MEAC, Ohio Valley trust change is in the air

October 14, 2013October 13, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: TSU Athletics

By Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Is this finally the year? That’s what teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Ohio Valley Conference have been asking themselves for too long.

They’re hoping the first half of the season suggests the FCS playoffs will be different – for whomever comes out of their respective conference.

But they might have an idea already the way OVC front-runners Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State and MEAC leaders Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State are playing this season. All four could be postseason-bound.

Both conferences are steeped in tradition, but, incredibly, a MEAC team has not won an FCS playoff game since 1999 and the OVC has been shut out since 2000.

UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said at OVC media day that the lack of playoff success is the “thorn in our (the conference’s) side right now.” South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough says success in the playoffs “is at a real, real high level. Until as a (MEAC) league we all get there, I don’t know if any individual can rise above it enough to hang in the league with the CAA and with the Southern Conference and those kinds of leagues.”

Coaches in both conferences point to difficult first-round matchups as the main reason for the playoff failure. When the playoffs were 16 teams deep, the MEAC sometimes ran into a regional road block against the CAA or SoCon, and the OVC champ sometimes ran into a Missouri Valley Football Conference team, and, in three different years from 2001-10, the eventual national champion, in an early round game.

This year’s results can’t be denied, however. The playoffs will expand from 20 to 24 teams, and both conferences could have two playoff qualifiers each.

In the OVC, No. 5-ranked Eastern Illinois (5-1) has basically had the best results of any team in the FCS, starting with a three-touchdown win at San Diego State and victories over Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Eastern Kentucky, losing only to Northern Illinois. The Jimmy Garoppolo express is on another level this season and the Panthers could be headed toward being a seeded team.

Tennessee State (6-1) might have the type of stingy defense to stop EIU, and the road-tested the Tigers hope to win the OVC’s automatic bid. The Tigers have only lost by a field goal to Bethune-Cookman

Speaking of whom, Bethune-Cookman (5-1) could enter the picture as the MEAC’s best hope to the playoff drought. Like Eastern Illinois, the Wildcats have a win over an FBS team (FIU) and their only loss was to another FBS opponent (Florida State).

They hosted playoff games in 2010 and last year, and have no intention of coughing up another home game if they have one this season.

But Bethune-Cookman may not even be the MEAC’s top club. South Carolina State (5-2) has reeled off five straight wins, including a sweep of North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central in a five-day span, to make a statement after having a rare subpar season under coach Buddy Pough. Their losses are only to Clemson and unbeaten Coastal Carolina.

South Carolina State hosts Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 26, which is also the date of the Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State showdown.

Veterans at quarterback and playmakers on defenses link the four teams. Victories in the playoffs may link them by season’s end.

Read on: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/news.aspx?id=4631160

BCU leads FIU 14-7 at the half

September 14, 2013September 14, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Bethune-Cookman takes a 14-7 lead to the half over Florida International in Miami. The Wildcats are controlling both lines of scrimmage rushing for 182 yards on offense on 25 carries. That is a whopping 7.3 yards per carry. Defensively BCU is holding the FIU offense to 2.3 yards per rushing attempt.

Anthony Jordan scored on a 58 yard TD run on BCU’s first offensive series capping off a 4 play, 91 yard drive that covered 1:28. FIU evened the score at 7 apiece on an 8 yard pass from Jake Medlock to T.J. Lowder at the 6:51 mark in the 2^nd.

Cary White’s 5 yard TD run pushed BCU’s lead back to 7 and capped a 66 yard scoring drive.

Anthony Jordan is averaging 12.6 yards per rush.

BCU takes over possession when we resume play after half.

Team Stats	COOK		FIU
First Downs	11	5
Total Plays	36	29
Total Yards	207	171
Passing	25	128
Rushing	182	43
Penalties	2 / 25	3 / 19
Possession	14:55	14:12
Turnovers	0	0

MEAC Power 5 (Week Two)

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: BlueDeathValley.com

Week two is officially in the bags and all 11 MEAC teams now have at least one game under their belts. Here is how we stack the conference’s Top 5 teams after week two.

