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The 2012 FCS playoff selection show will take place on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. MT and can be seen on ESPNU. While the Northern Colorado Bears won't be in the postseason -- they finished 5-6 (a huge improvement from its 0-11 2011 season -- its conference, the Big Sky, should be well-represented when the field is announced.
The Montana St. Bobcats, No. 2 in both the Coaches and media polls, finished the season at 10-1 following a 16-7 victory over the Montana Grizzlies in the Brawl of the Wild on Saturday. The team's only loss came against the Eastern Washington Eagles, also of the Big Sky. The Bobcats are likely to take the No. 2 playoff seed and a first-round bye
Eastern Washington had been the No. 1 FCS team before a loss to Southern Utah on Oct. 27. That was the team's only loss in Big Sky play, but it had also lost to Washington State, 24-20, in September. The Eagles are also in play for one of the top five seeds, likely No. 4 or No. 5. At 7-1 in conference play, Eastern Washington is in a three-way tie for first place with Montana State and Cal Poly, but with wins over both those teams the Eagles have the Big Sky auto-bid.
Two other Big Sky teams, Cal Poly and Northern Arizona, remain in the hunt for at-large bids. Cal Poly (9-2) is likely to get in after defeating Northern Arizona (8-3) on Saturday. Northern Arizona might sneak in as one of the last teams, but being one of the first teams out is a strong possibility.
No. 1 North Dakota State, the defending FCS champion, is headed to the No. 1 overall seed with a 10-1 record and the Missouri Valley Conference auto-bid. No. 3 Sam Houston State, No. 6 Georgia Southern, and No. 9 Wofford all lost to FBS teams. No. 16 Towson upended No. 7 New Hampshire, 64-35.
For a full field projection, visit NoBowls.com.