Three make NCAA Div. II playoff field
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
With Saturday's results, three of the four black college conferences now have their football champion, and the remaining conference, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has its finalists.
North Carolina Central got a career-long 51-yard field goal from placekicker Brandon Gilbert as time expired to give the Eagles (11-0) an exciting 17-14 win over a gane Elizabeth City State squad (9-2) in the CIAA title game in Durham, N.C. before 11,562 stunned fans.
The win, NCCU's second consecutive CIAA title, propelled the undefeated Eagles of head coach Rod Broadway to the top spot in the NCAA Div. II Southeast Region and earned them a bye for next week's first round playoffs. It is also the second year in a row the Eagles have earned a first-round bye.
Waverly Tillar's ECSU Vikings were also rewarded for their fine season when they were seeded fourth in the Region and designated to host a first-round game Saturday. The Vikings will take on Delta State (9-2), the region's fifth seed, at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City, N.C., Saturday at 12 noon. DSU finished second in the Gulf South Conference behind second-seed North Alabama (10-0), who also received a first-round bye.
No. 1 NCCU and No. 4 ECSU are in the same bracket and could meet again on Sat., Nov. 25 in Durham.
By virtue of the "Earned Access" system in place for playoff selection, SIAC champion Albany State (7-3), ranked eighth in the final Regional rankings, received the sixth and final spot. The Golden Rams under James "Mike" White will travel to third-seeded Newberry (10-1), the champion of the South Atlantic Conference.
MEAC
Hampton (10-1) finished its regular season Saturday with a 59-7 thrashing of Florida A&M that gave Joe Taylor's Pirates a third straight MEAC crown and their third straight automatic berth to the I-AA playoffs. Hampton will now rest as they await next week's announcement of where they will play in the 16-team I-AA playoff field.
One other MEAC team, 8-2 Delaware State, has an outside chance a getting an at-large bid to the I-AA playoffs. The Hornets need to finish their regular season Saturday with a win at Howard (4-6) and then hope for a favorable assessment by the selection committee.
SWAC
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-3) clinched the West Division title and Alabama A&M (8-2) claimed the East Division title with wins Saturday and will meet Saturday, Dec. 16 in Birmingham (Al.) in the 8th SWAC Championship Game at Legion Field.
It will be UAPB's first SWAC title game appearance since the championship game was re-instituted in 1999. The Golden Lions only SWAC football title was one it shared with three others in 1966. A&M will be making its second straight appearance in the title game and fourth overall. The Bulldogs are 0-4 in championship games.
OVC
At 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, Tennessee State (6-4) is still alive for the championship. The Blue Tigers need a win to close out their regular season Saturday at Eastern Kentucky and a loss by Eastern Illinois (7-4, 6-1) at Murray State (1-8, 0-7).
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