1. Bethune-Cookman debuts in the top spot in our first Power 5 poll of 2013. BCU dominated an out-manned Virginia Union squad and cruised to a 66-7 victory in this past Saturday’s home opener. The Cat’s 12-9 week one win over Tennessee State looks even more impressive after watching TSU handle Florida A&M rather easily in Tallahassee last weekend. The Wildcats travel to Miami this week to face FBS opponent Florida International in a game in which Vegas has BCU favored to win by 3 points.

2. You can make an argument for North Carolina A&T to hold this week’s top position after their performance against Appalachian State on Saturday night. The Aggies dominated the run of play against App State and the final score (24-21) was not indicative of the one-sided nature of this contest. Some have attempted to discredit A&T’s win over the Mountaineers as more of an indictment of the current state of Appalachian State football…but we’re not buying it. App State still recruits top athletes and they simply do not lose many games at “The Rock”. Huge congratulations are in order to coach Rod Broadway and the Aggie football team for this impressive early season victory in Boone, NC on Saturday. NCA&T will look continue their winning ways when they face-off against Elon of the Southern conference in Greensboro on Saturday.

3. The Howard Bison land in the third spot in our poll. HU quarterback Greg McGhee threw for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns in Howard’s 27-16 win over Morehouse in the Nation’s Football Classic in D.C. The HU defense registered 9 sacks in the contest.

4. Delaware State racked up over 400 yards of total offense in their season opening loss to in-state rival Delaware on Saturday. If the Hornets clean things up, look for them to be a factor in the MEAC race this season.

Spots 5-7 are a crap shot at this moment but we slotted South Carolina State in the 5^th position based on talent alone. Their week two loss to Clemson was fully expected and excluded from any sort of legitimate football analysis. If anything, the Bulldogs can hang their collective hats on the fact that they only gave up 14 points to the Tigers in the second half of the contest. On the other side of that coin is the week one loss to Coastal Carolina. SCSU fans are still sick over that one and really feel like they let one get away against the Chanticleers.

Who Will Ascend (week two) vs. Virginia Union

September 7, 2013September 7, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Dion Hanks

After a hard fought 12-9 road victory over Tennessee State last Sunday, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats return to the friendly confines of Municipal Stadium to take on the Virginia Union Panthers in today’s home opener.

Like Tenn State, Virginia Union will field a bevy of Floridians (19 are listed on VUU’s roster including 5 from Sanford Seminole) who would love nothing more than to shock the HBCU sports world by upsetting the top ranked team in black college football. But unlike TSU, Virginia Union, who competes in Division II, does not stand much of a chance in pulling off the upset against Brian Jenkins’ club.

The Panthers finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the CIAA a season ago. VUU was predicted to finish 8^th in their conference heading into this season; they can offer just over half the number of scholarships as BCU (NCAA rules limit full football scholarships to 36 for D2 institutions; as compared to 63 for FCS programs); and today’s game is VUU’s season opener. All signs suggest this should be a decisive BCU win. But hey, its football and you still have to line-up and play the game.

In fact, Wildcat fans should well remember the last time a CIAA team visited Daytona Beach (in 2009) the Shaw Bears forced 7 BCU turnovers and may have helped seal the fate of then head coach Alvin Wyatt Sr. as the Bears defeated the Wildcats 20-6. We expect no such recurrence today. The Wildcats are simply too big, too strong, too fast and they should have no problems imposing their will on the out-manned Panthers.

Look for the BCU running game, led by senior Isidore Jackson, to have a huge day. Jackson is now less than 400 yards away from becoming Bethune-Cookman’s all-time leading rusher. Senior wide out Eddie Poole will look to continue his consecutive game pass-catching streak. No word yet on who will start under center for BCU but expect to see multiple signal callers during the course of today’s action.

Defensively, linebacker Jarkevis Fields and defensive end LeBrandon Richardson paced the Cats with 10 tackles apiece last week. Defensive tackle Tevin Toney proved to be a disruptive force in the interior adding 7 tackles of his own including 2 tackles-for-loss. The Wildcat defense should have little trouble in establishing a new line of scrimmage and pressuring the VUU attack.

