freshmen can red shirt with four games or less, playoff games do not count

Bye games are not optional. Every team this year had a 12 game schedule in a 13 week window except teams that has week zero games which had 12 games.scheduled in a 14 week window.

If we're seeded high, don't we get a Bye in playoff week #1?

Yeah. Look at this fcs brcketology where UC Davis gets the #6 seed with a round 1 bye:
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/bracketology

I'd take that draw.

Montana, ugh. But I guess by the quarters everyone is solid.

Does SDSU drop since they were spanked, and do we move up?

No. 1/1 North Dakota State 38
No. 2/2 South Dakota State 7

Top FCS scores.

https://herosports.com/2025-week-9-top-25-fcs-scoreboard-bzbz/

Hope we get #5

would much rather play Montana than the others in the top 5, always overrated

still no decision made yet

If we get the Connors back for next year, wow.

even better if Williams and Garretson decide to come back too

Valid.

After hearing more about Harper's physical issues in the second half, it all makes sense. Gutsy performance by Grant.

It makes me wonder if Wrighster is close to being game-ready (if he's QB3)

I'd take Rhode Island in round 2.

Hard to say! The pollsters seem to love to see blowouts. Its almost like if you aren't blowing people out by 30, they try to push you out of the top 10. And a team from a weaker conference that's winning games by that much, they love.

I wonder how many voters even know/care that Davis played without QB1.

I suppose the fundamental question is if polls are a reward of past performance or a prediction of future performance. In the first paradigm maybe it helps us. In the second, the poll rating might be influenced by a prediction of when QB1 returns healthy.

My teenagers loved that we were playing "Unc"
Anyone with teens gets it

All day…”that’s Unc”

Montana, ugh. But I guess by the quarters everyone is solid.

Boy - last year I’d take Montana all day long. They are better this year but not as tough as Montana State would be. Or Tarleton or North Dakota or obviously ND State.

So how do you think the raankings will after the brawl? If the Griz lose, do they drop below us?

I've said it before many times. Tarleton is the real deal. If Montana weren't a cold weather team I would feel better about that match-up. I wouldn't hate that hypothetical bracket. Also better to host in the 2nd week for the Bye and for better attendance even if it pushes up against finals.

Harvard at only 15 seems low. I'd still love to have them come to Davis. That would be huge.

I bet they’ve been waiting for a score of 6-7 also.

I still don't understand this 6-7 thing...

The words 6-7 appear repeatedly in the song “Doot Doot” by Skrilla (“song” is being generous, it’s more like the sound of brain cells degenerating). The song gained popularity on TikTok with edits of LaMelo Ball, who is 6’7”, doing tall people things. The phrase “6-7” doesn’t actually mean anything, BUT GenZ and now Gen Alpha types have discovered that yelling the phrase out irritates adults (particularly teachers) partly because it’s disruptive but also because us adults get hung up trying to make sense of it. It falls under “brainrot” - a type of humor among the age group that is intentionally meaningless but sounds catchy enough to become a viral meme. Part of what makes it funny to them is that adults try and fail to understand it when in fact there is just nothing to understand.

Mine are too old the brain rot stuff, thank God.

Is it related to covfefe?

I think most people agree “covfefe” was probably a typo for “coverage” but it demonstrated how quickly a nonsense uttering could grow a life of its own with conspiracy, meme, and viral status. While that was accidental nonsense, brainrot is based on intentional nonsense going viral. So I guess you could say they are kind of related but not the same.

Sam Herder's Top 25

HEROSPORTS: FCS Top 25: Sam Herder’s Ballot For The Week Of 10-27-2025
by Sam Herder October 26, 2025

Notes at the bottom.

Week 9 Top 25 FCS Scoreboard

1. North Dakota State
2. Montana
3. Montana State
4. Tarleton State
5. North Dakota
6. South Dakota State
7. UC Davis
8. Tennessee Tech
9. Lehigh
10. Harvard
11. Monmouth
12. Mercer
13. Youngstown State
14. Villanova
15. Illinois State
16. Southern Illinois
17. Abilene Christian
18. Northern Arizona
19. Austin Peay
20. Rhode Island
21. SFA
22. Southeastern Louisiana University
23. Jackson State
24. Lamar
25. Western Carolina

"The most notable move is South Dakota State going from No. 2 to No. 6 after its 38-7 home loss to No. 1 North Dakota State."

NDSU stands out again.

https://herosports.com/fcs-top-25-sam-herder-ballot-10-27-2025-bzbz/

I can't find Sam's poll from last week, but I assume he had Davis at 7 as well.

Thoughts from UNC:

Can't say enough about the plan that Coombs & Co. put together for the Bears. The only real threat was from our own turnovers and from the RB as a late checkdown or swing pass receiver in the pass game. #3 was LOCKED DOWN by Cofield and friends, and the game never felt as close as the score. Some missed tackles and plays but otherwise outstanding performance.

The QB played well when we were on script in the first half and he extended a few plays with his legs. Second half was abysmal. Plough gave credit to Lamb for halftime adjustments, but he was protecting his guy. Too many receivers running open with balls sailing all around them.

Kudos, however, to the commitment to the running game. The O-Line dominated, and the Wide Zone scheme was particularly effective against UNC. We looked like the '23 Niners. Our RBs are legit dudes, our TEs are legit dudes, and our OL can roll people when given the opportunity to get into a groove like they were on Saturday. Look for more of the same with some added play action moving forward, we are on to something.

Loved seeing the touchbacks, the coverage on the squib, and the money field goal to salt it away.

Rumors of Northern Colorado's ascendance are greatly exaggerated... They looked slow and smallish to me.

I had the same thoughts about UNC - they didn’t look good on either side of the ball. The 24-0 lead seemed more indicative of the gap between the teams than the final score