Snubbed by the committee, Saluki Football heads into critical off-season
- Tom Weber
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois was left out of the 24-team FCS Playoff field on Sunday, as the committee dismissed SIU’s favorable power rating, strength of schedule, and yesterday’s overwhelming win at Illinois State.
At the end of training camp, subscribers might remember that StrongDawgs predicted an 8-4 season for SIU, plus or minus one game, so a 7-5 finish was in-line with our expectations.
I also projected Southern would be a playoff team, and that prediction fell through. Several analysts pointed out that SIU only had six Division I wins, because it played Division II Thomas More. That’s a fair point, and that game should not have been scheduled.
However, Southern’s overall strength of schedule was still No. 13 in the nation. The Salukis played seven road games against FCS teams and only four at home. SIU's losses came against the No. 1, No. 6, No. 9 and No. 16 teams in the Massey ratings.
The majority of teams in the field don’t have a statement win the caliber of SIU’s 30-point beatdown of Illinois State, much less its overall power rating of No. 15.
I understand the optics of the committee not wanting to put seven Valley teams in. It’s just a shame that New Hampshire, for example, gets in at 8-4 with no wins over anyone in the field, plus a loss to an Ivy.
Honestly, the FCS Playoffs is not about getting the best 24 teams together for a tournament, not when you provide auto bids to the Ivy and Pioneer leagues.
The season has ended for Saluki Football, and we'll spend some time in the weeks ahead reflecting on the players, performances and memorable moments from 2025.
First, we turn our attention to four key topics that must be addressed in the coming weeks. It’s a critical off-season for the program, and our paid subscribers get an early look at what’s ahead…