Hidden Yards Kudos

Perhaps an “under the radar” bright spot from last week’s contest were the BCU return units. Freshman kick returner Darian Baker averaged 35.5 yards per kick return (long of 41) and Preston Cleckley averaged over 20 yards per punt return (long of 34) in last week’s matchup. It was a small sampling but so far, so good in the all-important “hidden yards” department. Another “hidden yards” category in which BCU thrived in week one was the penalty department. The Wildcats limited themselves to just 5 penalties for 35 yards. Let’s hope BCU continue to show improvement in these “hidden yards” categories in this game and throughout the course of the season.

Excited to see…..

We have been hearing great things about BCU’s new and improved cheerleading squad. The cheer squad is now under the direction of Becky and John Woodson and will consist of 30 members and 4 alternates. The Wildcat cheer squad recently collected a second place finish in ‘fight song cheer’, fourth place finish in ‘sideline cheer’, and were 4^th overall in the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) camp in Philadelphia. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the hard work and dedication of the revamped cheer squad.

We are also excited to see the new, more energized and better organized student-led cheer section known as the “Wildcat Crazies”. Face-paint, body suits, and organized pandemonium, let’s see what you Crazy-Cats have in store for us this season.

What we learned in BCU’s 12-9 win over Tenn State

September 4, 2013September 4, 2013 / J Bell / 1 Comment

Credits: TSU Athletics

So we’re a day late on our weekly wrap-up; give us a little grace please. Our favorite HBCU played on Sunday evening and that threw the schedule off. With that being said, let’s get to it.

No Apologies Needed

The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats used a strong defensive effort to grind out a 12-9 victory over Tennessee State in Sunday night’s season opener. While it would have been nice to score more than one offensive touchdown and to put a few more points on the scoreboard, the Wildcats need not apologize for defeating a quality opponent from an automatic qualifier league on their home field. Any win against a team the caliber of Tennessee State is a great win; the score not withstanding.

Brian Jenkins is now 4-1 in “revenge games” with the University of Miami being the only team the Wildcats have succumb to in consecutive tries in the Jenkins’ era.

The Passing Game Still Needs Work

You can make an argument that based on pure talent and athleticism; BCU has the deepest and most gifted receiving corp in the conference. However, if you make that argument please do not attempt to use statistics to support your claim. The Wildcats only gained 98 yards of offense through the air against TSU. Ironically it was QB Jackie Wilson’s 6 yard TD pass to Jordan Murphy that proved to be the game winner on Sunday.

Bethune-Cookman has now played 25 games since last passing for 300 or more yards as a team. Conversely, the Wildcat offense has thrown for less than 100 yards 5 times in that same span. The Beach Cats must develop a consistent passing attack as the season progresses if they hope to have any chance of reaching their ultimate goal. The ability is certainly there; now it’s time to translate that ability into on-the-field production.

Multiple QBs the New Normal

Seniors Brodrick Waters and Jackie Wilson alternated series at quarterback throughout the TSU contest with Waters receiving the starting nod. Both players showed flashes of their potential at times but it seemed the offense as a whole lacked a consistent rhythm or flow. The biggest part of that was the TSU defense no doubt. Let’s face it, that’s an athletic and talented bunch who returned all 11 starters from the OVC’s top defense in 2012. Couple that with the fact that this was just the first game of the season and midseason precision was highly unlikely. There was something left to be desired from a playcalling standpoint and we understand that 3 offensive linemen were making their first starts in a BCU uniform. But maybe, just maybe the three-way split of quarterbacks receiving even number snaps during practice and the revolving door on gameday had something to do with the lackluster offensive performance in week one.

With that being said, we fully suspect multiple QBs will be the norm for this team unless one guy clearly seperates himself from the pack. Oh by the way, Quentin Williams, who led the team in passing yards and passing touchdowns a year ago, did not see the field on Sunday but he will certainly factor into the quarterback discussion at some point during the season.

BIG D

The most impressive unit on the field was by far the BCU defense who delivered a more than solid performance on Sunday. Jarkevis Fields and LeBrandon Richardson each had 10 tackles and Tevin Toney was a disruptive force upfront. The Wildcats kept TSU out of the endzone and limited the Tigers to 3 field goals and just 248 yards of total offense. It was an all-around great performance by the defensive unit. ALL HAIL Defensive Cats!!!!

BCU’s Fields, Monroe Garner Weekly MEAC honors

September 2, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

BCU LB – Jarkevis Fields

NORFOLK, Va., September 2, 2013 – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced on Monday that Jarkevis Fields and Alex Monroe were named Defensive Player of the Week and Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week respectively.

