North Carolina Central finds itself in a unique situation. Last weekend, the Eagles were destroyed by Howard, 50-20, in one of the biggest upsets of the season in the FCS. North Carolina Central is still one of the best teams in the FCS, boasting an 8-2 record, but its latest loss means it no longer controls its own destiny to the Celebration Bowl, which goes to the winner of the MEAC.
If Howard beats Morgan State this weekend, it will earn the bowl bid. In order for the Eagles to punch their ticket to Atlanta, they need to beat Delaware State and the Bison need to lose.
This is a wide-open year in the FCS outside of South Dakota State. The Eagles boast nonconference wins against CAA foes Campbell, Elon and North Carolina A&T. An impressive résumé, indeed -- one that would almost certainly earn an at-large bid to the playoffs.
Here's the conundrum: Do you want to win the MEAC and head to the Celebration Bowl? Or would you rather go to the Division I playoffs, armed with one of the best QBs in the FCS (Davius Richard) and see if you can go on a deep postseason run?
That will be the discussion all week long in the HBCU ranks and makes for one compelling final week of the regular season in the FCS.
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. South Dakota State | 10-0 | After blanking Youngstown State 34-0, the Jackrabbits close out their regular season against Missouri State. |
 | 2. Furman | 9-1 | QB Carson Jones threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns in a dominating win over VMI. It's their eighth straight win and fourth consecutive game holding opposing offenses to under 20 points. |
 | 3. Montana | 9-1 | It's the Brawl of the Wild this weekend vs. Montana State. Always a great rivalry game to close out the regular season. |
 | 4. Montana State | 8-2 | Potential playoff seeding is on the line in this week's rivalry in addition to good, ol' fashioned bragging rights |
 | 5. South Dakota | 8-2 | It was the tale of two halves as South Dakota outscored North Dakota 14-0 to squeak past the Fighting Hawks 14-10, potentially bursting their playoff bubble in the process. |
 | 6. Delaware | 8-2 | Once Khalid Dawsey got a 100-yard pick six, you knew it was just going to be the Blue Hens' day. Huge game this weekend vs. Villanova. |
 | 7. Villanova | 8-2 | The Wildcats need to knock off Delaware and hope Albany loses in order to hoist the Colonial Athletic Association trophy. |
 | 8. Sacramento State | 7-3 | WR Jared Gipson's five-catch, 154-yard effort vs. Cal Poly helped the Hornets keep their at-large hopes alive. A win against UC Davis this weekend could help them punch their ticket. |
 | 9. Albany | 8-3 | A win vs. Monmouth would give the Great Danes at least a share of the CAA crown. It would also match the most wins in a season since 2012 as a member of the Northeast Conference. |
 | 10. Idaho | 7-3 | The loss vs. Weber State looks ugly on its face, but the Vandals still have an impressive resume on the season to get an at-large bid. Still need to close out with a win over Idaho State to be sure. |
 | 11. Florida A&M | 9-1 | The Rattlers look like the team to beat in the SWAC. Obviously, they need to finish the drill and win the SWAC title, but could this be the team to end the SWAC's woes in the Celebration Bowl? |
 | 12. Chattanooga | 7-3 | The Mocs face a tough task this week vs. Alabama. They wrapped up their FCS season two weeks ago. |
 | 13. Austin Peay | 8-2 | The Governors only have one FCS loss on the season (Southern Illinois) and can burst Central Arkansas' playoff bubble this weekend at home. A win would also give them the outright United Athletic Conference title. |
 | 14. Incarnate Word | 7-2 | Big game this weekend for the Cardinals as they face the surging Houston Christian Huskies. They need this win to get to seven D-I wins on the season. |
 | 15. Lafayette | 8-2 | The Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry dates back to 1884. The Leopards would like nothing more than to win their first outright Patriot League title since 2013 at the expense of beating the Mountain Hawks. |
 | 16. North Carolina Central | 8-2 | Getting beat down by Howard takes the MEAC title out of the Eagles' control. However, losing the MEAC could give you an at-large bid into the FCS playoffs. Hmmm. |
 | 17. Mercer | 8-3 | What an impressive season for the Mercer Bears to finish 8-3. Notching eight D-I wins all but assures the Bears their first FCS playoff appearance in program history. Coach Drew Cronic has done a remarkable job. |
 | 18. UT Martin | 8-2 | The Skyhawks' lone FCS loss came at the hands of Gardner-Webb. If UTM can knock off Samford and Gardner-Webb loses to Charleston Southern, the Skyhawks win the outright Big South-OVC Association title. |
 | 19. North Dakota State | 7-3 | A big win over Southern Illinois helps put the Bison back into these power rankings and essentially usurp the Salukis for a potential at-large bid. |
 | 20. Richmond | 7-3 | Because the Spiders have avoided Villanova, Albany and Delaware this season, they still have a chance to claim a share of the CAA title if they knock off William & Mary this weekend. |
 | 21. Western Carolina | 7-3 | Despite being fourth in the Southern Conference, the Catamounts could get to eight D-I wins if they knock off VMI this weekend. It'll be hard to keep an eight-win team out of the postseason, no matter where they finish in conference play. |
 | 22. Harvard | 8-1 | Harvard-Yale is known as The Game and has been played since 1875. Depending on the outcome, this year's edition could be the difference between an outright Ivy League title or splitting one with the Bulldogs. |
 | 23. Tarleton State | 8-3 | The Texans will be the biggest Austin Peay fans this weekend. They need Central Arkansas to lose in order to keep their at-large dreams alive. |
 | 24. Central Arkansas | 7-3 | The Bears needed to find a way to win last week, and they did thanks to a Hail Mary against Eastern Kentucky, Their season is on the line this Saturday vs. Austin Peay. |
 | 25. Nicholls | 5-4 | The Nicholls Colonels are your Southland Conference champs and have the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Credit to coach Tim Rebowe for what he's done with this squad this season. |
