RFC Postseason Predictions--The 2013 Finale

Editor's Note: Here's the final post of postseason predictions for the 2013 season. Enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Real Football Central!


KEY: Projected winners marked in RED. 

Bowl Predictions 

Note: Teams in BCS automatic-qualifying conferences marked in ALL CAPS.  Only games involving teams in "mid-major" (Group of Five) conferences will be included in this post.  Those leagues are:

American Athletic (except Louisville and Rutgers)
Conference USA
Mid-American
Mountain West
Sun Belt

Tuesday, December 24, 2013 (CHRISTMAS EVE)

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl--at Honolulu

Boise State (8-4) vs. OREGON STATE (6-6)

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Little Caesar's Bowl: at Detroit

Bowling Green (10-3) vs. PITTSBURGH (6-6) 

Poinsettia Bowl--at San Diego

Utah State (8-5) vs. Northern Illinois (12-1) 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Military Bowl--at Annapolis, Md.

Marshall (9-4) vs. MARYLAND (7-5)  

Fight Hunger Bowl--at San Francisco

BYU (8-4) vs. WASHINGTON (8-4)  

(Note: BYU, an independent program, is marked in BOLD type.)

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Belk Bowl--at Charlotte, N.C.

Cincinnati (8-4) vs. NORTH CAROLINA (6-6)  

Monday, December 30, 2013

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl--at Fort Worth, Tex.

Middle Tennessee State (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4)  

Liberty Bowl--at Memphis, Tenn. (NEW YEAR'S EVE--DECEMBER 31, 2013)

Rice (10-3) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-6)  

Heart of Dallas Bowl--at Dallas (NEW YEAR'S DAY--JANUARY 1, 2014)

UNLV (7-5) v. North Texas (8-4)  

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl--at Glendale, Ariz. (NEW YEAR'S NIGHT--JANUARY 1, 2014)

UCF (11-1) vs. Baylor (11-1)  

(Note: UCF is the 2013 American Athletic Conference champion)

Saturday, January 4, 2014

FCS Championship Game--at Frisco, Tex.

North Dakota State (14-0) vs. Towson (13-2) 

Sunday, January 5, 2014

GoDaddy Bowl--at Mobile, Ala.

Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Ball State (10-2)

Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
 
 

RFC Postseason Predictions--Champions To Be Crowned; Bowl Season Begins

Editor's Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, there was no installment of "RFC Postseason Predictions" last week.  Sorry for any inconvenience.  Anyway, here are this week's predictions just before Christmas. Enjoy!

Last Week: 10-9 (.526)
This Year: 192-87 (.688) 

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.


NAIA Championship--at Rome, Ga.

Cumberlands (Ky.)--(13-0) vs. Grand View (13-0)

NCAA Division III Championship (Stagg Bowl)--at Salem, Va.

Mount Union (14-0) vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-0)

NCAA Division II Championship--at Florence, Ala.

Lenoir-Rhyne (13-1) vs. Northwest Missouri State (14-0)

FCS Semifinals

New Hampshire (10-4) at North Dakota State (13-0)  

Towson (12-2) at Eastern Washington (12-2) 

Bowl Predictions 

Note: Teams in BCS automatic-qualifying conferences marked in ALL CAPS.  Only games involving teams in "mid-major" (Group of Five) conferences will be included in this post.  Those leagues are:

American Athletic (except Louisville and Rutgers)
Conference USA
Mid-American
Mountain West
Sun Belt

With that said, let's continue.

New Mexico Bowl--at Albuquerque, N.M.

WASHINGTON STATE (6-6) vs. Colorado State (7-6)

Las Vegas Bowl--at Las Vegas

Fresno State (11-1) vs. USC (9-4)  

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl--at Boise, Idaho

Buffalo (8-4) vs. San Diego State (7-5)  

New Orleans Bowl

Tulane (7-5) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)  

Beef O'Brady's Bowl--at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ohio (7-5) vs. East Carolina (9-3) 
 
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.

 

RFC Postseason Predictions: Deep Into December

Last Week: 20-8 (.714)
This Year: 182-78 (.700)

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.


FCS Playoffs--Second Round

Bracket

Furman (8-5) at North Dakota State (11-0)

Coastal Carolina (11-2) at Montana (10-2) 

New Hampshire (8-4) at Maine (10-2) 

Sam Houston State (8-4) at Southeastern Louisiana (10-2) 

Jacksonville State (10-3) at McNeese State (10-2) 

Fordham (12-1) at Towson (10-2) 

Tennessee State (10-3) at Eastern Illinois (11-1) 

NCAA Division II Playoffs--Quarterfinals

Bracket

West Chester (12-1) at Shepherd (11-0)

North Alabama (10-2) at Lenoir-Rhyne (11-1)

St. Cloud State (12-1) at Northwest Missouri State (12-0)

West Texas A&M (11-2) at Grand Valley State (11-2) 

NCAA Division III Playoffs--Quarterfinals

Wesley (10-2) at Mount Union (12-0)  

North Central (12-0) at Bethel (Minn.)--(12-0) 

Linfield (11-0) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0) 

St. John Fisher (10-2) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-0)

NAIA Playoffs--Semifinals

Carroll (Mont.)--(12-1) at Cumberlands (Ky.)--(12-0)

Morningside (11-1) at Grand View (12-0)

Bonus Prediction

SWAC Championship Game--at Houston

Southern (8-4) vs. Jackson State (8-3) 

Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.

Postseason Round-Up: Road Warriors in FCS, Upsets in D-II, and more

As November fades into December, the playoff fields in each division of small college football will be shrinking to a precious few teams over the next several weeks, with three teams claiming road wins in the first round of the FCS playoffs, while multiple top teams found themselves being sent home early after upset loss in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.  With that said, let's get started.

FCS First Round

Furman stuns South Carolina State (Sports Network/TheState.com) 

South Dakota State crushes Northern Arizona (Arizona Daily Sun)

Tennessee State blanks Butler (Indianapolis Star

Updated Bracket 

NCAA Division II Second Round

Shepherd wins defensive struggle (d2football.com/The Journal [W. Va.])

St. Cloud State upsets No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato (Minneapolis Star-Tribune/News Services)

GVSU stuns No. 3 CSU-Pueblo (Grand Valley State University Sports Information)

West Texas downs Ohio Dominican (Amarillo.com)

Updated Bracket

NCAA Division III Second Round

St. John Fisher upsets Hobart (Rochester [N.Y.] Democrat and Chronicle)  

Updated Bracket 

NAIA Quarterfinals

Morningside gets by Baker (Morningside College Sports Information)   

Updated Schedule


Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.