The NCAA Division II football playoff pairings have been announced, and the Albany State Rams are the sole black college football representative in the 2008 tournament. They will face Tusculum College this Saturday in Greenville, Tennessee.
Shaw University, who won its second-straight CIAA football championship last Saturday in a blowout victory over Elizabeth City State, made the regional rankings but did not qualify in the top eight slots for a shot at the post season. Both Elizabeth City State and Fayetteville State fell out of the Super Regional I rankings, despite the FSU Broncos inactivity and the loss of two other teams in the top ten.
The interesting thing about Albany State is that the Rams’ program is not even the best the SIAC has to offer. Tuskegee University, a program that has gone undefeated in the last two seasons, does not participate in the post season because of their commitment to the lucrative Turkey Day Classic with Alabama State University. While the Rams deserve credit for another solid season, some black college football enthusiasts still relegate their accomplishments to the shadows of the Golden Tigers.
On the CIAA side, the Shaw Bears should have a legitimate beef with the ranking committee. They defeated a Fayetteville State team that, in rankings released just one week ago, would have qualified for the playoffs. Two teams lose in the final week before the playoffs, and don’t fall out of the rankings in favor of teams who won out and qualified?
An interesting weekend in Division II black college football to say the least. Of course, the discussion is always open for hatred and insight in the forums.
