Former CHS Football Player Helps Secure 2015 Sunbelt Championship

“10-0! It’s a surreal feeling!” exclaimed former Central Wildcat Zach Hetrick, as he held the 2015 Sunbelt Championship trophy after McNeese’s win over Lamar.

Now, the 2nd Team All-Conference tight end will wait with his teammates for their first playoff opponent. Those who missed McNeese State’s Southland Conference-clinching win over Sam Houston State three weeks ago may end up viewing an encore performance.

The NCAA released a highly regionalized Football Championship Subdivision playoff field on Sunday, with the Cowboys (10-0) hosting the winner of Sam Houston State (8-3) and Southern Utah (8-3) at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at Cowboy Stadium. The Bearkats and Thunderbirds meet next week in Huntsville, Texas.

The Cowboys enter the tournament seeded No. 4 behind No. 1 Jacksonville State (10-1), No. 2 Illinois State (9-2) and four-time defending champion No. 3 North Dakota State (9-2).

If the seeds played according to form, McNeese would visit Jacksonville State in the semifinals, which is why McNeese head coach Matt Viator is not surprised with his team’s seed. “I understand, since most everything comes down to a financial deal,” he said. “I predicted if it came down to those four teams, that we would be No. 4 because if the bracket played out, then you would have a game in the south and a game in the north.”

If the Cowboys are able to win a playoff game for the first time since 2002, they will host No. 5 James Madison or the winner of the Colgate-New Hampshire game in the quarterfinals.

McNeese is making its 16th all-time FCS playoff appearance, which ranks third among active schools behind Montana’s 23 and Northern Iowa’s 18.

The Cowboys have lost their last five playoff games dating to the 2002 National Championship against Western Kentucky.