Fields (LB, 6-0, 230, Sr., Sanford, Fla.) recorded a game-high 10 tackles, six solo, in the Wildcats’ 12-9 victory over Tennessee State. He added one sack for 10 yards and was named the John Merritt Classic’s Most Valuable Defensive Player.

Monroe (LT, 6-5, 305, Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) anchored the Wildcats’ offensive line that accounted for 260 yards of total offense. He graded out at 88-percent on his assignments and helped paved the way for the final game-winning drive in the Wildcats’ victory over Tennessee State. Behind his protection, Bethune-Cookman rushed for 162 yards and tallied 98 yards through the air.

Morgan State’s Karim Barton joined Monroe as Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week.

South Carolina State’s Tyler McDonald was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week, Justin Taylor also of South Carolina State was named Rookie of the Week. MSU’s Lawrence Forbes and SCSU’s Nick Belcher earned Co-Special Teams of the Week accolades.

Other Top Performers

Darian Baker (B-CU) recorded two kickoff returns for 71 yards, including a 41 yarder, in his first collegiate game.

Jordan Murphy (B-CU) caught three passes for 35 yards and one touchdown in the Wildcats’ 12-9 victory over Tennessee State.

BREAKING NEWS: HAILWILDCATS.COM 1st WATCH PARTY!

September 1, 2013September 1, 2013 / D Will / 1 Comment

ALL WILDCAT NATION!!!!!

In a last minute deal struck between Hailwildcats.com staff and Buffalo Wild Wings of Daytona, Hailwildcats.com will host the 1st Hailwildcats.com Watch Party tonight at 8 p.m. EST when the Mighty Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University take on the Tigers of Tennessee State University on ESPN 3. We will be streaming the game live on the “BIG SCREEN” of Buffalo Wild Wings at 2479 W. International Speedway Blvd Daytona Beach, FL 32114.

If you are in the Daytona area, put on your Maroon and Gold and come out and share with the Wildcat Nation in this momentous and joyous occasion and see

“Who will ascend to the top of the mountain?”

We look forward to seeing you there! Kickoff AT 8 P.M.

Tenn State Coach Rod Reed Almost got job at BCU

September 1, 2013September 1, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Nashville– Bethune-Cookman and Tennessee State fans alike would have a hard time imagining anyone other than Brian Jenkins and Rod Reed roaming the sidelines of their respective programs over the past 3 seasons. But four years ago, Rod Reed stood at a crossroads in his football coaching career that could have changed the portrait of both programs.

Credits – TSUTigers – TSU Head Coach Rod Reed

Reed had emerged as a finalist for the head coaching position at Tennessee State and Bethune-Cookman.

He’d spent four seasons as linebackers coach at Bethune-Cookman, met his wife there and liked living in Daytona Beach, Fla.

But TSU was his alma mater, and when athletics director Teresa Phillips offered to promote him from the Tigers’ defensive coordinator to the top job, he accepted.

Bethune-Cookman eventually hired Brian Jenkins, who has led the Wildcats to three consecutive winning seasons, including last year’s 9-3 record.

TSU and Bethune-Cookman meet at 8 p.m. today in the John Merritt Classic at LP Field in what will be an emotional game for Reed, who has so many connections with both programs.

“I am sure I would have been happy as the head coach at Bethune-Cookman. I like the school and I like the people there,” Reed said. “I went down there when the head coaching position was open, came back and interviewed with TSU, and the next day I was the coach here.”

Reed’s second college coaching position was at Bethune-Cookman (1992-95), and it was during his time there when he developed the desire to be a head coach — so much so he was willing to leave the college ranks in 1996 to take the head coaching job at Seabreeze High in Daytona Beach, Fla.

In 2000, he returned to college coaching at East Texas Baptist and three years later became TSU’s defensive coordinator.

Reed left a strong impression at Bethune-Cookman.

Continue Reading: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130901/SPORTS06/309010059/TSU-coach-Rod-Reed-almost-got-job-Bethune-Cookman?nclick_check=1

Who Will Ascend – (Week 1) #20 BCU at Tennessee State

August 31, 2013August 31, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: BCU Athletics

In the spirit of Bethune-Cookman’s legacy of faith…THANK YOU JESUS IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON.

