We are down to 16 teams in the 2018 FCS playoffs.
Like I did last week when the field of 24 was announced, let's rank the favorites to win the national championship, this time 1-16. Keep in mind, matchups and future potential games play a big factor and this isn't a 1-16 ranking of the best teams in the playoffs.
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MORE FCS PLAYOFFS
Round 2 Cheat Sheet
Why Each Seed Can/Can't Win The Title
Betting Odds To Win National Title
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16 – Montana State
It would take three road trips in a row just to make it to Frisco, starting with what would perhaps be the biggest upset in playoff history this weekend at NDSU.
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15 – Duquesne
The Dukes pulled off the biggest surprise of the first round by defeating Towson and did it convincingly. But the chances of that happening at No. 5 seed SDSU is quite a bit slimmer. The Jacks are 26.5-point home favorites and defeated the Dukes 51-13 in 2017. Even with a shocking upset, Duquesne would still have to make it through NDSU/JMU/Colgate/Kennesaw on its side of the bracket.
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14 – SEMO
SEMO impressed with a 28-14 win against Stony Brook in the first round. The Redhawks showed they can stand strong against a physical team. They'll have to do that with an even bigger effort to top No. 2 Weber, who is 5-0 at home this year.
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13 – Nicholls
This team is rolling right now with five straight wins in which it's scored in the 40s each time. But the Colonels run into another hot team in No. 3 EWU. The Eagles are favored by 20.5 points. That spread seems a bit generous toward EWU, but it does show Nicholls will need an extraordinary effort to get a win.
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12 – Northern Iowa
We got cold UNI in the first round. So we might see hot UNI against No. 6 UC Davis. The Panthers have the experience edge on the Aggies. But as a team that hasn't won a road game since Oct. 13, it's hard to imagine the Panthers stringing together consecutive road victories to make a run to Frisco.
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11 – (No. 8) Colgate
Colgate is a 7.5-point underdog to unseeded JMU. That right there shows it's going to be a battle to make it through its side of the bracket. The Raiders definitely have a good shot at a win as most see this as a 50/50 game. The winner then moves on to face NDSU.
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10 – Wofford
The Terriers looked strong against a solid Elon team in the first round. Now it's on to No. 4 Kennesaw, whose option offense isn't something unique to Wofford. A Wofford win wouldn't shock many around the country, although it'd still be considered an upset. But wins against NDSU or SDSU in the later rounds would definitely be shockers.
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9 – (No. 7) Maine
Maine is a three-point home underdog to unseeded JSU. Even when the bracket was revealed, the Black Bears were popular picks to get upset in the second round. But this is still a team that plays the right brand of football to go on a deep playoff push.
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8 – Jacksonville State
As stated above, the Gamecocks are looked at as favorites to defeat No. 7 Maine. They'll have to keep the energy level up after rebounding from an emotional loss to end the regular season and earned an emotional win in the first round. JSU is just 3-3 away from Burgess-Snow Field, though, and it will most likely have to win multiple road games in a row to reach the title game.
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7 – (No. 4) Kennesaw State
The Owls would be positioned better on this list if not for being on a brutal side of the bracket. They face a team that knows how to defend the option in Wofford, then probably a top passing attack in SDSU, then probably a visit to the Fargodome. It's not impossible, but those are three tough games in a row to survive this side of the bracket. KSU is going to have to play extremely well with little mistakes to keep its winning ways going.
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6 – (No. 6) UC Davis
UC Davis will host an FCS playoff game for the first time ever. The Aggies face a challenge right away with UNI. A win then sends them to EWU, where they lost 59-20 just a few weeks ago. College football trends show it'd be a closer game this time around, but 39 points is quite the margin. UC Davis has one of the more dangerous offenses in the FCS. But is that enough to carry the team to a national title?
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5 – James Madison
While some thought the offensive problems went away because of solid performances against Rhode Island and Towson, the Dukes again didn't look spectacular against Delaware. It wasn't terrible, no. But it didn't inject life into the outlook for JMU either. When facing tough defenses like Elon, Stony Brook and Delaware, the offense has just looked OK. And now the Dukes face statistically the best defense in the FCS at Colgate and then a potential quarterfinal game against the NDSU defense. The offense caught fire last year in the semifinals after a so-so performance against Weber State. JMU can certainly do it again this year. If so, look out. But there's little shown this year to suggest it's going to happen.
Update: Oh….AND there's the whole Mike Houston thing. I still believe this is a 50/50 game, even more so because you never know how the team reacts to this. It can play motivated or uninspired. It can be focused in practice or distracted. It can trust the game plan or believe the coach's heart isn't into it. The Dukes are a young team, and there's a difference between 23-year-old starters understanding the business of college sports and 20-21-year-old starters feeling like they're getting screwed.
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REPORT: Houston To Leave JMU After Three Years
PODCAST: Reacting To The Houston News
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4 – (No. 5) South Dakota State
The Jacks are heavily favored to win their second-round game. Then they should like their ability to pass the ball against a probable matchup with Kennesaw. It's stopping the run that will be a question mark in that quarterfinal game. If SDSU goes 2-0, then it's most likely another playoff game at NDSU. Eventually, the Jacks are going to get past the Bison. But is 2018 that year?
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3 – (No. 2) Weber State
For the second year in a row, the No. 2 seed got a more favorable draw in the bracket. The Wildcats match up well with all the potential opponents through the quarterfinals. And if things go chalk, they'll host an EWU team in the semifinals, who the Wildcats have already beaten at home this year.
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2 – (No. 3) Eastern Washington
Going off of what I just said, I think the Eagles are playing much better now than they were in mid-October when they lost to Weber. Eric Barriere has added even more athleticism to the offense since taking over the starting quarterback job. This is a team that's absolutely rolling right now. They're the favorites by many to reach Frisco. Once there, we'll see if this team is on NDSU's level.
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1 – (No. 1) North Dakota State
The unanimous pick (from those with no rooting interest) to win the 2018 national title since last season's championship game ended. You know the Bison are heavy favorites when the Selection Show ended with "NDSU or the field?" instead of "who do you have winning it all?" NDSU always plays its best football in the playoffs, as echoed by previous opposing coaches. For an 11-0 team, that shows it'll take a bad day or a series of misfortune for the Bison to be dethroned.
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NEXT: How Much Criticism Should The CAA Take
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