Albany(9-3,7-1)

[Gallipoli]

Albany is pretty well beaten-up. Their main RB is a frosh. He had a great game against Idaho, but he was visibly a mess towards the end of the game. The same is the case with their star WR Bevins, who had 231 receiving yards. Albany rarely subs its front 7, so they will also be in rough shape. Layer in the long travel on a short week, I would say Albany may lose this game.

 

[KE Spider]

NOT seeing this at all. I'll take that bet.

 

[32counter]

 

[DTSpider]

SDSU just rolling

 

[Stork3]

SDSU is ahead 28-0 with six minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

 

[whampas]

It's incredible how far behind the elite FCS teams we are. SDSU is as solid as most non power 4 FBS teams.

 

[DTSpider]

Saw a number of things suggesting SDSU should be ranked in top 25. They are legit good. Reminds me of the Appy St teams in the mid-2000s.

 

[KE Spider]

Time to turn off the lights in Albany.

 

[whampas]

Time to turn off the lights in Albany.

It was time when they got off the bus.

 

[Stork3]

35-0 at the half. Lots of stuff, including a very good opponent, working against Albany. Last touchdown catch was defended by Aamir Hall, former UR d-back.

 

[DTSpider]

Silver lining is that I flipped over to the D3 title game - has been incredibly entertaining

 

[Mo 2.0]

Silver lining is that I flipped over to the D3 title game - has been incredibly entertaining

Yes, great game.

 

[Eight Legger]

Like I was saying, crazy that the line was much too close...

 

[spider fan]

59 to 0 is an annihilation..................

 

[urfan1]

59 to 0 is an annihilation..................

I agree, the CAA has its work cut out to regain top dog status.

 

[mojo-spider]

59 to 0 is an annihilation..................

very reminiscent of the Indians loss to Montana State last season...looks like Villanova's competitive loss to SDST earns them bragging rights as the mythical CAA Champion among the Champions! 😉

Go Spiders!

 

[Gallipoli]

With 6 days between games and two of those were travel, it is hard to be fresh. Albany's defense was really run down. You could tell watching the game.

 

[SpiderRick]

I would love to see a switch to neutral sites for the semifinals. CAA (and other East Coast teams) are definitely are at a disadvantage when traveling west. Not just time zone differences, but also altitude and especially December weather. It's a different kind of cold that you can't become acclimated to in a few days, so don't give me this "they all have to play in the same weather". Plus, with the top two teams having home field advantage this really stacks the deck every year. When is the last time that NDSU lost at home against a non-league opponent?? While I agree that CAA programs are far behind but at least they can level the playing field some. Maybe if the CAA didn't have to play in the likes of Montana, eastern Washington, and Dakotas every year, we might have a fighting chance.

But that will never happen ($$$)

 

[spider fan]

I would love to see a switch to neutral sites for the semifinals. CAA (and other East Coast teams) are definitely are at a disadvantage when traveling west. Not just time zone differences, but also altitude and especially December weather. It's a different kind of cold that you can't become acclimated to in a few days, so don't give me this "they all have to play in the same weather". Plus, with the top two teams having home field advantage this really stacks the deck every year. When is the last time that NDSU lost at home against a non-league opponent?? While I agree that CAA programs are far behind but at least they can level the playing field some. Maybe if the CAA didn't have to play in the likes of Montana, eastern Washington, and Dakotas every year, we might have a fighting chance.

But that will never happen ($$$)

Rick - the East Coast teams need USMC cold weather training!

 

[spiderjpo]

Seeds and home games are big advantages in playoffs. Travel, home field advantage and preparation time are huge. I agree with Rick regarding neutral field for semifinals. Don’t forget both seeded CAA teams advanced to final 8 and one to final four. We are fine in this conference at this point.

 

[gcarter52]

Turnovers killed UA last night!

 

[CarolinaSpider]

SDSU looked quicker and faster in all aspects of the game. Nova game was totally different
and SDSU based on Nova looked beatable. Night and day from one week to the next.

 

[DTSpider]

CAA teams just need to be better during the regular season to get higher seeds.

The problem with the east coast is all the perennial powers moved to FBS.

 

[Eight Legger]

SDSU is a really good team. They wouldn't have won 59-0 in Albany, but they would have won by plenty there.

 

[SpiderGuy]

SDSU is a really good team. They wouldn't have won 59-0 in Albany, but they would have won by plenty there.

Agree.

They are the real deal in FCS. Very fluid and well coached. Good athletes.

 

[ncspiderfan]

SDSU is a really good team. They wouldn't have won 59-0 in Albany, but they would have won by plenty there.

Others mentioned the quick turnaround as a factor and while I agree SDSU was going to win the game. I think Albany getting the Friday night game was not the luckiest think that could have happened, as I believe they did not get home until late Sunday from the week before. Seems NDSU and Montana would have been a better choice for that time slot and give Albany another day of prep, but ESPN probably set the times and $$$$ were the reason, if I had to guess.

I cannot remember if the Spider 38-0 drubbing at the hands of Eastern Washington occurred on a Friday night years ago, but I know they had to travel back-to-back weekends out west just like Albany did.

Furman did not need to lose to Wofford or whoever it was the last game of the regular season this year, or an eastern team would have had a high seed and maybe the question gets answered a little.

CAA teams that make playoffs in future will need to have no slip-ups in conference play with the conference play so unbalanced. One misstep and it is on the road time.