1. I'm told Youngstown State has a VERY good chance of making the playoffs if it can upset North Dakota State on Saturday.

If that's true, it means the Missouri Valley could be the first conference in FCS history to have six playoff teams in the same year. North Dakota State (which holds the tiebreaker for the conference's automatic bid) and Illinois State are already in and Northern Iowa should be in with five conference wins, including one over North Dakota State.

That leaves three teams who could end up 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the MVFC: YSU, Indiana State and South Dakota State.

YSU beat SDSU and lost to ISU.

ISU beat YSU and lost to SDSU.

SDSU beat ISU and lost to YSU.

The Jackrabbits and Sycamores both played a better non-conference schedule, so the Penguins aren't going to get any help there. But a season-ending win over NDSU would be the most impressive win of any of the three teams.

2. Indiana State plays at Western Illinois (4-7, 2-5) on Saturday and South Dakota State hosts South Dakota (2-9, 0-7), so it would be surprising if either of those teams lost.

The Colonial Athletic Association is the only FCS conference to ever have five playoff teams in a single year — it's happened three times — but considering the MVFC's domination of the rest of the FCS this year (and the perception that the conference got slighted last season by only advancing two teams), it could set the stage for six teams to advance.

For the record, of the 62 MVFC teams to finish with eight wins in a season, 56 have made the playoffs. YSU has missed out three times (2001, 2005, 2013) but the first two came when only 16 teams made the playoffs. Now, 24 teams do.

3. The MVFC went 23-1 against the rest of the FCS this season, with last-place South Dakota suffering the lone loss at then-No. 4 Montana, 28-20. The Grizzlies (7-4, 5-2) are now ranked 13th in the country.

The Gridiron Power Index, which is sort of like the old BCS rankings for the FCS, has nine MVFC teams ranked in the top 25, including five in the top seven. The MVFC is also ranked ahead of several FBS conferences. There's a perception that the playoff committee has shown an East Coast bias in the past (which is probably true), but I'd be surprised if that happens this year.

4. Some think there's an outside chance YSU could make the playoffs even if it loses a close game on Saturday, but I just don't see it.

Penguins coach Eric Wolford likes to talk about how they've already beat three ranked teams, but in reality, it's only one.

Missouri State (4-7, 1-6) was ranked 23rd and Southern Illinois (6-5, 3-4) was 14th when they lost to YSU, but both those teams are now outside the top 25 and in the bottom half of the MVFC. South Dakota State was 13th when it lost to

YSU and is now 15th.

YSU's other conference win was against South Dakota (2-9, 0-7). None of the Penguins' three non-conference wins came against full-scholarship FCS schools.

In short, the Penguins could use another quality win on their resume.

5. If YSU wins Saturday, I'm told the Penguins will bid aggressively for a first-round home game.

In the FCS, home games come down to bids, not playoff resumes, which Jim Tressel used to his advantage all through the 1990s. Many FCS teams don't want to host home games because it's not worth the cost, particularly on Thanksgiving weekend when a lot of people are traveling and students aren't on campus.

6. One problem: Because Stambaugh Stadium's lighting doesn't meet network standards, the Penguins will probably be forced to play during the daytime, which means going head-to-head with the Ohio State-Michigan game, which starts at noon.

You can read more about that http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/09/strollo-upgrades-needed-coming/?newswatch" target="_blank">here.

7. At this point, there are probably some readers asking, "So, is Wolford going to get fired, or what?"

Let me start by saying we didn't ask him about his future at this week's press conference — I'm sure I'll ask that question after Saturday's game — but he gave no indication he didn't expect to be back next year.

In fact, when asked about the difference between YSU and North Dakota State, he mentioned the need to get more height and size at the skill positions. Wolford believes the Penguins have narrowed the gap at the line of scrimmage but he plans to recruit more in places like Chicago and Wisconsin this offseaosn to find bigger recruits at linebacker and the skill positions.

8. Do I think Wolford will be back?

My gut feeling is he needs to win on Saturday, and here's why:

- Wolford has made about $1.3 million in salary over his first five seasons and is 18-21 in conference play.

- There's been about 1,000 fans in the stands for the second half of the last two home games.

- This would have been the last year of his original five-year deal, but he signed a one-year about a week before this season started. It contains a very manageable buyout, particularly if he plans to coach somewhere else next year.

There's no way YSU can afford to keep handing out one-year extensions. At some point, the university either needs to make a long-term commitment or make a change.