America East

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Sacred Heart and Stony Brook traded touchdowns in the first half before the Seawolves forced a fumble and took it back for the touchdown that would be the difference maker in their 31-28 victory in the America East Conference Championship. The Pioneers trailed 21-17 at halftime and would score again in the third quarter to cut the deficit to three but the defenses of both teams stepped up, keeping the fourth period scoreless and preserving the Stony Brook victory. The Seawolves finish the year at 9-4 and punch their automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Sacred Heart looks to make a splash in the mega bracket after also finishing the season at 9-4.

Delta Intercollegiate

ITTA BENA, Miss. — Eastern Kentucky scored on their first two possessions in the first quarter en-route to a 28-14 win over Mississippi Valley State in the Delta Intercollegiate Conference Championship game. The Delta Devils managed to put the ball in the end zone midway through the second quarter but the Colonels answered right back to make it 21-7 before halftime. Both teams only scored once in third quarter and the defenses held strong in the final period. Eastern Kentucky punches their automatic bid to the FCS playoffs after finishing the year at 7-3, while MVSU finishes at 8-4 and hopes that their playoff seed doesn’t take too big of a hit.

Ivy League

PRINCETON, NJ. — #2 Princeton used defense and a little gust of wind to hold off #9 Yale and win the Ivy League Championship game 42-41. Yale’s passing attack was on point, with the Bulldogs tallying almost 500 yards through the air and holding the Tigers to less just 303 yards on the day. A touchdown return and a pick six put Princeton up 42-35 before they fumbled the ball away with 2:50 left in the game, giving Yale possession at their own 32. The Bulldog offense marched down the field for the score and sent the kicking unit out to send the game into overtime. Right as the Yale kicker’s foot met the pigskin, a gust of wind kicked up from the southeast and pushed the PAT wide of the uprights. Princeton improves to 10-3 with Yale’s record being the same after the loss. The Ivy League was one of the most entertaining all season long and their finale did not disappoint!

Southland

NORMAL, Ill. — Incarnate Word scored on every offensive possession to saunter past Lamar 59-31 in the Battle Of the Cardinals, otherwise known as the Southland Conference Championship. Both teams scored early and often in the first quarter and were tied at 14 but turnovers proved to be the difference maker as the Incarnate Word defense forced two turnovers on the day and didn’t allow a point in the second quarter. Lamar’s hopes for sneaking into the playoffs were dashed as they dropped to 5-8 and miss out on the auto-bid opportunity. Incarnate Word improves to 8-2 and will most likely move up in the committee rankings as a result.

Atlantic Sun

CLEMSON, SC. — #24 Bethune-Cookman scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter on their way to a 38-31 win over #8 Chattanooga. Despite the lopsided first half the Mocs came roaring back in the fourth, scoring 17 points and closing the gap to a touchdown with only 0:46 left. The hands team couldn’t convert the onside kick and the Wildcats took a knee twice to end the game. While both teams played well on offense, Bethune-Cookman took the ball away four times on the day and that proved to be the difference maker in this one. The Wildcats finish the season 7-3 and punch their automatic ticket to the playoffs, while the Mocs finish at 8-4 and hope not to fall too far down the seeding.

Great Plains

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa. — #9 Northern Iowa went +2 on turnovers and 2/2 on field goals in their 33-23 win over #7 Dayton in the Great Plains Championship. 8 of the 11 total drives on the day ended with a score. It was the intereception by the Northern Iowa defense with 4:09 left to play that sealed this one and despite the Panthers being up by two scores, the Flyers didn’t give up down the stretch, scoring a touchdown with 0:09 left in the fourth quarter but failing on the two-point conversion. Northern Iowa improves to 11-3 on the year and will move up in the playoff seeding while Dayton drops to 7-3 and hopes to remain in the top 24.

Big Sky

MISSOULA, MT. — #3 Cal Poly barely outlasted #1 Montana 38-35 to win the Big Sky Championship. In the end the game’s only field goal, scored by the Mustangs in the 2nd quarter, proved to be the difference maker. Down four points at halftime, Cal Poly scored twice in the third quarter and never looked back. Cal Poly improve to 10-2 and eyes the #1 spot while Montana drops only their third loss of the season and will definitely still be ranked in the top 5 come playoff time.

Mid-America Athletic

HAMPTON, VA. — #14 Hampton overcame a 2-point halftime deficit and didn’t allow any points in the second half on their way to a 31-10 victory over Lafayette in the Mid-America Athletic Championship. The Pirates fell behind early, giving up a touchdown and a field goal in the first half and trailed 10-8 at the break. A turnover late in the second quarter led to the Leopard field goal. However Hampton came out looking like a new team in the second half, scoring 23 unanswered points and clinching their spot in the playoffs with a 9-3 record. Lafayette drops to 5-5 and will miss out on the championship rounds.

Carolina Football

CLINTON, SC. — No one is exactly sure what happened in this game but supposedly Presbyterian College defeated Elon 24-14 to win the Carolina Football Championship. The two teams started and ended this game so often that fans stopped caring and the second half was played on the Blue Hose practice field. Finally the referee blew his whistle and Presbyterian managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 7-3 record. Elon drops to 5-5 and will not play in the championship rounds.

Colonial Athletic

DOVER, Del. — Delaware State waited around until Morgan State gave up an automatic touchdown and then both teams waited around some more until the deadline came and the Hornets won the Colonial Athletic Championship 8-0. Delaware State finishes 9-4 on the year and heads to the playoffs while Morgan State finishes 4-2 and will not compete for the championship.