Special to CSTV.com  from I-AA.org

Elvis Presley used to sing about a Heartbreak Hotel and on Saturday, Elvis would have had plenty of company around I-AA football willing to do harmonies.

As the regular season wound down in its second to last weekend, there were big winners and even bigger losers. There were tears of joy and sobs of disappointment.

And the Heartbreak Hotel had its no vacancy sign flashing by the end of another wild and crazy day of play.

The crying time started in Amherst, Mass. where Maine seemed on the verge of an upset when quarterback Ron Whitcomb (21-of-30 for 183 yards passing, 15 carries, 45 yards rushing) finished off a 51-yard drive to score on a one-yard run with 1:44 remaining.

Trailing 10-0 earlier in the fourth quarter, the Black Bears had rallied to within 10-9 after Devin McNeill's 34-yard field goal and Whitcomb's TD to grab the game's momentum by the throat.

And it appeared fortune was still smiling on Maine when a messed up snap on the extra point attempt was negated by an illegal procedure penalty. But given a second chance, the Black Bears instead took the first reservation at the Heartbreak Hotel when McNeill's PAT sailed wide left.

After UMass recovered the onside kick, it ran out the clock to clinch a win that not only knocked Maine (6-4) out of playoff contention, but also won the Atlantic 10 championship and an automatic bid to the Division I Championship playoffs in two weeks.

Maine won the total offense battle 304-175, but the Minutemen managed to score in the first quarter on a 26-yard pass from Liam Coen (10-of-20 for 103 yards) to Rasheed Rancher and Chris Koepplin's 35-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Star UMass tailback Steve Baylark was limited to 17 attempts for 50 yards, but the bend, not break Minutemen defense did just enough to eek out the win. With its playoff ticket punched, UMass (9-1) can probably grab one of the four seeds in the 16-team tournament by beating Hofstra next Saturday.

The UMass road to an autobid was cleared when Villanova shocked James Madison 21-20. JMU was tied for first in the A-10 and had hopes of earning a top-four seed before disaster struck.

James Madison led almost the entire game, but DeQuese May's 16-yard scoring scamper with 1:21 remaining completed a 90-yard march for the Wildcats. May had only 29 yards rushing before his winning TD.

The Dukes (8-2) can still pretty much clinch an at-large berth in the playoffs by beating Towson next Saturday. Towson (7-3) kept its playoff hopes alive by crushing Richmond 31-7.

The Tigers rolled up 31 straight points in the first half after Richmond scored its only points on Ryan Mace's fumble recovery in the end zone. Sean Schaefer had another strong day, completing 22-of-32 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted three times.

Towson survived five turnovers altogether, but Richmond suffered three interceptions of its own.

The other A-10 team still in the playoff race, New Hampshire (7-3) avoided a trip to Elvis land by dominating Rhode Island 63-21. Ricky Santos (23-of-32 passing for 271 yards passing and 12 carries for 132 yards rushing) ran for three touchdowns and threw for two others.

The Wildcats will all but clinch an at-large bid with a win over Maine next Saturday.

The Gateway Football Conference was also wrapped up on Saturday when Youngstown State beat Western Kentucky 19-3 and Southern Illinois toppled Northern Iowa 47-23.

YSU was missing all-everything running back Marcus Mason due to an injury, but Montquantae Gibson rushed 43 times for 236 yards and a pair of scores as the Penguins (9-2) clinched a share of the GFC title and the autobid.  Youngstown State probably sealed a top-four seed with the win.

It was a disappointing end for the I-AA history of Western Kentucky, which will move to I-A next season. On a brutally cold evening, the Hilltoppers had only a handful of the announced crowd of 7,312 around at the finish on a day when WKU managed just 204 yards of total offense.

A year ago, Northern Iowa advanced all the way to the I-AA championship game before losing to Appalachian State. But on Saturday, the Panthers (6-4) secured a place at home for the holidays by losing at Southern Illinois.

It was the Arkee Whitlock show as the Salukis (7-3) kept their at-large berth hopes alive and knocked UNI out of first place. Whitlock rushed 40 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns and ended up with 289 all-purpose yards, including a 67-yard kickoff return.

While Whitlock was flourishing, UNI quarterback Eric Sanders was suffering through one of the worst games of his storied career. Sanders, who had been intercepted only three times in the first nine games, was picked off three times by a Southern Illinois defense that had just two interceptions before today.

Illinois State stayed in contention for a share of the Gateway crown by erupting for 21 fourth-quarter points to break open a tight game for a 42-20 victory over Indiana State.

Luke Drone was 16-of-26 for 298 yards and four touchdowns, including a 90-yarder to Laurent Robinson. Robinson, an All-American receiver who has been sidelined for much of the year with a high ankle sprain, caught six passes for 169 yards, while Pierre Rembert added 132 yards on 27 carries for the balanced Redbirds (8-2).

