S.C. State deserves a home game

South Carolina State already knows it is headed for the NCAA playoffs, the only one of the Palmetto State's 10 FCS and Division II teams to claim that distinction.

The only question that remains for coach Buddy Pough's 9-1 Bulldogs, who claimed the MEAC title and an automatic berth last week, is the location of their playoff destination.

The 16-team Football Championship Subdivision playoff bracket will be announced Sunday, and it says here that the Bulldogs deserve a home game in Orangeburg.

S.C. State, which has lost only to South Carolina, already is ranked No. 7 in both the FCS coaches' poll and The Sports Network's media poll, the highest the Bulldogs have been ranked since 1982.

That ranking is important, as only eight playoff teams will get to host first-round games. A win over North Carolina A&T this week could move the Bulldogs even higher in the polls.

Another factor in the Bulldogs' favor -- S.C. State ranks 5th in FCS in attendance, averaging 18,050 fans per game at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. That's behind only FCS powers Montana, Appalachian State and Delaware, and Old Dominion, which just revived its football program this season.

"If we're fortunate enough to make the playoffs, I think (increased attendance) makes us a lot more attractive," Pough told The State newspaper earlier this season. "(NCAA officials) use a formula: rankings, then facilities, then (attendance) numbers."

Last season, the FCS playoff committee sent the Bulldogs to then-defending champion App State, where S.C. State acquitted itself well, taking a 14-10 lead before losing 37-21.

In making the playoffs for a second straight year, the Bulldogs have shown they are no one-hit wonder and deserve consideration for a home game.

What can make that happen?

First, of course, a win over N.C. A&T for a second straight 10-win season is vital.

Then, it would help if some teams ahead of S.C. State lose this weekend. No. 2 Villanova has a tough home game against No. 25 Delaware, and No. 5 William & Mary is at No. 4 Richmond, the defending FCS champion.

No. 6 App State's win over Elon last week might have locked up a home game for the Mountaineers, who face struggling Western Carolina this week. And it might have sent No. 10 Elon, which ranks just 37th in attendance and is at Samford this week, on the road for the playoffs.

In fact, how much fun would it be to see Elon's passing duo of Scott Riddle and Terrell Hudgins face off against Malcolm Long and Tre Young in Orangeburg?

--Young, a former Burke High standout who had six receptions for 166 yards, two touchdowns and posted 313 all-purpose yards in a win over Morgan State, earned Heritage Sports Radio Network national player of the week honors.

Extra points

Coastal Carolina coach David Bennett recorded his 50th victory as the Chants' coach in last week's 41-37 win over Presbyterian.

"Folks around here probably feel that 50 wins should have come two years ago," said Bennett, who is 50-28 in seven seasons at Coastal.

--Charleston Southern is 6-0 in November over the last two seasons, and a remarkable 12-3 in the month since 2005. The Bucs will put their November win streak on the line against Coastal Carolina this week. The winning team clinches a winning record for the season.

--At 0-10, Presbyterian has one final chance to avoid its first winless season since 1957. The Blue Hose play host this week to Gardner-Webb, which is 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big South.

Presbyterian has scored 69 points in its last two games, losses to Coastal and Charleston Southern.

"Their offense forces you to pick up your pace," Bennett said, "because they are going to do their thing and get yards and points. The most points we had scored all year was 28, and I knew in my heart we'd have to score more than that to beat them."

PC freshman Lance Byrd has rushed for 422 yards and two TDs in the Blue Hose's last two games.

--North Greenville defensive end Andre Bernardi, a Division II All-American, will play in the East Coast Bowl All-Star Game on Nov. 28 in Petersburg, Va. ... Newberry safety Ron Parker, a junior from Beaufort High School, was named South Atlantic Conference defensive player of the year.