Torero trouble, again

Sports Network Director of I-AA Football Matt Dougherty has posted his weekly playoff forecast, suggesting that San Diego’s playoff hopes are not as high as Toreros Jim Harbaugh would have every one believe. This is a side issue at the moment, but UCD (assuming, and this is no longer a safe assumption, it takes care of business against Sac State) needs San Diego not to be invited in order to have shot at continuing its 36-year winning-season streak. I quoted Dougherty earlier this week in a piece about San Diego’s chances. He seems to be echoing the company line that holds San Diego simply has not been tested enough this year to have earned a playoff spot.

Here’s the argument for San Diego: The Toreros went 10-0 and killed everyone on their schedule. The average score in their games was 46-11.

Here’s the argument against San Diego: The Toreros went 10-0 and killed everyone on their schedule. Their average score in their games was 46-11, because they played nobody. San Diego’s non-conference slate included such powers as Dixie State (one year removed from being a junior college) and Azuza Pacific (which is in the NAIA and went 3-7) this year. Its conference is basically glorified Division III football. Non-scholarship I-AA football exists because D-I basketball schools must play at D-I in all sports. The choice for schools like San Diego, Valparaiso and Dayton is not between scholarship I-AA and non-scholarship. It’s between dropping the sport or keeping it and playing on the cheap.

There are some things that would hurt the Toreros chances: Montana is a lock for the postseason, but if it loses to Montana State Saturday, it would take one of those at-large slots. There’s a three-way tie in the Ohio Valley Conference, there are a lot of scenarios and possible auto bid winners, and only one team, Tennessee-Martin, that looks like a pretty good at-large chance. The at-large spots taken, the fewer there are for San Diego. The field will be announced Sunday at 10 a.m. PT

Here’s how I voted in these week’s Top 25 poll: 1. Appalachian St. 2. NDSU; 3. Montana; 4. Youngstown; 5. Umass; 6. Illinois St; 7. Furman; 8. James Madison; 9. Southern Ill.; 10. Hampton; 11. Eastern Ill; 12. Tenn-Martin; 13. New Hampshire; 14. Portland St.; 15. Cal Poly; 16. South Dakota St.; 17. Northern Iowa; 18. Coastal Carolina; 19. Montana St.; 20. Alabama A&M; 21. Towson; 22. Delaware St.; 23. Wofford; 24. San Diego; 25. Central Ark.