Automatic Bids

E. Washington (Big Sky)

Coastal Carolina (Big South)

Maine (CAA)

Bethune-Cookman (MEAC)

North Dakota St. (MVFC)

Sacred Heart (NEC)

E. Illinois (OVC)

Lafayette (Patriot)

Butler (Pioneer)

Furman (Southern)

SE Louisiana (Southland)

At-Large Bids

Chattanooga (8-4)

Fordham (11-1)

Jacksonville St. (9-3)

McNeese St. (10-2)

Montana (10-2)

New Hampshire (7-4)

N. Arizona (9-2)

Sam Houston St. (8-4)

Samford (8-4)

South Carolina St. (9-3)

South Dakota St. (8-4)

Tennessee St. (9-3)

Towson (10-2)

Bubble Burst

Youngstown St. (8-4)

Northern Iowa (7-5)

S. Illinois (7-5)

Southern Utah (8-4)

Next Four Out

Charleston Southern (10-3)

William & Mary (7-5)

Montana St. (7-5)

Lehigh (8-3)

Past Brackets

Week 12

Week 11

Week 10

Week 9

Week 8

Week 7

Week 6

About

Since its inception in 2008, NoBowls has correctly predicted 106 of the 112 teams selected to participate in the FCS postseason. Resident bracketologist Erik Pitzer strives to provide weekly bias-free predictions heavily rooted in the same criteria set forth by the NCAA selection guidelines.

The Final Bracket

Posted November 23, 2013 10:24 PM EST

Week 13: The Final Bracket

Ooph. What a final day. Losses from Charleston Southern, William & Mary, Delaware, Montana State, Southern Utah and ultimately Youngstown State opened the door for a wave of new teams eager to jump off that bubble.

Quick Notes

• Youngstown State was easily the most difficult team to leave out. In the end, three straights losses to finish the season capped off by a home field drubbing from South Dakota State was the final deal breaker when comparing résumés.
• There were only six stone cold at-large locks: Towson, Montana, Northern Arizona, Fordham, South Dakota State and McNeese State. Any other at-large bid arguably could be left out.
• Tune into ESPNU Sunday at 11:30 AM EST to see if the committee agrees!

Breaking It Down

Selecting the Field
Every week's bracket is based on an "If the season ended today" mindset. The 11 automatic bids are just that: automatic. Whichever team is atop the standings of each of the 11 auto-bid conferences at the end of the week receives a bid. Expectedly, teams on top of conference standings early in the season often are not in the same spot come Selection Sunday. The other 13 bids, the at-large selections, are simply the teams I believe to be the best remaining in the country. Keep in mind again this is not a prediction of what I think the brackets will look like in late November, but rather a collection of deserving teams week to week.

The Pairings
All first and second round match-ups in these brackets are my best attempts at mimicking what the committee would do with the chosen 24 teams while adhering to these rules:

• Seeding the top eight teams and spacing them accordingly across the bracket
• Avoiding first round match-ups with teams from the same conference
• Creating geographically-friendly match-ups that follow the NCAA's 400-mile limitations when possible
• Giving home field advantage to schools that historically have made winning bids

"This is garbage..."

Comments? I'm itching to hear your praise/raging hatred. Sound off to erik@nobowls.com and let me know what's on your mind.