Winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship is not enough for South Carolina State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough.

With the Bulldogs headed to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 1982, head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough sees an opportunity to earn his program more respect nationally in the polls and the conference greater credibility.

“Because we’ve had a little stretch where we haven’t done quite as well, we’ve been penalized in a way that’s not fair,” said Pough Monday, in reference to the MEAC’s nine-game losing streak in the postseason. “So we want to try to see if we could do something to clean some of that up and if they give us a chance to, if our kids can come out and play well I think we possibility can.”

Pough believes this year’s S.C. State team is a “stronger entry” into the playoffs than last year’s MEAC champion Delaware State. He cited the margin of victory in the Hornets’ conference wins last year (9.1) as compared to S.C. State’s current margin of 19 through seven MEAC games as an example.

Nevertheless, Pough believes the Bulldogs (9-2, 7-0) must finish the season this Saturday at North Carolina A&T (3-8, 1-6) in dominating fashion to even receive consideration for a higher playoff seeding.

“The fact that we have the possibility of winning 10 games and the fact that the only two losses we have were to (Football) Bowl Subdivision teams (Central Florida and Clemson) I think should mean something in people’s though process,” he said. “It’s just that we don’t have quite enough non-conference wins against quality opponents is the only reason why I haven’t ranked us any higher.”

S.C. State has won the last seven meetings against the Aggies, who changed coaches three weeks ago in promoting defensive coordinator George Ragsdale. At the same time, Pough is a student of history and remembers when a 10-1 North Carolina A&T team went into the 2003 season-finale against S.C. State having already clinched the conference title and a postseason berth and was trounced 49-9.

Ironically, a victory Saturday by the Bulldogs would give the Aggies a

9-49 record since that Nov. 22, 2003 defeat in Charlotte. Conversely, S.C. State has gone 41-14 and claimed two MEAC championships during the same stretch.

“That almost sounds like we really need to be on our Ps and Qs because these guys may whoop up there this Saturday,” Pough said. “But I guarantee you, it won’t be because we let our guard down. We’re going there real prepared.”

Along with winning 10 games and an eight consecutive game for the first time since the 1994 MEAC and Black College Football National Championship Bulldog team, the goal this Saturday according to Pough is to remain “healthy and continue to play effectively.”

“I want our team not to do anything that’s going to be a chink in our armor of sorts,” he said. “I don’t want us to go out and can’t run the football and can’t throw it. I don’t need for North Carolina A&T to run the football down our throats to kind of bring something to light that we haven’t possibly seen all year. I just hope that we continue to play as we’ve played in the past and play effectively.”

 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION COACHES POLL

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — The top 25 teams in the Coaches Football Championship Subdivision poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 16 and previous ranking:

Record Pts Pvs

1. James Madison (28) 9-1 700 1

2. Appalachian State 9-2 668 2

3. Cal Poly 8-1 633 3

4. Northern Iowa 9-2 615 4

5. Montana 10-1 589 5

6. Richmond 8-3 559 6

7. Villanova 8-2 520 7

8. Weber State 9-2 505 8

9. Southern Illinois 8-2 472 9

10. Wofford 8-2 433 11

11. New Hampshire 8-2 414 12

12. Central Arkansas 9-2 372 13

13. McNeese State 7-3 338 14

14. Elon 7-3 331 10

15. South Carolina State 9-2 311 17

16. Harvard 8-1 219 19

17. Maine 8-3 210 23

18. UT Martin 8-3 207 21

19. William and Mary 7-3 171 15

20. Liberty 9-2 164 22

21. Jacksonville State 8-3 117 NR

22. Colgate 8-2 115 24

23. Furman 7-4 106 16

24. North Dakota State 6-4 61 25

25. Tennessee State 8-3 56 18

Other receiving votes: Prairie View A&M (49), Grambling State (40), Western Illinois (28), Montana State (19), Eastern Kentucky (18), Holy Cross (18), Massachusetts (12), South Dakota State (8), Florida A&M (8), Bethune-Cookman (7), Texas State (4), Jacksonville (3).

SPORTS NETWORK FCS POLL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The top 25 teams in The Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 16 and previous ranking:

Record Pts Pvs

1. James Madison (106) 9-1 2,986 1

2. Appalachian State (13) 9-2 2,871 2

3. Cal Poly (1) 8-1 2,623 3

4. Northern Iowa 9-2 2,517 4

5. Montana 10-1 2,499 5

6. Villanova 8-2 2,355 6

7. Richmond 8-3 2,188 7

8. Weber State 9-2 2,161 8

9. Wofford 8-2 2,005 9

10. Southern Illinois 8-2 1,988 10

11. New Hampshire 8-2 1,659 13

12. Elon 8-3 1,473 11

13. Central Arkansas 9-2 1,448 15

14. McNeese State 7-3 1,272 16

15. South Carolina State 9-2 1,231 17

16. William & Mary 7-3 1,106 12

17. Maine 8-3 900 21

18. Tennessee-Martin 8-3 863 20

19. Harvard 8-1 769 19

20. Furman 7-4 595 14

21. Colgate 8-2 506 23

22. Liberty 9-2 409 24

23. Western Illinois 6-4 338 25

24. Jacksonville State 8-3 242 NR

25. Tennessee State 8-3 238 18

Others receiving votes: Holy Cross 196, Prairie View 185, Eastern Kentucky 174, North Dakota State 147, Grambling 117, Montana State 111, Texas State 107, South Dakota State 87, Lafayette 47, Massachusetts 43, Florida A&M 35, Albany 28, Georgia Southern 23, Bethune-Cookman 18, Brown 10, Northern Arizona 7, Dayton 6, Jacksonville 5, San Diego 4, Yale 3, Monmouth 2 Northwestern State 2, South Dakota 2.

ANYGIVENSATURDAY.COM FCS POLL

1. James Madison

2. Appalachian State

3. Cal Poly

4. Northern Iowa

5. Montana

6. Villanova

7. Richmond

8. Weber State

9. Southern Illinois

10. Wofford

11. New Hampshire

12. Elon

13. Central Arkansas

14. Maine

15. William and Mary

16. McNeese State

17. South Carolina State

18. Harvard

19. Tennessee-Martin

20. Furman

21. Colgate

22. Western Illinois

23. Jacksonville State

24. Liberty

25. South Dakota State

 

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