SWAC Divisions could also be done
Final week to decide CIAA titles
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
The final Saturday of the regular season will determine who will win both CIAA football division titles but sorting out all the postseason possibilities could take a little longer.
Virginia State (6-3, 5-1) could make at least the East Division portion simple. The Trojans host Bowie State (7-2, 4-2) in Petersburg, Va., Saturday (1:30 p.m.) needing a win to clinch the title and the spot representing the division at the Nov. 5 Championship Game in Durham, N.C.
BSU, however, can win the title outright with a win over VSU and a loss by Shaw (5-4, 4-2), who takes on St. Paul's (3-6, 2-4) Saturday (1 p.m.) in Roanoke, Va.
A BSU win however coupled with a win by Shaw throws the division into a three-way deadlock meaning conference officials will have to break out the tie-breaker rules to sort out a three-way (BSU, VSU and Shaw) logjam at the top.
| CIAA TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES
1. Head to Head Competition between the tied teams. 2. Common Conference Opponents in this priority: a. Record versus divisional opponents. b. Record vs. common non-divisional opponents as listed in the seven-game conference composite schedule. 3. Representative determined by coin toss or draw |
According to the BCSP's reading of the Divisional Tie-Breaking procedures listed on the CIAA website (theciaa.com), a coin flip or draw would determine the champion as all three teams would be 4-1 in divisional play and have no common non-division opponents on their seven-game conference composite schedules.
Three teams are still alive in the West but no coin-flip will be needed to sort them out.
St. Augustine's (8-1, 5-1), coming off its first loss of the season to division-rival Fayetteville State, can makes things simple with a win Saturday at homecoming (2 p.m.) at Winston-Salem State (5-4, 5-1). A win over the Rams give the Falcons the outright title and the seat opposite the East division winner in the Nov. 5 title game.
WSSU would have to win against St. Aug's and have North Carolina Central (8-1, 5-1) lose Saturday at Johnson C. Smith's homecoming (1 p.m.), to take the crown outright. An NCCU win coupled with a St. Aug's loss (win by WSSU) would give the title to the Eagles.
In the NCAA Div. II Southeast Region that will determine playoff berths, the loss knocked St. Aug's out of the top spot into second place behind Valdosta State. NC Central is third while Albany State and Fort Valley State, both of the SIAC, are sixth and seventh respectively. Both the CIAA and SIAC are in the Southeast Region along with the South Atlantic and Gulf South conferences.
The top six teams in the final regional poll (Nov. 7) will make the 24-team Div. II playoff field unless a conference not represented in the final six has a team in the top ten. If so, that team will replace the highest seeded team not from that conference in the playoffs. The NCAA calls this process, Earned Access. Let's hope it doesn't come down to that.
Three teams are still alive for the SIAC title headed into the final two weekends of its regular season. Fort Valley State (7-2, 7-1), Albany State (6-1, 6-1) and Tuskegee (7-1, 6-1) all have one loss in conference play. So far, Albany State has a win over Tuskegee while Tuskgee has beaten FVSU. Albany State's only loss is to Valdosta State of the Gulf South Conference but that game counts on the Rams' league record.
FVSU is idle this week while Albany State hosts Morehouse (3-5, 2-5) and Tuskegee hosts Clark-Atlanta (3-6, 3-4). Barring any upsets this week, the Albany State/FVSU matchup in Columbus, Ga., next Saturday (Nov. 5) will likely determine the conference champ.
Grambling State in the West and Alabama State in the East can both claim their respective division titles in the SWAC with wins Saturday.
Grambling (5-1, 5-0) brings in Texas Southern (1-5, 1-4) for homecoming (1:30 p.m.) riding a three-and-a-half game lead in the West and needing to win just one of their remaining four SWAC games to claim the title.
Alabama State (6-1, 6-0) is up two-and-a-half games in the East and could clinch the title with a win Saturday in Birmingham at the 64th Magic City Classic vs. Alabama A&M (5-2, 3-2).
In the MEAC, with Hampton's 14-10 win over South Carolina State Saturday, Joe Taylor's Pirates (8-0, 6-0) moved a step closer to claiming their second straight MEAC title and automatic I-AA playoff berth. They are idle this week but need just one win in their final two conference games, Nov. 5 at Bethune-Cookman or Nov. 12 at home vs. Florida A&M, to claim the crown. The Pirates moved up one notch to No. 3 in the Sports Network NCAA Div. I-AA national poll, receiving 13 first-place votes. They are behind No. 1 Western Kentucky (6-1) who got 78 first-place votes and No. 2 Furman (7-1) who also had 13 first-place votes. The Pirates are the only undefeated team in I-AA football.
The MEAC Game of the Week has Delaware State (5-3, 4-1) travelling to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on South Carolina State (5-2, 3-1) for the Bulldogs' homecoming with second place in the conference on the line. Both teams have lost to Hampton.
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