Illinois State can earn its piece of the GFC title by beating Northern Iowa next Saturday on the road. Win or loss next weekend, the Redbirds are probably already assured of a playoff bid after the victory over Indiana State.

Another autobid was decided on Saturday when Hampton annihilated Florida A&M 59-7. The Pirates (10-1) clinched the MEAC title as Alonzo Coleman and Kevin Beverly combined for seven touchdowns.

Coleman, who has suffered through a variety of injuries, carried only 11 times, but gained 181 yards for four TDs. Coleman has scoring runs of four, 46, 44 and 31 yards.

Appalachian State was the first team to clinch a playoff berth when it wrapped up the Southern Conference auto bid last week by beating The Citadel. But the No. 1 ranked Mountaineers (10-1) survived a driving rain storm to beat Western Carolina 31-9 in the battle for the Old Mountain Jug.

The win should give ASU the top seed in the playoffs and the potential of playing three games at home, where the Mountaineers have won 24 consecutive games.

With nasty weather making ball security an issue, freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards took matter into his own hands and legs. Edwards rushed 18 times for 119 yards and two scores and completed 13-of-20 passes for 85 yards and another touchdown.

Furman probably secured a second playoff bid for the SoCon by eking out a 13-10 victory at home against Georgia Southern despite losing quarterback Renaldo Gray to another injury.

With Furman trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Paladins (8-3) relied on two Scott Beckler field goals to take a 13-10 lead. Georgia Southern had a chance to tie with 51 seconds left, but Bo Galvin missed a 32-yard field goal as the Eagles (3-7) moved to within a loss of their worst season in modern history.

Georgia Southern shocked the Paladins by coming out in the triple option offense that had led the Eagles to six national championships before new coach Brian Van Gorder abandoned the attack this season. Last year's starting quarterback Jayson Foster rushed 21 times for 157 yards and a career-long 83-yard TD.

With half of the autobids secured, three other teams moved a step closer to joining that club.

McNeese State can thank the strong leg of Blake Bercegeay for passing a huge Southland Conference test at Northwestern State. Bercegeay kicked five field goals, including a 39-yarder with 25 seconds left in regulation to tie the score.

Bercegeay then converted a 28-yard field goal in overtime to give the Cowboys a 26-23 victory. Derrick Fourroux also contributed with 14-of-27 passing for 226 yards and two TDs.

McNeese State (6-4) can wrap up the Southland autobid by beating Nicholls State next Saturday at home.

Should the Cowboys falter, Sam Houston State stayed in the race by holding off Southeastern Louisiana 28-23 behind 31 carries, 278 yards and three touchdowns from D.D. Terry.

Seth Babin was 34-of-63 for 325 yards and two scores for Southeastern Louisiana.

In the Patriot League, the auto bid will go to the winner of college football's oldest rivalry. Lehigh and Lafayette assured that with wins on Saturday.

Lehigh stayed undefeated in the PL by thrashing Fordham 45-14. Sedale Threat only passed for 149 yards, but he connected for three touchdowns. Marques Thompson rushed 16 times for 105 yards and two scores and added a third touchdown with a catch.

Lafayette can take the autobid by beating Lehigh next Saturday on the road in the 142nd meeting between the two teams. The Leopards toppled Georgetown 45-14 as Brad Maurer completed 12-of-19 passes for 305 yards and Jonathan Hurt ran 22 times for 135 yards and four TDs.

Holy Cross fell out of contention in gut-wrenching fashion as Colgate battled back for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to win 29-28.

Mike Saraceno hit 19-of-31 passes for 289 yards and a pair of second-half scores, while Jordan Scott rushed for 154 yards and the game-winning TD from three yards out with 8:25 remaining.

The Raiders survived four turnovers and giving 414 yards of total offense. A Scott Jordan two-point run on the final play of the first half eventually was the difference in the one-point game.

Montana tuned up for next Saturday's Brawl of the Wild by blasting Northern Colorado 53-21. The Grizzlies scored 23 points in the third quarter to turn the game into a blowout and piled up 542 yards of total offense.

Montana (9-1) hosts Montana State (7-3) for the Big Sky Conference championship. MSU had the week off to prepare for the title clash. A win for Montana would probably give the Grizzlies a top-four seed, while a loss for the Bobcats would likely kill MSU's playoff hopes.

Tennessee-Martin (8-2) could have moved a step closer to the Ohio Valley Conference auto bid, but the Skyhawks were stunned by Eastern Kentucky 31-28.

Taylor Long's 39-yard field goal with one second left lifted the Colonels to the win. Donald Chapman rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries for the Skyhawks, but it wasn't enough.

