Just three weeks remain in the 2023 Football Championship Subdivision regular season. Now is when FCS Playoffs contenders begin to separate and offer some clarity to the postseason picture. 

Emphasis on begin to, as the forecast may be murkier than ever following some high-profile upsets in Week 9. 

In the Coastal Athletic Association, Rhode Island's overtime win over New Hampshire sends the Rams into their bye week still with a path to the postseason. 

The Wildcats' road there becomes more complicated with three weeks remaining. Their Week 10 matchup with Villanova — other than pace-setting Delaware, arguably the CAA's team most comfortably in the field as of the end of October — isn't necessarily make given the multitude of 7-4 and 8-3 squads likely to be vying for the Playoffs. 

However, another loss is definitely break. 

Also in the mix from the CAA, Richmond continues to surge after a slow start. The Spiders head into their bye week winners in four straight after a 44-13 rout of Campbell. 

Richmond coach Russ Huesman pointed out the Week 9 win was more competitive than the final score indicates — the Spiders held a narrow, 16-13 going into the fourth quarter before Wayne Galloway's pick-six changed the game's complexion. Regardless, Richmond hasn't just been winning over its streak, but winning big. 

Three of the four victories have been by double-digit margins, with the lone exception a 24-17 defeat of Rhode Island in which the Rams scored late. 

Big Sky 

Automatic: Montana (4) 

At-Large: Montana State (6), Idaho (5), Sacramento State 

On The Bubble: Portland State, UC Davis 

Big Sky Country featured one of the marquee games of the week, and Idaho-Montana State lived up to expectations. It also set the scene for a tense finish in a conference filled with potential top-eight seeds. 

🗣️📢#GoVandals https://t.co/8wq9XWrL3H pic.twitter.com/bBH9Krz7xQ

— Idaho Football (@VandalFootball) October 29, 2023

One of, if not the most heated rivalry in FCS is the Brawl of the Wild pitting Montana against Montana State, and this year's installment may well determine the Big Sky championship and important seeding in the Playoffs. 

Montana positioned itself nicely for home-field advantage through at least the quarterfinals if the postseason began today — but the Grizzlies face perhaps the most treacherous remaining three-game slate of any team in the country. One week before the Brawl of the Wild, they visit a Portland State bunch. that improved to 4-4 with a 47-35 defeat of Eastern Washington in Week 9. 

If the Vikings beat UC Davis in Week 10 in a matchup that will burst one team's bubble, PSU will welcome Montana to town with a ton on the line. And for Montana, that trip follows a huge upcoming top 10 showdown with Sacramento State. 

The Hornets can play their win into top eight-seeding over the final three weeks — as their placement at No. 7 in the latest STATS Perform Top 25 suggests — or land on the wrong side of the bubble, depending how things unfold.  

Idaho's huge win over Montana State put the Vandals in position to win no worse than a share of the Big Sky championship should they win out over a remaining slate of winless Northern Colorado; at 3-5 Weber State; and vs. 3-5 Idaho State. 

Big South-OVC 

Automatic: SEMO 

At-Large: None 

On The Bubble: UT Martin, Tennessee State 

An upset loss to Gardner-Webb dropped UT Martin into a four-team logjam with Tennessee State, Bryant and GWU in the loss column of the Big South-OVC alliance. Only Southeast Missouri remains undefeated in conference play, setting up a pivotal matchup on Nov. 11 at UTM. 

𝑾𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕!#dosomethinggreater pic.twitter.com/jnKVJmXWBr

— Gardner-Webb Football (@GWUFootball) October 28, 2023

If the Skyhawks win there, they'll have head-to-head tiebreakers over both SEMO and Tennessee State, but the head-to-head with fellow one-loss Gardner-Webb belongs to the Runnin' Bulldogs. GWU lost to Tennessee State, however; meanwhile, TSU and SEMO do not play. Thus, the final three weeks of the Big South-OVC could be particularly difficult to untangle. 

CAA 

Automatic: Delaware (3) 

At-Large: UAlbany, Villanova, William & Mary

On The Bubble: Richmond, Rhode Island, Elon, New Hampshire 

Delaware's dominance against FCS competition has the Blue Hens alone atop the CAA and in the mix for a top-two seed if the closing stretch breaks their way. With that in mind, the Notebook calls for Delaware as the No. 3 overall seed if the Playoffs began today, despite the Blue Hens checking in at an unchanged No. 5 in the Top 25. 

With the Big Sky occupying four of the top seven spots in the  Top 25, and the neighboring MVFC with half of the other six spots in the top 10, the selection committee's tendency to default to more regionally based matchups comes to mind. If resumes are similar, it stands to reason the committee is more apt to have East Coast programs Delaware and Furman on the same bracket line. 

Of course, that all applies to if the Playoffs started today. With three more weeks to go and the potential for more shake-ups elsewhere, Delaware is in position to put itself in a most favorable spot. The Blue Hens can finish a perfect 10-0 against FCS opponents should they get past a remaining schedule that starts with a tough Elon team still in the mix for the CAA championship. 

This year's edition of the Battle of the Blue between Delaware and Villanova could also be the most high-stakes meeting of the longtime rivals since 2010. 

Villanova is at the forefront of a crowded CAA bubble, checking in on the right side this week along with UAlbany and William & Mary. The Tribe's win over Monmouth was sorely needed for last year's CAA co-champion to rejuvenate its playoff outlook, but William & Mary now faces a potential play-in game when it travels to UAlbany. 

William & Mary also wraps up with Richmond in another potential playoff play-in. 

