SoCon’s strength shows in four FCS playoff teams

Southern Conference

It seems as though reports of the Southern Conference’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Two seasons after the league put only one team in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs – the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga – the SoCon has four entries in the 24-team bracket, with UTC, The Citadel, Wofford and Samford earning spots.

Three of those teams start with home games, with the Mocs hosting Weber State from the Big Sky Conference and Wofford entertaining Charleston Southern from the Big South. The Citadel, the No. 6 overall seed, will have a bye and will face the Wofford-Charleston Southern winner.

“After seeing Samford get in, we knew we had to get in,” Wofford senior safety Jaleel Green told GoUpstate.com. “It’s my first time in the playoffs, and the fact that we get a home game is amazing.”

Samford, which had to sweat out Sunday’s selection show due to a 15-14 loss to East Tennessee State on Saturday, slipped in but will travel to Youngstown State from the Missouri Valley Conference.