Small College Football Playoff Predictions And Brackets And Other Postseason Predictions: Week Of December 4, 2021

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

NOTE: All playoff games are listed in bracket order. All games scheduled will be played on Saturday, December 4, 2021, unless otherwise indicated.

NCAA Division II Quarterfinals

Interactive Bracket

Shepherd (12-1) at Kutztown (11-1)

Bowie State (12-1) at Valdosta State (10-1)

Northwest Missouri State (11-1) at Ferris State (11-0)

Angelo State (11-2) at Colorado School of Mines (11-1)

NCAA Division III Quarterfinals

Interactive Bracket

Linfield (11-0) vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-0)

Central (12-0) vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0)

RPI (11-1) vs. North Central (12-0)

Muhlenberg (10-1) vs. Mount Union (12-0)

NAIA Semifinals

Press Release (courtesy of the NAIA)

Grand View (13-0) at Lindsey Wilson (12-0)

Northwestern (Iowa)-(11-1) at Morningside (12-0)

NCAA Division II Bowl Games

America's Crossroads at Hobart, Indiana

Hillsdale (6-5) vs. Truman State (8-3)

Heritage Bowl at Corsicana, Texas

Oklahoma Baptist (7-4) vs. Texas-Permian Basin (5-5)

Live United Bowl at Texarkana, Ark.

Emporia State (6-5) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State (8-3)

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of December 4, 2021-FBS Group Of Five Conference Championship Games, FCS Playoffs, And Other Postseason Predictions

Last Week: 40-15 (.727)

This Year: 938-443 (.679)

Editor's Note: With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to affect college football at all levels, any games that are postponed or canceled will not count toward the final percentage of correctly predicted games. As always, continue to visit RFC at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com, as well as follow on Twitter @realfootball for the latest developments and details.

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Five

Friday, December 4

Conference USA Championship at San Antonio, Tex. (7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST on the CBS Sports Network.)

Western Kentucky (8-4) at UTSA (11-1)

Saturday, December 5

Mid-American Conference Championship at Detroit (noon EST/11 a.m. CST on ESPN.)

Kent State (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (8-4)

Mountain West Conference Championship at Carson, Calif. (3 p.m. EST/2 p.m. CST/1 p.m. MST/noon PST on FOX.)

Utah State (9-3) at San Diego State (11-1)

Sun Belt Conference Championship at Lafayette, La. (3:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.)

Appalachian State (10-2) at Louisiana (11-1)

American Athletic Conference Championship at Cincinnati, Ohio (4 p.m. EST/3 p.m. CST on ABC.)

Houston (11-1) at Cincinnati (12-0)

FCS Second Round

Interactive Bracket

First Round Byes: In Order Of Seeding

1. Sam Houston State

2. North Dakota State

3. James Madison

4. Sacramento State

5. Villanova

6. Montana

7. East Tennessee State

8. Montana State

Friday, December 3

Holy Cross (10-2) at Villanova (9-2)

Eastern Washington (10-2) at Montana (9-2)

Saturday, December 4

Kennesaw State (11-1) at East Tennessee State (10-1)

Southeastern Louisiana (9-3) at James Madison (10-1)

Incarnate Word (10-2) at Sam Houston State (10-0)

Southern Illinois (8-4) at North Dakota State (10-1)

UT Martin (10-2) at Montana State (9-2)

South Dakota State (9-3) at Sacramento State (9-2)

Bonus Prediction-SWAC Championship at Jackson, Miss.

Prairie View A&M (7-4) at Jackson State (10-1)

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RFC Throwback Thursday: Western Kentucky at Marshall-2014

(Video courtesy of Fox Sports 1)

This special Thanksgiving Day installment of "RFC Throwback Thursday" turns the clock back to November 28, 2014. That was when the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers traveled to Huntington, West Virginia to take on the then-undefeated Marshall University Thundering Herd in a Conference USA contest. In a high-scoring back-and-forth battle, the unranked Hilltoppers handed the then-No. 24 Herd their lone loss of the season in a 67-66 overtime upset win. Despite that setback, however, Marshall still managed to beat Louisiana Tech, 26-23, to win the C-USA crown the following week, then beat Northern Illinois, 52-23, on December 23, to win the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl, and finish the 2014 season at 13-1 overall. As for Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers held off a late rally from Central Michigan to win the Bahamas Bowl on Christmas Eve, December 24, to finish their campaign at 8-5 overall.

Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball. 

RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of November 20, 2021-FBS Group Of Five And FCS Regular Season Games-Thanksgiving Weekend

Last Week: 55-21 (.724)*

This Year: 898-428 (.677)*

*-The Carnegie Mellon/North Central game in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols imposed at the Carnegie Mellon campus on November 19, 2021, while Indiana Wesleyan withdrew from its first-round NAIA playoff game vs. Kansas Wesleyan due to the discovery of an academically-ineligible player, also on November 19, 2021. 

Editor's Note: With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to affect college football at all levels, any games that are postponed or canceled will not count toward the final percentage of correctly predicted games. As always, continue to visit RFC at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com, as well as follow on Twitter @realfootball for the latest developments and details.

