Automatic Bids

Weber St. (Big Sky)

Monmouth (Big South)

James Madison (CAA)

N. Dakota St. (MVFC)

C. Conn. St. (NEC)

Austin Peay (OVC)

Holy Cross (Patriot)

San Diego (Pioneer)

Wofford (Southern)

Nicholls St. (Southland)

At-Large Bids

Albany (8-4)

C. Arkansas (9-3)

Furman (8-4)

Illinois St. (8-4)

Kennesaw St. (10-2)

Montana (9-3)

Montana St. (9-3)

North Dakota (7-4)

N. Iowa (8-4)

Sacramento St. (9-3)

SE Louisiana (7-4)

SE Missouri St. (9-3)

South Dakota St. (8-4)

Villanova (9-3)

Bubble Burst

South Carolina St. (8-3)

S. Illinois (7-5)

E. Washington (7-5)

Towson (7-5)

Next Four Out

New Hampshire (6-5)

E. Kentucky (7-5)

Sam Houston St. (7-5)

McNeese St. (7-5)

At-Large Breakdown

Big Sky (3)

Missouri Valley (3)

Colonial (2)

Southland (2)

Big South (1)

Independents (1)

Ohio Valley (1)

Southern (1)

Previous Brackets

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

About

Since its inception in 2008, NoBowls has correctly predicted 191 of the 204 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, 2019 8:23 PM EST

Week 13: The Final Bracket

Well, today made things interesting. With virtually half of the top teams losing Saturday, the door seems wide open for a dozen teams to be in seed consideration.

Quick Notes

• Leaving South Carolina State out of the field was the toughest of the at-large decisions. Their win over Wofford is good for the resume, but coming all the way back on September 1st does not help. The computers liked South Carolina State the least of the bubble teams above them.
• As for the seeds, Monmouth could easily slip into the 7 or 8 seed.
• And that's a wrap on the NoBowls season! Tune into ESPNU Sunday at 12:30 PM ET to see the real deal.

Breaking It Down

Selecting the Field
Every week's bracket is based on an "If the season ended today" mindset. The 10 automatic bids are just that: automatic. Whichever team is atop the standings of each of the 10 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 14 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.