ursus arctos horribilis
January 9th, 2020, 04:40 PM
CAA HEADLINES
PLAYOFF SUCCESS: This is the 11th time since 2003 that CAA Football has had a team in the FCS title game, with four different schools combining to win five national titles during that stretch - Delaware (2003), JMU (2004, 2016), Richmond (2008) and Villanova (2009). Former member UMass also claimed a national title in 1998. CAA teams are 6-6 all-time in the FCS national championship game.
FAMILIAR FOE: This is the third time in four years that JMU and North Dakota State have met in the FCS playoffs. The Dukes beat the Bison, 27-17, at the Fargodome in the 2016 semifinals, ending NDSU's 22-game playoff win streak. JMU went on to defeat Youngstown State, 28-14, in the title game. The two teams met in the championship game in 2017, with NDSU earning a 17-13 victory that snapped JMU's 26-game winning streak.
DOMINANT ON DEFENSE: James Madison ranks among the top three in FCS in rushing defense (1st/61.1 ypg), total defense (1st/264.7 ypg) and scoring defense (3rd/14.9 ppg). The Dukes haven't given up more than 270 total yards to a foe in their last eight games.
STREAKING: The FCS title game not only features the top two seeds, but also the two teams with the longest winning streaks in FCS. #1 North Dakota State has won a FCS-record 36 straight games, while #2 James Madison has won 14 in a row after a narrow 20-13 loss at Big 12 member West Virginia in the season opener.
MVFC HEADLINES
The MVFC has nine total titles, the most by an FCS league. This year marks the 14th title game appearance for an MVFC member. The SoCon leads with 16 trips.
16 - Southern Conference (8 titles)
14 - Missouri Valley Football Conference (9 titles)
14 - Big Sky Conference (6 titles)
13 - CAA Football (6 titles)
12 - Independents (9 titles)*
8 - Southland Conference (1 title)
4 - Ohio Valley Conference (2 titles)
*includes 5 combined trips by YSU (4) and SIU (1), with 4 FCS titles when they played as independents.
Dominance By Decade: The MVFC is 66-28 (.702) since 2010 in the playoffs -- which includes 11 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 55-17 against teams from other leagues.) Only one other league has a winning record in the playoffs since 2010 (CAA Football is 44-38.)
Title Contenders: The 2019 season marks the 14th title appearance for a league team. The league is 9-4 in previous title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league. All 14 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997. NDSU has extended the MVFC’s record for having a title-game participant to nine-straight seasons.
Title Games, Consecutive Years: In 2019, North Dakota State gave the MVFC a title-game team for an FCS-record ninth-straight year. The CAA (5 in a row from 2006-10), OVC (4-straight from 1979-82) and SoCon (4 appearances in a row from 1998-2001) are next on the list. Last year featured an MVFC (NDSU) and Big Sky (Eastern Washington) matchup.
PLAYOFF SUCCESS: This is the 11th time since 2003 that CAA Football has had a team in the FCS title game, with four different schools combining to win five national titles during that stretch - Delaware (2003), JMU (2004, 2016), Richmond (2008) and Villanova (2009). Former member UMass also claimed a national title in 1998. CAA teams are 6-6 all-time in the FCS national championship game.
FAMILIAR FOE: This is the third time in four years that JMU and North Dakota State have met in the FCS playoffs. The Dukes beat the Bison, 27-17, at the Fargodome in the 2016 semifinals, ending NDSU's 22-game playoff win streak. JMU went on to defeat Youngstown State, 28-14, in the title game. The two teams met in the championship game in 2017, with NDSU earning a 17-13 victory that snapped JMU's 26-game winning streak.
DOMINANT ON DEFENSE: James Madison ranks among the top three in FCS in rushing defense (1st/61.1 ypg), total defense (1st/264.7 ypg) and scoring defense (3rd/14.9 ppg). The Dukes haven't given up more than 270 total yards to a foe in their last eight games.
STREAKING: The FCS title game not only features the top two seeds, but also the two teams with the longest winning streaks in FCS. #1 North Dakota State has won a FCS-record 36 straight games, while #2 James Madison has won 14 in a row after a narrow 20-13 loss at Big 12 member West Virginia in the season opener.
MVFC HEADLINES
The MVFC has nine total titles, the most by an FCS league. This year marks the 14th title game appearance for an MVFC member. The SoCon leads with 16 trips.
16 - Southern Conference (8 titles)
14 - Missouri Valley Football Conference (9 titles)
14 - Big Sky Conference (6 titles)
13 - CAA Football (6 titles)
12 - Independents (9 titles)*
8 - Southland Conference (1 title)
4 - Ohio Valley Conference (2 titles)
*includes 5 combined trips by YSU (4) and SIU (1), with 4 FCS titles when they played as independents.
Dominance By Decade: The MVFC is 66-28 (.702) since 2010 in the playoffs -- which includes 11 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 55-17 against teams from other leagues.) Only one other league has a winning record in the playoffs since 2010 (CAA Football is 44-38.)
Title Contenders: The 2019 season marks the 14th title appearance for a league team. The league is 9-4 in previous title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league. All 14 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997. NDSU has extended the MVFC’s record for having a title-game participant to nine-straight seasons.
Title Games, Consecutive Years: In 2019, North Dakota State gave the MVFC a title-game team for an FCS-record ninth-straight year. The CAA (5 in a row from 2006-10), OVC (4-straight from 1979-82) and SoCon (4 appearances in a row from 1998-2001) are next on the list. Last year featured an MVFC (NDSU) and Big Sky (Eastern Washington) matchup.