Three types of playoff bids are awarded. Pool A bids go to each winner of the 19 conferences large enough to receive an automatic qualifier. Pool B bids are awarded by a selection committee to the six best teams that are not in an AQ conference. The three Pool C bids may then go to any team; in practice, the committee generally picks second-place teams from AQ conferences, and for good reason—they’re almost always the best teams that are left.

Once the 28-team field is decided, the teams are split into four (roughly) regional brackets and seeded by the selection committee; the top team in each bracket gets a first-round bye. The regional winners pair off in the semifinals, and the winners of those two games go on to the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va. on December 20.

In 2004, the UCAA will add Coast Guard, King’s Point, and WPI, bringing its membership up to the eight teams needed to receive an automatic qualifier. For now, though, RPI is competing for one of the six Pool B bids.

There are only two other Pool B teams that are undefeated, so even though the most recent NCAA rankings put both Ithaca and Brockport State ahead of RPI (despite each having one loss), a win over Hobart should easily translate to a playoff slot, and possibly a home game in the first round.

A loss to Hobart would cloud the picture—there are several Pool B schools with one loss apiece, and very few head-to-head games or even common opponents among those teams. Strength of schedule would then become the dominant factor in the selection committee’s decision, and RPI’s opponents were collectively quite weak: None of them will be playoff teams, and only St. John Fisher and Hobart are even close.

The selection committee will announce its choices on Sunday, November 16 at 1 pm.