Which FCS teams saw their stock rise and fall after Week 9 of action?
We break down three teams for each and where they go from here.
Stock Up
Stony Brook
What a coaching job by Billy Cosh and his staff in his first year as Stony Brook’s head coach. From 0-10 last fall to 6-2 overall and 6-1 vs. the FCS this year, the Seawolves are enjoying a remarkable turnaround. The one FCS loss is 42-24 against Villanova, but they have responded by beating Towson 52-24, a team that has pushed and beaten top CAA teams, and defeating No. 16 William & Mary 35-13 on Saturday.
Roland Dempster rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the win while A.J. Roberts, Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu, and Anthony Ferrelli all recorded double-digit tackles.
With games at Bryant, vs. UAlbany, at UNH, and vs. Monmouth remaining, Stony Brook looks primed to return to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Mercer
Mercer suffered its first loss two games ago, losing 55-35 at Samford. The No. 14-ranked Bears responded strongly on Saturday by beating No. 24 Western Carolina 44-34 to improve to 7-1 overall/vs. the FCS. They now have three then-ranked wins and one currently-ranked win over Chattanooga.
Mercer was without its starting QB DJ Smith on Saturday due to injury. Six-foot-6 true freshman Whitt Newbauer got the nod and threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. Standout RB Dwayne McGee rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears have games remaining vs. No. 23 ETSU, at VMI, at Alabama, and vs. Furman. If they beat their remaining FCS opponents, that could be good for a Top 5 seed — 10-1 vs. the FCS with four then-ranked wins and two currently-ranked wins.
Idaho
Idaho beat EWU 38-28 and enjoyed the return of starting quarterback Jack Layne, who has been out since Week 1 with a broken collarbone. The sputtering Idaho offense looked sharper as Layne finished 17/28 for 235 yards and two touchdowns, which opened up the running game for 252 yards and three scores.
Once ranked in the Top 5, Idaho now sits at No. 10. The Vandals can potentially work their way into the Top 8 seeds if they win out against a favorable final stretch — at Portland State, vs. Weber State, at Idaho State. Idaho would finish 9-3 overall with two FCS losses to highly-ranked UC Davis and Montana State, one FBS win, three then-ranked wins, and one currently-ranked win over ACU.
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Stock Down
North Dakota
UND’s path to the playoffs got tougher after it suffered a 41-40 overtime loss at Youngstown State. YSU was 2-6 entering the game. The Fighting Hawks are now 5-3 overall and 5-2 vs. the FCS with one currently-ranked win over Montana.
They should hit six wins this week at Indiana State. Then, the final three weeks are against ranked opponents — vs. No. 3 SDSU, vs. No. 5 USD, and at No. 21 Illinois State. The pressure is on to win two of the final three and hit eight wins. A 7-5 record may not get a team in the bracket during a 12-game season.
Although … Illinois State could be 8-3 heading into the regular-season finale vs. UND. Hypothetically, if UND beat Indiana State, lost to the South Dakota schools, and then beat an eight-win Illinois State squad to finish 7-5, the Hawks would have a good argument to get in with its wins over Montana and Illinois State.
William & Mary
We gave Stony Brook its flowers above for beating No. 16 William & Mary 35-13. But it was a tough loss for W&M, who dropped to 5-3 overall and 5-2 vs. the FCS with no ranked wins.
The Tribe could hit eight wins in the next three games at NC A&T, vs. Elon, and vs. Bryant. But the regular-season finale at rival Richmond, who is currently No. 16, will be crucial.
If W&M wins out, it is certainly in the postseason at 9-3. If the Tribe wins the next three but loses to Richmond, is an 8-4 W&M team with no ranked wins in the bracket? It would need some bubble help to get in.
Sacramento State
After being preseason ranked No. 8, Sac State is now 3-5 overall and 3-3 vs. the FCS. On Saturday, the Hornets lost 30-27 in overtime at Idaho State, who was 3-5 entering the game.
Sac State kept its playoff hopes alive by beating Weber State a week before. But now at five losses, the Hornets would have to win out to reach the bracket, including beating No. 2 Montana State and No. 4 UC Davis. Seems unlikely, especially after the Idaho State performance.