The NCAA Tournament is now here (we'll have our FootballScoop bracket up and running today) and, as we do here in this football-centric corner of the universe, it's time to take a look at which teams reached the postseason in the two big revenue sports. It's also known as Some ADs Favorite Page On The Entire Internet.
Let's break it down by groups.
The largest number of gridiron-hardwood double-dippers comes from the Power 5 because, obviously, the Power 5 has the lowest degree of difficulty for grabbing a bowl slot and an at-large tournament bid considering those five conferences sucked up 44.2 percent of the available 172 postseason bids (80 FBS bowl bids plus 24 FCS postseason bids plus the 68-team tournament). Of the Power 5, the ACC had the best all-around year, sending 42.9 percent of its roster to both postseasons, followed closely by the Big 12's 40 percent. The Pac-12, usually strong in both sports, checks in uncharacteristically dead last -- and the Conference of Champions should consider itself fortunate considering USC is a No. 11 seed slated to a play-in game.
On an individual school level, Wisconsin has seen its streak of bowl trips and tournament bids extended to 15 straight years.
ACC (6)
Florida State
Louisville
Miami
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Big Ten (5)
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Big 12 (4)
Baylor
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
West Virginia
Pac-12 (1)
USC
SEC (5)
Arkansas
Florida
Kentucky
South Carolina
Vanderbilt
At the Group of 5 and FCS level is where double-dipping in December and March is the hallmark of a seriously good year on campus. Finishing at or near the top of your conference standings in a requirement for reaching a bowl game or the FCS playoffs, and a conference tournament championship is a prerequisite for reaching the Big Dance.
Big Sky (1)
North Dakota
Colonial Athletic Association (1)
Villanova
Conference USA (1)
Middle Tennessee
Ivy League (1)*
Princeton
MEAC (1)*
North Carolina Central
Missouri Valley (1)
South Dakota State
Ohio Valley (1)
Jacksonville State
Sun Belt (1)
Troy
(*) - The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS playoffs, but Princeton shared for the Ivy football title and ran through the Ivy basketball season undefeated. North Carolina Central participated in the Celebration Bowl instead of the FCS playoffs after winning the MEAC football crown.
So while 21 of the 65 (32.3%) Power 5 programs double-dipped in both major postseasons, only eight of the 199 (4.02%) Group of 5/FCS programs reached the playoffs and/or won their conference in football and reached the Big Dance.
A congratulations are in order to all who went bowling and dancing, but let's give an extra candle on the cake to the mid- and low-majors.