Resume Analysis For FCS Playoff Committee's Top 10 Rankings

Resume analysis for the FCS football playoff committee's Top-10 teams

The FCS playoff committee released its Top 10 rankings on Thursday. Rankings were based on the current resumes of each team and did not project any future results. The 24-team field will be released on Nov. 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Below are the resumes of the Top-10 teams from the FCS playoff committee's rankings.

No. 1 South Dakota State

Record against FCS: 6-0
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 4-0
SOS: No. 25

No. 2 Montana State

Record against FCS: 6-1
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 1-1
SOS: No. 19

No. 3 Furman

Record against FCS: 6-0
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 1-0
SOS: No. 47

No. 4 South Dakota

Record against FCS: 6-0
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 2-0
SOS: No. 39

No. 5 Delaware

Record against FCS: 6-0
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 0-0
SOS: No. 64

No. 6 Montana

Record against FCS: 5-1
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 2-0
SOS: No. 42

No. 7 Idaho

Record against FCS: 4-1
FBS Wins: 1
Record against Top 25: 1-1
SOS: No. 8

No. 8 Sacramento State

Record against FCS: 4-2
FBS Wins: 1
Record against Top 25: 0-2
SOS: No. 20

No. 9 Western Carolina

Record against FCS: 5-1
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 1-1
SOS: No. 36

No. 10 Incarnate Word

Record against FCS: 6-0
FBS Wins: 0
Record against Top 25: 0-0
SOS: No. 78

*Top 25 Records include wins against current Top 25 teams in the STATS Media Poll 
**SOS comes from Massey Strength of Schedule metric

Analysis:

South Dakota State was the obvious choice at No. 1 as the defending champions have a fantastic resume. Four wins over ranked opponents lead the nation, including a huge win over Montana State. The Bobcats were ranked No. 2 and have been dominant in the conference play with the only loss this season against the Jackrabbits in Brookings.

Furman finally played a game against a ranked team this weekend and won against Western Carolina giving the Paladins the best win out of the next three teams. South Dakota has a strong road win over North Dakota State and a home win against No. 24 Youngstown State. An argument could be made for South Dakota to jump Furman, but the resumes are similar.

The resume for Delaware is difficult to analyze right now. The Blue Hens are undefeated against FCS opponents but have not played a team that is currently ranked. Delaware's strength of schedule (No. 64) is worse than nine of the 10 teams, but the Blue Hens do not play a ranked team until the end of the year (Villanova). The Blue Hens need to win out and defeat Villanova to remain in the conversation for a seed.

Idaho has faced Montana and Sacramento State, picking up a massive win over the Hornets. Idaho and Montana both have a game against Montana State on the schedule and have a huge opportunity to boost their resumes even more. Idaho has a chance to jump all the way to No. 2 by the season’s end because of their FBS win (Nevada) and a strong strength of schedule. Montana plays Sacramento State in two weeks and can build a case for a top-three seed with a win over the Hornets. Sacramento State beat Stanford but has yet to add a quality FCS win to their resume. Games against Montana and No. 25 UC Davis provide opportunities to do so.

Western Carolina comes in at No. 9 after a home loss to Furman last weekend. The Catamounts have a win over No. 17 Chattanooga and the fifth-highest strength of schedule in these rankings. The Catamounts have a chance to win their way into the top eight if one of the Big Sky or MVFC teams collapses later this season.

Incarnate Word is undefeated against FCS competition and earns the final spot in these rankings. The Cardinals have the weakest strength of schedule in this group and have no ranked wins on the resume. Due to the Southland having a poor season, the Cardinals may not have a chance to add a signature win. Incarnate Word will need to win out and rely on other teams losing to earn a seed this season. 

A couple of teams to watch that missed these initial rankings are Southern Illinois, North Dakota State, UT Martin, and Villanova. Southern Illinois has an FBS win, two losses to ranked teams, and a top-five strength of schedule.

North Dakota State still has a solid win over No. 18 Central Arkansas and a Top-30 strength of schedule. The Bison will need to beat South Dakota State to have a chance at earning a seed.

UT Martin is currently undefeated against the FCS and leads the Big South-OVC. If the Skyhawks were to run the table and a couple of other teams collapsed over the next few weeks, this team would have a compelling argument for a seed. Villanova has a 5-1 record against the FCS. If the Wildcats won out and upset Delaware at the end of the season, the Wildcats would also have a strong case.

FCS Football Playoff Picture: Oct. 24 (Week 9)