The loss puts Tennessee-Martin, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State in a three-way tie for first place in the OVC.

Eastern Illinois crunched Tennessee Tech 38-14 as Cole Stinson completed 19-of-38 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Tennessee State blanked Southeast Missouri State 31-0 as the Tiger defense limited the opposition to 133 yards and forced three turnovers.

The scenarios for who will get the autobid from the OVC are complicated as UTM plays at Murray State -- against former coach Matt Griffin -- while Tennessee State is at Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois entertains Jacksonville State.

With a win, Tennessee-Martin (8-2) will most likely gain a playoff berth one way or another. But EIU and TSU may need that auto bid to get in.

In a pair of non-autobid leagues, losses by Cal Poly and Charleston Southern ruined playoff aspirations.

Cal Poly has played one of the toughest schedules in I-AA and needed wins in the final two weeks of the season to qualify for playoff consideration.

After a heartbreaking 10-9 loss last week at Montana, the Mustangs rolled to an early 14-0 lead at North Dakota State. But then the usually tough Cal Poly defense folded as the Bison scored 28 points in the second quarter on the way to a 51-14 victory.

North Dakota State, which isn't eligible for the playoffs this season as it completes its transition from Division II to I, held Cal Poly to 57 yards passing and 169 yards of total offense.

Steve Walker was an efficient 13-of-16 for 142 yards and three TDs passing, while Kyle Steffes banged out 127 yards and a touchdown rushing on 25 attempts.

The Bison will play for the Great West Conference championship next Saturday against South Dakota State, which knocked off Southern Utah 31-21 on the road. Andy Kardoes didn't need any miracle finishes this week for the Jackrabbits, but he was 19-of-29 for 190 yards and a pair of TDs.

Charleston Southern (9-1) saw its undefeated string come to an end when Liberty rolled to a 27-7 lead in the first half and held on for a 34-20 victory in Big South Conference play.

The key to the game was when CSU's C.J. Hirschman ran a punt back 63 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter only to have Liberty's Wynton Jackson go 80 yards with the ensuing kickoff for a Flame score that made it 20-7.

The Buccaneers played four non-Division I games and are out of playoff consideration with no chance to win seven D-I games.

Coastal Carolina vaulted into first place all by itself in the Big South by whacking Gardner-Webb 52-34. The Chanticleers received another big game from Tyler Thigpen, who was 22-of-27 passing for 306 yards and two TDs and rushed 10 times for 119 yards.

CCU (8-2) built a 28-7 first-half lead and intercepted five Bulldog passes.  The Chanticleers are in good position to earn a playoff berth with a win over Charleston Southern next Saturday at home. A victory would also give Coastal Carolina the league title outright.

The Ivy League race got murkier on a day when Princeton handed Yale its first conference loss 34-31 and Penn toppled Harvard 22-13.

Jeff Terrell (32-of-47 for 445 yards and three touchdowns) led Princeton to a comeback victory with two fourth-quarter TD passes to overcome 181 yards rushing and four scores from Yale's Mike McLeod.

After losing an NCAA-record three consecutive overtime games, Penn managed to take care of business in regulation at home against Harvard. The Quakers built a 20-13 halftime lead and let their defense take control in the second half. The Crimson lost despite a 345-300 advantage in total offense.

With two league losses, Harvard needs a win over Yale at home and a loss by Princeton at home against bottom-feeder Dartmouth to win the Ivy title. Yale and Princeton would share the crown if both claim victories next week.

San Diego and Monmouth earned bids to the first Gridiron Classic with wins on Saturday.

Undefeated San Diego (10-0) bashed Dayton 56-14 to clinch the Pioneer Football League championship. The loss ended Dayton's 29-year streak of winning seasons.

Josh Johnson passes for four touchdowns and ran for two more and finished with 373 yards of total offense. The Toreros have aspirations of receiving a playoff berth, despite a painfully weak schedule and the fact that no non-scholarship team has ever been selected.

Should San Diego receive a playoff bid, Drake would replace the Toreros in the Gridiron Classic. Drake earned that right by beating Jacksonville 47-28 as Scott Phaydavong ran for 216 yards and Willie Cashmore gained 101 yards and scored five touchdowns.

In the Northeast Conference, Monmouth (10-1) shutout Albany 19-0 and Central Connecticut State outlasted Stony Brook 35-32 to give Monmouth the tiebreaker for the Gridiron Classic.

Brian Boland (17-of-18 for 213 yards) fired a pair of touchdown passes and Monmouth held Albany to 174 yards of total offense.

Justice Hairston rumbled 31 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns as CCSU built a 35-18 lead after three quarters and then survived a late rush by Josh Dudash (26-of-43 for 369 yards and five TDs) and Stony Brook.