MVFC 

Automatic: South Dakota State (1) 

At-Large: South Dakota (7), Southern Illinois, North Dakota State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Youngstown State  

On The Bubble: Illinois State 

A playoff field with seven MVFC teams is a very real possibility. Another genuine possibility is that North Dakota State ends up outside of the top eight and thus has to venture away from the Fargodome earlier than at any time since 2010. 

North Dakota State takes on an absolute gauntlet in the final three weeks, starting with unanimous No. 1 and reigning national champion South Dakota State. The Bison travel to face their Dakota Marker rivals in Week 10, host Southern Illinois in Week 1, then finish at Northern Iowa in Week 12. 

Each of the four currently project in the playoff field. 

Youngstown State, which has losses at Northern Iowa and South Dakota by three points apiece and a win over Southern Illinois, gets South Dakota State at home in Week 11. The Penguins are winless on the road this season and undefeated at home, but should clean up the former record against struggling Indiana State and Murray State. 

Brought it today at the 🏰‼#GoGuins // #LeaveNoDoubt pic.twitter.com/zvfpSbOXlJ

— Youngstown State Football (@ysufootball) October 28, 2023

NEC

Automatic: Duquesne 

At-Large: None 

On The Bubble: None 

The first automatic bid to be sealed could be Duquesne. The Dukes have rolled in the Northeast Conference and are up at least two games in the loss column on the rest of the league. A win over Wagner in Week 10 should clinch it. 

Patriot League

Automatic: Lafayette

At-Large: None 

On The Bubble: Holy Cross

Polls don't necessarily reflect how the playoff bracket will look, but Holy Cross sitting third among others receiving votes — ergo, No. 28 in the nation — could be an unfortunate indicator of the Crusaders' postseason aspirations. 

Holy Cross outlasted Fordham in a thriller last week, 49-47, bursting the Rams' bubble. However, with Lafayette beating Georgetown to move a step closer to the Patriot League championship, Holy Cross may need help from other conferences to get to a fifth consecutive Playoffs. 

Pioneer 

Automatic: Davidson 

At-Large: None

On The Bubble: None  

The Pioneer Football League inches closer to producing two undefeated co-champions in Davidson and Drake. The Wildcats cruised past Presbyterian in Week 9, 45-28, for their sixth consecutive win after an 0-2 start. 

Drake, which opened at 0-3 with losses to North Dakota and South Dakota State, won its fifth in a row with a 33-7 rout of Stetson. The Bulldogs go on the road twice down the stretch to face Marist and Butler, the latter wrapping up the regular season. 

Davidson closes out with back-to-back road games at Stetson and Morehead State before a home finale vs. Dayton. 

Southern

Automatic: Furman (2) 

At-Large: Chattanooga,  Mercer

On The Bubble: Western Carolina   

Mercer, seeking its first-ever trip to the FCS Playoffs, took a huge step in that direction with its 45-38 win at Western Carolina this past week. If the head-to-head is enough to elevate the Bears over WCU will be an intriguing storyline to follow as the two head down the home stretch. The Notebook defers to straight-up results in such scenarios, giving the edge to Mercer. 

Mercer closes out with The Citadel on the road this week and at home against Samford. Western Carolina has the marquee win over Chattanooga on its resume, and should get to 8-3 with a closing stretch of struggling Wofford and VMI on the road, book-ending a home date vs. ETSU. The Catamounts presumably need some help if Mercer also finishes 8-3 — and it may come from SoCon-leading Furman. 

The Paladins, currently in line for home-field advantage all the way to Frisco, travel to Finley Stadium this week. A Furman win puts Chattanooga at 7-3 with only the Mocs' bye week and a non-conference date against Alabama remaining. 

In much the same way Mercer's head-to-head win gives the Bears the inside track on an at-large berth, Western Carolina's defeat of the Mocs factors in once the season goes final. 

Southland

Automatic: UIW (8)    

At-Large: None 

On The Bubble: None 

It hasn't been easy for UIW the last few weeks. The Cardinals needed a second-half rally to overcome winless McNeese in Week 8, then outlasted Lamar in a 17-7 slog for first place. 

With Northwestern State cancelling the remainder of its season, UIW plays just two more games: the regular-season finale against Houston Christian, and this week's ostensible Southland Conference championship vs. Nicholls. 

The Colonels are tied with the Cardinals atop the Southland loss column and would move into the driver's seat for the automatic bid. That might be the only berth the Southland can claim this season, too. Despite its season-long positioning in the top 10, the Cardinals' resume is lacking for signature wins. Being pushed out of the automatic berth would make for a difficult at-large pitch should the Cardinals finish 8-2. 

UAC 

Automatic: Austin Peay 

At-Large: None

On The Bubble: Central Arkansas  

Central Arkansas came into its Week 9 meeting with Tarleton State having played three straight games decided by a field goal or less. The streak continued against Tarleton, but for the first time, the Bears came out on the losing end. 

Tarleton gets the stop on the two-point conversion, and the Texans are going to win this game ‼️ pic.twitter.com/O7xvS8AO2C

— Tarleton Football (@TarletonFB) October 29, 2023

The 25-23 thriller leaves Austin Peay, a winner of six straight, tied atop the UAC with Eastern Kentucky in the league's inaugural year. That matter resolves itself in Week 10, as the streaking Colonels travel to EKU. 

The pairing of Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay kicks off a three-week round robin that may determine the conference's playoff representative. EKU travels to Central Arkansas the next week, then the Bears wrap up with the Colonels in a potential de facto conference title game. 

Tarleton could conceivably factor in, but needs a ton of help.