The Football Championship Subdivision concludes its regular season this weekend, which means it's time for nerds like me to breakout their taped-together glasses and get their bracketology on.
Twenty-four teams reach the FCS playoffs -- automatic bids from 10 of the 13 FCS conferences and 14 at-large bids. The top eight seeds receive byes, and the playoffs take place on campus sites through the final Saturday before Christmas before the FCS National Championship in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 11. (Thanks to NoBowls.comand Inforumfor doing the bracketology legwork here.)
Conference titles, automatic bids and/or bowl trips are on the line in all 13 conferences, so let's get right to it.
Big Sky
We'll start with the biggest game of the weekend -- the Brawl of the Wild, No. 3 Montana at No. 8 Montana State. If FCS had its own GameDay, Bizarro Rece, Bizzarro Kirk, Bizzaro Corso and the crew would be in Bozeman with a shot of the Montana Rockies behind them for one of the most underrated, intense feuds in all of college football. Montana State has won three straight, and a fourth would give the Bobcats a share of the conference title; a Montana win and a Sacramento State loss would give the Griz the Big Sky crown outright. No. 6 Weber State (6-1) can win the title with a win over Idaho State and a Montana loss. No. 4 Sacramento State (6-1) needs a Weber State loss. Montana State (5-2) and Eastern Washington (5-2) can create a logjam of co-champions with wins and losses by all the 1-loss teams. Montana State can not win the auto bid.
Also, North Dakota is technically an independent, though the Fighting Hawks played a Big Sky schedule this season. At 6-4, most sites have them in the field.
In: No. 3 Montana, No. 4 Sacramento State, No. 6 Weber State, No. 8 Montana State, North Dakota
On the Bubble: Eastern Washington
Big South
No. 15 Monmouth claims an outright championship with a win over 1-4 Hampton. No. 16 Kennesaw State can claim a share of the title with a win over Gardner-Webb and a Monmouth loss; either way, Monmouth, by virtue of a 45-21 win on Nov. 2, will claim the Big South's auto bid.
In: Monmouth, Kennesaw State
On the Bubble: None
CAA
No. 2 James Madison has clinched an outright CAA title, and Curt Cignetti seems locked in for the No. 2 overall seed in his first season leading the Dukes. Albany clinches second place with a win at Stony Brook, while No. 10 Villanova, No. 19 Towson, Maine, New Hampsphire and Richmond are all hoping for a tie for second.
In: James Madison, Albany, Villanova, Towson
On the Bubble: New Hampshire, Maine
Ivy League
The Ivies snub their collective noses at the FCS playoffs, but the conference title is still up for grabs on Saturday. No. 22 Dartmouth (5-1) wins its second Ivy League title under Buddy Teevens with a victory at Brown; if the Big Green falls, No. 24 Yale (5-1) wins the title with a triumph over Harvard. If they both lose, Princeton, 4-2 with losses to Dartmouth and Yale, can claim a share of the title with a win at Penn.
MEAC
Good news: Florida A&M has already clinched the MEAC title. Bad news: the Rattlers are ineligible for the FCS playoffs -- part of a department-wide postseason ban -- for playing ineligible athletes. Because of that, North Carolina A&T (5-2) has the inside track to a Celebration Bowl bid with a win over North Carolina Central, while South Carolina State (5-2) gets in with an A&T loss and a win over Norfolk State.
Missouri Valley
What else is new? No. 1 North Dakota State has clinched its seventh straight MVFC title, and the Bison will be the No. 1 seed on Sunday. This weekend's finale aside, four wins is all that stands between the Bison and eight national championships in nine years.
In: No. 1 North Dakota State, No. 5 South Dakota State, No. 7 Illinois State, No. 9 Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois
On the Bubble: None
Northeast
No. 18 Central Connecticut State has the auto bid in hand, and the Blue Devils win the undisputed NEC title with a win at Duquesne on Saturday. Robert Morris can forge a tie with a Central Connecticut loss and a victory over Sacred Heart, but this will be a 1-bid league.
In: Central Connecticut State
On the Bubble: None
Ohio Valley
Austin Peay's unbelievable rise continues as Mark Hudsepth's team, under a first-year staff and picked to finish fourth preseason, clinches the OVC title with a win over Eastern Illinois. The Govs have just one OVC title, won way back in 1977, and their only other conference title came in 1948. They have never played in the FCS playoffs. In the event Austin Peay loses, Southeast Missouri State wins a share of the title with a win over Murray State.
In: No. 20 Austin Peay, No. 13 Southeast Missouri State
On the Bubble: UT-Martin
Patriot League
Holy Cross (4-1) can win the title with a triumph over Georgetown, while Lafayette, 3-2 in the league and 0-6 outside of it, can steal the bid with a win at Lehigh and a Holy Cross loss. If ever there was a 1-bid league, this is it.
In: Holy Cross
On the Bubble: None
Pioneer
San Diego has the bid in hand at 7-0 and a 2-game lead over Davidson, Dayton and Drake. The Toreros have won at least a share of six straight Pioneer League titles and 37 straight conference games.
In: San Diego
On the Bubble: None
SoCon
Wofford has claimed the auto bid and takes an outright SoCon title with a win at The Citadel, while a loss allows Furman to claim a co-championship.
In: No. 14 Wofford, No. 17 Furman
On the Bubble: None
Southland
Central Arkansas (6-2), Southeastern Louisiana (6-2) and Nicholls (6-2) are all logjammed at the top. UCA is ranked the highest, but lost to Nicholls and SELA, who play each other Thursday at SELA's Strawberry Stadium. Therefore, the winner of that one will claim the auto bid. The conference office will root for Nicholls, since the Colonels are most likely out with a loss while UCA and SELA are in regardless.
In: No. 11 Central Arkansas, No. 21 Southeastern Louisiana
On the Bubble: No. 23 Nicholls
SWAC
Alcorn State has won the East Division, and the West will be decided in the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern on Nov. 30. No matter who wins, the SWAC Championship will be a rematch -- Alcorn State beat Southern on Oct. 26 and lost to Grambling in overtime on Nov. 9.
So, there you have it. That's 25 teams in for 24 bids with six more hoping that chaos will let them sneak in the backdoor.
Let the chase to take down the Bison begin.