He’s got a few more days, and SIU athletic director Mario Moccia is taking every single one of them before signing away a bid for the Football Championship Subdivision home playoff game.
Third-ranked SIU (7-1, 6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) hasn’t reached the playoffs, of course, but schools have to bid before the field is announced. This year is no different, as Moccia has until Nov. 13 to make up his mind how much he wants to gamble.
“It’s really depending on where you think you’re going to end up,” Moccia said Wednesday.
If SIU is able to win Saturday, it’s very likely the Salukis will earn a top-four seed in the 16-team field. SIU finishes at home against Missouri State in the final home game at McAndrew Stadium and at Southeast Missouri State. The Salukis will be favored in both of those games, win or lose Saturday against No. 9 South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0). As the third-ranked team in the country and the fifth-ranked team in the GPI (the equivalent of the RPI in basketball), SIU could stand tall with another big road win.
However, SIU got jumped last year by Northern Iowa. Who’s to say it’s not jumped again by another team. The Salukis tied the Panthers last season for the MVFC title, but got the league’s playoff bid via it’s 27-24 victory. However, UNI got the field’s No. 3 seed, and SIU got to host New Hampshire. New Hampshire then ended SIU’s playoff road, and UNI reached the national semifinals.
Still a big celebration: Moccia told me Wednesday he doesn’t believe New York Giants tailback Brandon Jacobs or Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill will be able to make next week’s McAndrew finale. Jacobs is off, and Kill plays Thursday night, but both have hit some logistical hurdles to Carbondale.
All well. The team will still honor all its lettermen and have some special events planned for the big day. We’ll have more on those planned events next week.