 10 and 10 points, and two over those wins are over second-place teams Western Illinois (4-4, 2-1) and Lindenwood (3-4, 2-1). UT Martin (3-5, 2-1), also a game behind SEMO, will host the Redhawks on Nov. 21 to end the regular season.
Stephen F. Austin (8-0, 5-0) has captured 13 straight games in the Southland for the longest active conference winning streak in the FCS. Second-place Lamar (6-2, 4-1) surely must take down the Lumberjacks on Nov. 7 to keep them from another outright title. UIW (4-4, 3-2) has a loss to SFA and Houston Christian (4-4, 3-2) has the next shot on Halloween.
Tarleton State (8-0, 3-0) and its FCS-leading offense doesn’t seem to be losing steam in the United Athletic Conference, and it’s at home the next two weeks against Eastern Kentucky (3-5, 2-1) and co-leader Abilene Christian (4-4, 3-0). Austin Peay (7-2, 3-1) is in third place, with its loss to Tarleton State.
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