We have a great FCS slate this weekend.
Lots of pivotal games await, so let’s not waste any time and get to breaking down the best 10 games of the weekend and why.
(all games Saturday unless noted, all times Eastern)
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NO. 1 – South Dakota (6-1) at South Dakota State (5-2), 7:30 pm (ESPNU)
WHY?: Welcome to the South Dakota Showdown Series. It may not have the sexiest name, but who the hell cares? The game is massively important in the FCS universe, and the two programs even disagree on the final game count – kind of like Florida-Georgia does. What neutral observers nationally agree on is they’ve played 117 times, and SDSU leads by the narrow margin of 57-53-7. They first played in 1889 and were bitter rivals back in the leather helmet days, the Division II days, you name it. This is the longest-running rivalry game in today’s MVFC. Keep in mind, last year was an SDSU blowout win, but are the Jackrabbits able to put it away early again?
BMAC’S PICK: SDSU by 3
NO. 2 – UIW (5-2) at Southeastern Louisiana (4-4), 7:00 pm (ESPN+)
WHY?: These are the last two undefeated teams within Southland Conference play. Both played two-time defending national champion SDSU (with SLU losing by 41 and UIW falling by 21). SLU has two FBS losses and another against top 10 Tarleton State. The Lions may be 4-4 overall but they’ve played a tough schedule. UIW’s head-scratching loss is to Southern Illinois, but the Cardinals can take solace in knowing the Salukis have a habit of reaching up and knocking off elite teams – there’s a track record. This one will go a long way in determining the UAC champ.
BMAC’S PICK: UIW by 3
NO. 3 – Western Carolina (4-3) at Mercer (6-1), 3:30 pm (ESPN+)
WHY?: Western Carolina just broke school records in offensive production in last week’s win against Furman, and the Catamounts have won three games in a row. Mercer is coming off a stunning loss in Alabama to Samford, by 20 points. But if you haven’t noticed in the past? This craziness is very common in the SoCon. WCU’s earlier loss to Campbell is a head-scratcher, too. At this point? WCU – the only undefeated team within the SoCon — Mercer, and Chattanooga are the “power top third” of the SoCon, and this game is a massive one in terms of what happens next. Can Mercer’s defense slow down WCU’s powerful passing game?
BMAC’S PICK: Mercer by 1
NO. 4 – New Hampshire (4-3) at Villanova (5-2), 3:30 pm (FloFootball)
WHY?: This is the first of the three key CAA matchups this weekend, and this may turn out to be one of the most critical weekends in this conference. Villanova was stomped by Maine last weekend, who are we kidding? But the CAA is known for having one hiccup per team and that team rebounds. Everybody remembers that the Wildcats gave SDSU as tough a run in the FCS playoffs last year as anybody this side of the Dakota/Montana conglomerate (SDSU was up only 5 in the fourth quarter).
BMAC’S PICK: Villanova by 7
NO. 5 – Maine (4-3) at Rhode Island (6-1), 1:00 pm (FloFootball)
WHY?: Rhody is one of only two teams that holds a 3-0 CAA record while trucking towards November in the conference. Can the Rams make it 4-0? Well, Maine has never been a slouch in league play. The Bears may not get all the comforts of some FCS teams, having to recruit several states away to get kids to come up to Orono, but usually? Maine gets ticked off recruits who embrace this school and can ruin a rival’s year really quickly (paging Villanova). Rhody so far is having one of its biggest seasons in a while. Will it continue?
BMAC’S PICK: Rhody by 3
NO. 6 – William & Mary (5-2) at Stony Brook (5-2), 3:30 pm (FloFootball)
WHY?: Both teams are 2-1 in CAA play and have resumes, to this point, that look attractive to the FCS playoff committee. Obviously, that needs to continue. Both were thumped by G5 teams, and both have an FCS loss – Stony Brook to Villanova and the Tribe with their close head-scratcher against Towson. It’s worth noting – SB thumped Towson.
BMAC’S PICK: Stony Brook by 10
NO. 7 – Alabama State (3-3) vs Alabama A&M (3-3) (in Birmingham, AL), 3:30 pm (ESPNU)
WHY?: The Magic City Classic – do I really need to say more? These two began playing in the 1920s and it draws awesome crowds. Birmingham, here it comes – and think anyone cares they’re both 3-3? They don’t.
BMAC’S PICK: Alabama A&M by 10
NO. 8 – McNeese (4-4) at Nicholls (3-4), 4:00 pm (ESPN+)
WHY?: These are two Southland Conference teams that are at a key juncture in their seasons. With 4-5 games remaining, both need to turn things up a notch. Nicholls has two FBS losses, McNeese has one – and of course, McNeese lost to one and is bouncing back from a winless 2023 season. Could one of these two end up in the running against SLU or Incarnate Word (see above)?
BMAC’S PICK: Nicholls by 10
NO. 9 – ETSU (4-3) at Wofford (3-4), 2:00 pm (ESPN+)
WHY?: Near wins against North Dakota State and Chattanooga should tell you everything you want to know about this ETSU team. Wofford is trying to rebuild into what it was as a national contender not long ago, so a win for the Bucs is big.
BMAC’S PICK: ETSU by 14
NO. 10 – Princeton (2-3) at Harvard (4-1), 3:00 pm (ESPN+)
WHY?: This is an interesting matchup within the Ivy League. Harvard’s only loss is to Brown, a team that gave Princeton one of its two wins so far. Obviously, this is an age-old rivalry.
BMAC’S PICK: Harvard by 14
