UTC head coach Russ Huesman (right) shakes hands with Western Carolina head coach Mark Speir after the Mocs defeated the Catamounts 51-0.Mocs Glance• UTC (7-3) at Tennessee Tech (4-6)• Saturday, 2:30 p.m. EST, Tucker Stadium, Cookeville, Tenn.• 96.1 FM
Although the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team cleared the most important hurdles of the season by winning the Southern Conference championship and claiming only the second NCAA playoff spot in program history, there still remains work to do.
The Mocs want to host a playoff game, but to do that they'll likely need to win their remaining two regular-season games, beginning this weekend at Tennessee Tech.
"We've got two more left," UTC coach Russ Huesman said. "We've got to win these last two, no doubt. We have to do that to have a chance at getting a top-eight seed and hosting a playoff. That's our goal. If we win our next two games we should be a top-eight seed."
And while coaches and players continue to prepare for the remaining on-field workload, the UTC athletic department has begun the process to bring a playoff game to Finley Stadium, sending its bid proposal to the NCAA's FCS playoff committee today.
Once the 24-team playoff bracket is announced, the top eight seeds will have first-round byes and then host second-round games. That would be the best-case scenario for the Mocs (7-3, 6-0), but even if they wind up as one of the 16 teams playing in the first round, they could still host.
"We'll submit a total bid package, which means we're bidding to host all rounds of the playoffs," UTC athletic director David Blackburn said. "With our history having hosted the national championship game here before, plus the fan support we've had this year, we feel good about our chances to bring at least one game to Chattanooga. I think it would be great not only for our program but for the city of Chattanooga to host.
"Now we just have to go out and finish the season strong. Hopefully if we do that, we'll get a first-round bye and then host a second-round game. We guaranteed ourselves a spot in the playoffs last weekend; we just don't know where we'll be playing yet."
Schools wanting to host playoff games must submit bids by next Monday, and the playoff committee will announce home sites when the brackets are released following the regular-season games Nov. 22.
While Blackburn would not disclose the dollar amount included in UTC's bid package, he did say it would be "very competitive" with any other bid.
Finley Stadium hosted the FCS championship game from 1997 to 2009, averaging 17,215 in attendance for those years, before it was moved to Frisco, Texas.
This season the Mocs have averaged 10,492 for five home games, the program's third-highest all-time for the month of November. According to athletic department officials, the attendance also is a factor in the playoff committee's decision.
Mocs now No. 9
When the FCS released its coaches' poll and The Sports Network rankings, UTC was No. 9 in both. That is the highest national ranking for the program since Sept. 21, 1992, and it never has been higher. The Mocs have been ranked for 22 weeks during the Russ Huesman coaching era.
Pollard honored
Senior punter Nick Pollard was named the Southern Conference special teams player of the week. He averaged 53 yards on five punts, including a season-long 67 yarder, in Saturday's win. Three of his punts were downed inside the Wofford 20-yard line, and his six kickoffs were returned for a total of just 32 yards, including a pair of touchbacks.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.