Welcome to the HERO Sports FCS Mailbag. In partnership with FCS Football Fans Nation, we'll ask for questions with a post on their Facebook page and our senior staff members Brian McLaughlin and Sam Herder will provide answers.
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Adam Willey – Do you feel like last week’s college Gameday initiative was a success?
Brian: I think if anything it shows that all 126 schools and 13 conferences are on the same wavelength. I think everybody seems to "get it" that if one of the schools gets to host this, everybody at the level wins because the description "FCS" will resonate more in the minds of college football fans and in recruits' minds. It's a win-win thing for all corners of the FCS to get behind this.
Sam: Great question. It's to be determined honestly. The Big Sky has said this won't just be a one-time effort. So we'll see if there's a planned blast again, or if ESPN took notice and has contacted some FCS representatives on how to best go about giving the subdivision some weekly coverage on the show. Time will tell…
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Scott Moody – Now that OOC games are over, what conferences ended up with surprising won/loss FCS v FCS records (good and bad) in relation to expectations from previous years.
Brian: I was actually surprised at how wide a gap there was between the MVFC, Big Sky and CAA and the others. Those three conferences have typically been the strongest three since Ga. Southern and App. State left the SoCon, and the playoff spots prove it. This year, it appears there was a wider gap than before. Now, were there exceptions? Absolutely. We saw Houston Baptist, Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State all beat bottom half MVFC teams … but in general? The top three look primed for a lot of at-large bids based on what we saw.
Sam: The top three conferences did what I expected them to do. I was a bit disappointed in the SoCon's nonconference performance. I don't think the conference did itself any favors to earn an extra playoff bid. The same can be said for the OVC as there were some missed chances to get quality wins.
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Matt Petznick – I'm not sold on Montana yet, should I be? Are they a Top 3 team? / Pat Wulfekuhle – At this point, does Montana look like the top team in the Big Sky?
Brian: I think offensively you probably should be sold on them, we'll see with the defense. But a Top 3 team? Not just yet. As for being the top team in the Big Sky? I'd also take a hard look at Weber State because of that solid defense and run game on offense. Also, the good thing is, the Brawl of the Wild will decide which Montana team is best …. and probably will settle a high playoff seed spot.
Sam: Matt, I wouldn't call Montana a Top 3 team just yet. But I am sold on the idea that Montana is looking like a playoff seed and a team that can reach the quarterfinals and depending on matchups, potentially the semifinals. The Griz have been really impressive. Pat, I do think Montana is the top team in the Big Sky right now. They are definitely the most balanced with all the other teams in the top half of the conference having big question marks.
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Jamie Williams – We talk a lot about JMU and NDSU, so let's flip the script a little. Who is better: South Dakota State or Villanova?
Brian: Ooooooh, Jamie, good one man. You know, SDSU nearly took out Minnesota in week one, and that was impressive. 'Nova knocked off a good Towson team and didn't have a hangover the next weekend in putting Maine away rather early (30-3 at the half). They are honestly very, very similar. They both run the ball really well, they both have Top 20 defenses statistically. To be honest, they mirror each other through six weeks worth of games, but Villanova's path (at least after this weekend at JMU) is much easier than SDSU's … so they may look different, record-wise, at the end of the year and actually be pretty darned comparable. At this point, I'll say SDSU by a micrometer, and that's consistent with my poll ballot — but really, not that much different.
Sam: If you line the resumes up side-by-side, Nova is more impressive. But at this point in the season, it's not always safe to compare teams just based on their resumes. SDSU hasn't played anyone tough yet to pad their resume. But the Jacks do have a ton of returning starters off of last year's semifinal team. While it is dangerous to look at how last season ended, you can use it as a basis for teams like SDSU. Because the Jacks probably don't even have a Top 5 resume in the FCS, but I believe they're one of the best five teams in the FCS this year. I think that makes sense? Anyway, it really is tough to know who's better between Nova and SDSU. I bet I can give you a better answer Sunday morning after these two face tough opponents! For right now, though, I'll go SDSU with a slight edge.
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Kelsey Hatch-Brecek – Who are your current top 5 Walter Payton candidates?
Brian: Kelsey, I hate to sell you short but we're going to let that cat out of the bag next week with our midseason report, so I'm going to clam up on this one. Not sure if Sam will go that route, but I'm going to.
Sam: This is a bit of a loaded question to answer in a mailbag format. And as Brian said, we're going to do some voting pieces on the top candidates for the national awards this coming week. BUT … I'll give you somewhat of an answer! Names that come to mind that should be front-runners for the Walter Payton Award are (in no particular order): Bailey Zappe, Case Cookus, Dalton Sneed, Eric Barriere, Trey Lance, Jah-Maine Martin and Justin Covington.
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Brandon Owens – How close is the race for the OVC and is it back to a one-bid conference or still a multi-bid conference?
Brian: Yeah, the OVC has several potential champs and I'd say SEMO seems like the team to beat — at least so far. Don't discount EKU, Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech and of course Jacksonville State in being a part of that discussion, either. Honestly though? Parity this year will hurt the OVC. What it really needs is two stellar, clear-cut leaders to step up and own the rest of the conference to get that second bid. Last year went that way. And let's face it, that's how it went even in 2017 with Austin Peay at 8-4 and they were left out even though they won eight games, played three FBS teams and were 8-1 vs. the FCS. There are lots of dynamics at play with playoff spots, but to be safe it'd be good for two OVC teams to hit the 9-win mark or better to solidly lock into the playoffs.
Sam: The OVC race is certainly the most interesting its been for a number of years. And I do think the league is back to being a one-bid league. However, if a situation occurs where 1) JSU doesn't get the auto-bid, 2) The Gamecocks finish with 9-10 wins, 3) the playoff bubble isn't very strong … I can see JSU getting an at-large bid based on name recognition. And honestly, based on interactions I've had with Twitter JSU fans (not Facebook JSU fans), they don't even believe this team is looking like a playoff team right now.
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Ben Schleiger – Part 1: Looking at the Pioneer, Patriot, and NEC who is the favorite to win each conference, at this point? Part 2: Of the teams mentioned as potential conference winners could any of them reasonably win a playoff game, depending on an even matchup in the bracket?
Brian: Ben — I'd go Dayton, Holy Cross and CCSU respectively in those three conferences. Now, that San Diego-Davidson game could change my mind this weekend if Davidson goes bonkers in North Carolina. The Patriot is down this year, who are we kidding, but HC's win against New Hampshire was impressive, and consider that two of its three losses are to FBS teams (Navy and Syracuse) and the other is to the preseason Ivy League favorite (Yale). I think HC could run the table in the Patriot and finish around 8-4 maybe? As for the NEC, Central Connecticut State had an FBS (Eastern Michigan) down to the final moments and the Blue Devils were about to pull off the improbable win … and lost it on a fluke final play with no time remaining. EMU has twice as many scholarships as CCSU … let that sink in.
Sam: My picks for those conferences are San Diego, Holy Cross and CCSU. As far as any of them winning a playoff game, I definitely could see it happening, it just all depends on matchups. If San Diego gets sent to play a first-round game against an OVC or Southland team, I can definitely see a win there. Playing an MVFC team that narrowly missed out on getting a seed in the first round is a different story, though. The same can be said for CCSU. I think that's a solid team that almost knocked off an FBS opponent. If the Blue Devils get the right matchup in the first round, I can see them advancing to the second round.
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NEXT: Top 15 Favorites To Win The National Title After Week 6
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