In less than 36 hours, the 2013 edition of the Fighting Wildcats will square off against Tennessee State in one of the most anticipated matchups of the HBCU season. BCU will look to jumpstart its season and proclaim to the HBCU and FCS football world that they are worthy of the preseason hype.

When the Wildcats are on Defense

BCU return 7 starters to a defensive unit that led the nation in turnovers and ranked 7^th nationally in Total Defense a season ago. Among those expected to impact Sunday’s contest are 2013 MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Jarkevis Fields (103 tackles, 4 BU, 4 PD); All-American defensive end LeBrandon Richardson (53 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 TFL); and All-American safety Nick Addison (68 tackles, 4 INT, 7 BU, 11 PD). The Wildcat D will look to make the Tennessee State offense, who will be without starting quarterback Michael German (suspension), one-dimensional. Redshirt freshman and Tallahassee native Ronald Butler has been named as German’s replacement.

Butler will take snaps behind an experienced offensive line which includes All-OVC left guard Kadeem Edwards and All-American tight-end and former University of Florida signee A.C. Leonard. New Smyrna High School product Telvin Hooks is expected to take over the starting running back duties for Tenn. State. In a twist of irony, Tennessee State’s key offensive starters are all native Floridians: Butler (QB-Tallahassee), Edwards (OL-Sanford), Leonard (TE-Jacksonville), Hooks (New Smyrna Beach).

Key Matchup #1: BCU’s Front Seven vs. TSU’s running game
The football adage suggests great defenses take away something from the opposing offense. Can Yogi Jones’ defensive front seven control the TSU running game and force redshirt freshman quarterback Ronald Butler to beat them with his arm?

Key Matchup #2: Nick Addison vs. A.C. Leonard
BCU’s All-American safety Nick Addison and Tenn. State’s All-American tight end A.C. Leonard are sure to lock horns throughout this contest. Conventional wisdom suggests Leonard will be the primary pass receiving option for TSU’s young quarterback. On the second play of last year’s contest, Leonard’s 80 catch and run setup TSU’s first score. BCU defenders, Addison chief among them, must account for Leonard in the passing game and limit his big play ability.

When the Wildcats are on Offense

MEAC Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year Isidore Jackson has gained more rushing yards than any running back in BCU history. Jackson’s 2,449 career rushing yards only trails Allen Suber and Pa’Tell Troutman (both of whom were option quarterbacks) on the school’s all-time rushing list. Jackson is expected to be joined in the backfield by Anthony Jordan. The one-two punch of Jackson and Jordan provides the Wildcats with great mix of physicality and elusiveness in their rushing attack.

BCU’s two depth chart, released earlier this week, did not clearly reveal who will start the game under center. The starting quarterback for this contest was listed as Quentin Williams –or- Brock Waters –or- Jackie Wilson. Expect two (if not all three) of the aforementioned quarterbacks to see the field in some capacity on Sunday. Quentin Williams ended last season with the best numbers statistically (1163 yards on 85 of 142 attempts, 11 TDs, 2 INTs—445 yards rushing, 3 rushing TDs), however, it appears that both Wilson and Waters have had good preseason practices and have earned the right to be considered for the top position on the depth chart along with Williams.

Eddie Poole returns on the outside for what will be his 6^th year of eligibility. Poole, who was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA, has caught a pass in every game of his BCU playing career (35). The former Rutgers man will look to extend his consecutive game pass catching streak and take advantage of the single coverage he is sure to see during stretches on Sunday. Preston Cleckly, Jhomo Gordon, and Justin Henderson will also have opportunities to make an impact in the passing game.

Perhaps the most important unit to watch during Sunday’s contest is the Bethune-Cookman offensive line. All-MEAC performer Alex Monroe will look to anchor a unit featuring at least 3 new starters.

Tennessee State’s defense was tops in the OVC and returns all 11 starters from a season ago. Top performers returning to the Tiger defense include All-OVC performers Stephen Godbolt (CB), Daniel Fitzpatrick (safety), and Nick Thrasher (LB).

