The weekend that was... (Part 1)

Alright so the weekend has ended and 24 teams got their invite and dance partners for the playoff dance. And after the initial shock of seeing who made and who didn't (more on that later), taking a step back and looking at what is the bracket...this is probably the most open the playoffs have been since I was in college.

What I will talk about today, first off some thoughts on just the general weekend with a couple non playoff teams. Second, talk about the playoffs and who got some beef and who should be thanking their lucky stars. Third, power rankings...24 to 1. So without any further ado...

Weekend Thoughts

• Man did the weather throughout the central part of the country affect a lot of games. Wind, snow, and rain in the Midwest, heavy wind in the south, you could see a lot of games highly affected by the weather and create a huge impact on a few with playoff implications 
• I know teams like Austin Peay, Elon and Nicholls stole a few headlines with the seasons each had and the conferences they are in, but time to show a good chunk of the love to Valparaiso. Valpo, which is more known for the Drew family and one of the best college basketball plays ever, beat Dayton 8-7 Saturday to give the Crusaders its sixth win and first winning season since 2003. All things considered, having three of year in and out the worst teams in FCS all have winning records and Nicholls making the playoffs is a huge accomplishment.  
• It was almost a disaster Saturday for the CAA. Both Delaware and New Hampshire fell flat on their face on Saturday, both losing on the road to teams under .500. While New Hampshire, even after being shut out, made the playoff field, the Blue Hens were not as lucky after losing a rivalry game to Villanova by two touchdowns. Now it wasn't all bad...James Madison is the #1 overall seed and Elon and Stony Brook also got in to the playoffs as well
• Speaking of the Seawolves...what a way to get into the playoffs.  A little set up first...playing on the road at Maine, Stony Brook had been struggling all day.  but still had a shot down 19-14 on the Black Bear 35 when Joe Carbone (can you get any more New York with that name) tossed a pass into the end zone where Harrison Jackson came down with it and Welcome to the Playoffs! And a home game versus Lehigh to boot...not a bad way to end a season https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNNjQ7PoUX4
• I've seen some interesting ways to run out the clock but the way South Dakota St. ran out the clock against S Dakota was one that I have never seen before and it was about a half step away from disaster. After the Coyotes scored to make the game 31-28 and almost got the onside kick, the Jackrabbits had the ball near midfield with 2:11 left. Now usually its three handoffs and punt but instead QB Taryn Christion ran around for a few seconds then took a knee on fourth down to end the game. Now I say potential disaster only because, well, you are running backwards and we've seen how that can go
• You know I am all for FCS teams going to FBS schools and testing themselves but why are  FCS schools facing them during the last week of the year? Wofford, The Citdel, Mercer, Delaware St, and W. Carolina all took on FBS schools and the teams they faced weren't exactly bottom rung. I know that "pay" games are apart of the FCS but these games seem a bit redundant. But hey gotta fund the Athletic Dept. somehow.
• This year we see two teams, James Madison and North Carolina A&T, finish the season undefeated. Never an easy task, both teams have been "the hunted" in their conferences for the last few years, and both also have FBS wins to attach to the undefeated runs. I wish we would be able to see the Aggies in the playoffs but because of the Celebration Bowl we won't be able to see what they can do.
• Naturally with the end of the regular season, pink slips are starting to be given to coaches. While they aren't the first, Marcus Satterfield of Tennessee Tech and James Spady of Alabama A&M were both shown the door after the season ended. Naturally they will not be the last of those fired but it always sucks to see coaches loose their job.