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Five

Tuesday, November 23

Buffalo (4-7) at Ball State (5-6)

Western Michigan (6-5) at Northern Illinois (8-3)

Thursday, November 25 (THANKSGIVING DAY)

Fresno State (8-3) at San Jose State (5-6)

Friday, November 26

Boise State (7-4) at San Diego State (10-1)

(The Aztecs do battle with the Broncos in a potential preview of the Mountain West Conference championship game!!! Airtime is at noon EST/11 a.m. CST/10 a.m. MST/9 a.m. PST on CBS!!!)

Cincinnati (11-0) at East Carolina (7-4)

(The Bearcats hope to stay unbeaten against a surprising Pirates squad in another big American Athletic Conference contest that has bowl positioning implications!!! Airtime is 3:30 pm EST on ABC!!!)

Akron (2-9) at Toledo (6-5)

Coastal Carolina (9-2) at South Alabama (5-6)

UTEP (7-4) at UAB (7-4)

Eastern Michigan (7-4) at Central Michigan (7-4)

Ohio (3-8) at Bowling Green (3-8)

South Florida (2-9) at UCF (7-4)

Utah State (8-3) at New Mexico (3-8)

Saturday, November 27

Miami (Ohio)-(6-5) at Kent State (6-5)

(The Golden Flashes play host to the Redhawks, with the winner to face West Division champion Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game!!! Airtime is at noon EST on ESPN+!!!)

Western Kentucky (7-4) at Marshall (7-4)

(The Thundering Herd hosts the Hilltoppers, with the winner not only clinching the Conference USA East Division championship but also facing West Division champion UTSA in the C-USA championship game!!! Airtime is at 3:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. CST on the CBS Sports Network!!!)

Louisiana Tech (3-8) at Rice (3-8)

Charlotte (5-6) at Old Dominion (5-6)

Middle Tennessee State (5-6) at Florida Atlantic (5-6)

Navy (2-8) at Temple (3-8)

Troy (5-6) at Georgia State (6-5)

Tulsa (5-6) at SMU (8-3)

Tulane (2-9) at Memphis (5-6)

UTSA (11-0) at North Texas (5-6)

Louisiana-Monroe (4-7) at Louisiana (10-1)

Hawai'i (5-7) at Wyoming (6-5)

Nevada (7-4) at Colorado State (3-8)

FCS

Thursday, November 25 (THANKSGIVING DAY)

Tuskegee (NCAA Division II)-(3-7) vs. Alabama State (FCS)-(4-6)

(Turkey Day Classic at Montgomery, Ala.)

Saturday, November 27

Grambling (3-7) vs. Southern (4-6)

(Bayou Classic at New Orleans, La.)

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FCS/Small College Football Playoff Predictions And Brackets: Thanksgiving Weekend

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

NOTE: All games are listed in bracket order. All games scheduled will be played on Saturday, November 27, 2021, unless otherwise indicated.

FCS First Round

Interactive Bracket

First Round Byes: In Order Of Seeding

1. Sam Houston State

2. North Dakota State

3. James Madison

4. Sacramento State

5. Villanova

6. Montana

7. East Tennessee State

8. Montana State

Incarnate Word (9-2) at Stephen F. Austin (8-3) 

UT Martin (9-2) at Missouri State (8-3)

Sacred Heart (8-3) at Holy Cross (9-2)

UC Davis (8-3) at South Dakota State (8-3)

Florida A&M (9-2) at Southeastern Louisiana (8-3)

Northern Iowa (6-5) at Eastern Washington (9-2)

Davidson (8-2) at Kennesaw State (10-1)

Southern Illinois (7-4) at South Dakota (7-4)

NCAA Division II Second Round

Interactive Bracket

First Round Byes: Kutztown, Valdosta State, Ferris State, Colorado School of Mines

New Haven (10-1) at Kutztown (10-1)

Notre Dame (11-1) at Shepherd (11-1)

West Georgia (9-2) at Valdosta State (9-1)

Newberry (10-2) at Bowie State (11-1)

Grand Valley State (10-1) at Ferris State (10-0)

Northwest Missouri State (10-1) at Harding (11-1)

Bemidji State (10-2) at Colorado School of Mines (10-1)

Nebraska-Kearney (10-2) at Angelo State (10-2)

NCAA Division III Second Round

Interactive Bracket

Linfield (10-0) at St. John's (Minn.)-(11-0)

Birmingham-Southern (10-1) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-0)

DePauw (9-2) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (11-0)

Wheaton (10-1) at Central (11-0)

Wisconsin-LaCrosse (9-2) at North Central (11-0)

RPI (10-1) at Cortland (11-0)

Johns Hopkins (10-1) at Mount Union (11-0)

Muhlenberg (10-1) at Delaware Valley (11-0)

NAIA Quarterfinals

Press Release (courtesy of the NAIA)

Keiser (8-2) at Lindsey Wilson (11-0)

Kansas Wesleyan (11-1) at Morningside (11-0)

Concordia (Mich.)-(9-1) at Grand View (12-0)

Marian (9-2) at Northwestern (Iowa)-(11-1)

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