Key Matchups #1: BCU offensive line vs. Tenn. State’s blitz package
TSU simply did not respect BCU’s passing game during last season’s meeting. The Tiger’s loaded the box and run blitzed the Wildcats for the better part of 4 quarters. Will the young BCU offensive line gel quick enough to create seams for the running game and protection in the passing game?

Key Matchup #2: Eddie Poole vs. Stephen Godbolt
This is a matchup of two of the best athletes and players at their respective positions in all of HBCU football. The winner of this individual matchup may very well dictate their respective team’s play-calling ability throughout this contest.

Other Notes:

Bethune-Cookman and Tennessee State played annually from 1982-1987 with TSU winning 5 of the 6 contests. The series was revived in 2012 and played before a near capacity crowd in Daytona Beach. TSU defeated the Wildcats 21-14 in last year’s contest to improve their series advantage to 6 games to 1. Bethune-Cookman’s lone victory against TSU occurred the last time the two teams faced off in Nashville in a 16-13 Wildcat win (1987). Although TSU holds a decisive head-to-head advantage, the series has been very competitive with 5 of the 7 matchups being decided by 7 points or less.

Isidore Jackson is just 449 yards away from becoming Bethune-Cookman’s all-time leading rusher.

The Marching Wildcats will be in attendance.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM (EST). The game can be viewed live on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app; click here for link http://es.pn/BCUvsTNST.

Fans who plan to attend should familiarize themselves with LP Field’s Game Day Bag Policy Information.

FCS Playoff Picture

November 11, 2012November 14, 2012 / J Bell / Leave a comment

The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are MEAC Champions for the second time in three years. But unlike 2010 when the Wildcats joined South Carolina State and Florida A&M as league co-champions, the 2012 crown will not be shared. This year’s Championship is the Cats’ first outright title since 2002.

BCU now owns 5 MEAC crowns and 11 conference championships all-time. (The Wildcats won 6 SIAC titles before joining the MEAC in 1979.)

Possible 1st round matchups

Here is what we know: the Wildcats are headed to the 2012 FCS playoffs; and Bethune-Cookman has submitted a bid to host a first round game. Who BCU faces and whether or not the Cats will be awarded a home game are still anyone’s guess. The mystery will be revealed next Sunday morning when the field of 20 is announced. We should probably refrain from speculating on who the Wildcats will face and just allow things the sort themselves out but that would be no fun.

So let’s take a look at the most probable first round matchups based on what we know today.

Keep in mind that 12 playoff bound teams receive a first round bye; the FCS playoff committee ranks the top 5 seeds; and teams are matched based on things such as geographic proximity. With that in mind, the Cats are not expected to receive a first round bye and will very likely face one of the following teams in the opening round.

Wofford (Spartanburg, SC) is looking like a very probable matchup for BCU. The Terriers, along with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, are co-champions of the Southern Conference. All three teams appear to be locks to make the field of 20. In fact, Appalachian State (Boone, NC) could also be a potential first round foe. The Wildcats will certainly have to hit the road if matched against App State as the Mountaineers almost always host their first game of the playoffs.

Coastal Carolina (Conway, SC) will likely end the season tied for first place in the Big South with Liberty and Stony Brook. The Chanticleers will receive the conference’s automatic bid if the three teams finish the season tied for first. Interestingly, Coastal and Bethune played one common opponent this year (North Carolina A&T) and the margin of victory was the same for both (+16 points).

Stony Brook entered the weekend ranked 6^th in the Sports Network FCS poll but suffered a defeat to conference foe Liberty. If (and that’s a big if) Stony Brook receives an at-large berth, they could very well be matched against BCU in the first round.

This week’s Tennessee State/UT-Martin (Ohio Valley) matchup is an unofficial playoff game for both teams. The loser is definitely out of the mix. The winner, however, could secure one of the final at-large slots and may be pitted against the Wildcats on Thanksgiving weekend.

Colonial Athletic teams James Madison, Towson, Villanova, and Richmond are all sitting on the proverbial playoff bubble and either of whom could be matched against Brian Jenkins’ squad in the opening round.

Thank goodness we will not have to speculate much longer. Post season play begins in less than two weeks but first things first.

The Wildcats tangle with arch-rival FAMU in Saturday’s Florida Blue Florida Classic in Orlando. BCU will look to complete their first ever undefeated MEAC season in the regular season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.