FCS Spring Football Playoffs – Preview, Odds, Prediction

So my friend Kurt is busy these days with the IIHF, and all the problems the hockey world is experiencing these days. The ladies World Championship is canceled, and we are yet to see what will happen with the rest of the events, not just in hockey but in all sports. You can get updates here by this weekend.

But anyway, since Kurt has many obligations, I will replace him and present a short preview of all of this Saturday’s FCS Spring Football playoff games.

Monmouth vs. No. 2 Sam Houston

Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas – Saturday 12 pm

Monmouth is one very interesting team. They could end up upsetting the rivals, who are -9.5 favorites, but on the other side, they just might lose by 20+ points. It depends on how they start the game.

As for the Bearkats, they are the No.1 offense in FCS, in our personal opinion. Both the pass and the rush have been impressive, and 45 points per game are the logical consequence in this case.

Pick: Sam Houston -9.5

Davidson vs. No. 4 Jacksonville St.

Burgess-Snow Field, Jacksonville, AL – Saturday, 2 pm

Run, run, run… That is Davidson’s motto. With 293 yards per match, these guys are literally running over their rivals. But in this case, the Wildcats have no chance to win, because Jacksonville allows 2.6 yards per carrying, 81 per game.

However, we won’t suggest betting on the Gamecocks because of a massive margin, -20.5, but instead, go with under points. This is going to be a slow match with lots of running, and once Jacksonville reaches the lead, they will run down the clock.

Pick: Under 42.5

VMI vs. No. 3 James Madison

Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field, Harrisonburg, VA – Saturday, 2 pm

VMI won the Southern Conference title after 44 years, finishing with 6 wins and one defeat. Yet, they come into this event as massive underdogs, as Keydets ace James Madison University. The Dukes are perfect, not losing a single of their five matches.

The Keydets’ QB Seth Morgan should be in the middle of everything on Sunday night, and solely because of his excellent performances throughout the season, we are going to propose betting on over. The line for the total points is set at 46.5, which is our pick in this case.

Pick: Over 46.5 points

Holy Cross vs. No. 1 South Dakota St.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings – Saturday 3 pm

This match promises a lot of defensive action, as both sides have ultra-aggressive defenders in all the lines. We can say that these teams might have the best defenses of all 8 playoff participants. So we won’t take too much off your time, but go straight with the pick.

Pick: Under 45.5 points

Eastern Wash. vs. North Dakota St.

Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome Fargo, ND – Saturday, 3:30 pm

North Dakota State wants to win four consecutive FCS titles, but it seems that they stumbled upon one very nasty opponent here. Eastern Washington has the best offense in the country, and how wouldn’t they with QB Eric Barriere who is throwing bombs all over the place this season. He currently has 18 TDs, six interceptions for 2,192 yards.

On the other side, NDSU has problems with their QBs, who aren’t that good at all. The defense is slightly above average, but nothing too special. Plus, they lost to SDSU last weekend. That is why we give want to take some risk here and go with the Eagles victory. It would be quite a sensation, and we want to try it.

Pick: Eastern Washington +225

Southern Ill. vs. Weber St.

Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT – Saturday 4 pm

Maybe the closest game of all. Southern Illinois is solid in all areas without some notable star or particular quality at some position. On the other side, Weber State has a very good defense, aggressive, and very quick for this level of competition. Their CBs are fantastic, which is why Wildcats often solve games with picks or pass deflections.

Our prediction for this match is under points, at 47.5 right now. We will have one very tough, and tactical battle here, which is why betting on under seems logical.

Pick: Under 47.5 points

Missouri St. vs. North Dakota

Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND – Saturday, 4 pm

Another school North Dakota wants to attack the title, and they too are favorites in the first round. The Fighting Hawks face Missouri State Bears, in our opinion, an average team that has enough flaws to see the Hawks eliminating them without any problems.

Pick: North Dakota -8.5

Sacred Heart vs. Delaware

Delaware Stadium Newark, DE – Saturday, 7 pm

Sacred Heart has Julius Chestnut, who posts almost 180 rushing yards per game. You know, when you have a guy with such stats, there aren’t many teams who can defeat you, if the rest of your team is at least average.

Yet, in this case, the Pioneers are mediocre, and that is why we give an absolute edge to Delaware, who is a much more versatile team, balanced in all lines, with more options in both defense and offense. After all, they haven’t lost a single game since the start of the year, 5-0.

Pick: Delaware -19.5