It's Friday, so that means FCS games are right around the corner.
As they'll do every week, Brian McLaughlin and Sam Herder predict some scores. The two are turning this into a competition with the winner earning a to-be-determined prize in Frisco.
[divider]MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
[divider]
Overall W/L Records:
Brian: 27-15
Sam: 33-9
[divider]
No. 2 James Madison @ No. 24 Elon
Brian: JMU 28, Elon 14
Last year Elon delivered the gut punch to James Madison in Bridgeforth, and you can be sure the Dukes remember that well. The added bonus to this game is Curt Cignetti heading back to Elon to coach against a program he helped build to prominence. Standing in the way is QB Davis Cheek and the Elon Phoenix. This one should be interesting.
Sam: JMU 24, Elon 17
It seems a lot of the players and coaches are downplaying the storylines surrounding this game. But you can't help but think Curt Cignetti wants to defeat his former team, Elon wants to defeat its former coach and JMU players want to get revenge for last year's loss. This is the type of game and opponent that we'll truly find out what kind of strides Ben DiNucci has made. On the other side, Elon's quarterback Davis Cheek is a great player, but I think JMU's ferocious defensive line will do enough to keep him uncomfortable.
RELATED: Why Brian Has JMU No. 1
[divider]
Northern Arizona @ No. 7 Montana State
Brian: MSU 21, NAU 14
Montana State has one of the more navigable Big Sky Conference slates thanks to schedule rotation, so when it has an opportunity to play one of the stronger teams, it needs to make a statement. That won't be easy with NAU QB Case Cookus performing well so far for the Lumberjacks. This should be a doozy, folks, and MSU really needs this win.
Sam: MSU 31, NAU 27
Case Cookus is back and lighting it up on the football field again. This is a great test for a solid Montana State defense. And really, this is a good test overall for the Bobcats team. While I'm not 100 percent convinced NAU is a playoff team this year, the Lumberjacks are probably going to be the best FCS team MSU has faced up to this point. MSU allowing 268.5 passing yards a game is concerning. But I think the Bobcats can own the time of possession this game with their rushing attack.
RELATED: Case Cookus Is Reminding Us How Special He Is
[divider]
No. 12 Maine @ No. 8 Villanova
Brian: Villanova 28, Maine 24
The battle of two defensive teams that in 2019 have decided they want to explode on offense, too. Maine fell to Towson two weeks ago, Villanova clipped Towson in a tight one last weekend. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing, truly … just that this one should be a down-to-the-wire affair.
Sam: Villanova 31, Maine 30
Man, if Maine beats Villanova here it's going to be a mess figuring out where to rank the triangle of Maine-Villanova-Towson. We've been bragging about both of these defenses for a while, but the offenses have been putting up points. I'll give the home team the edge here. And also, I don't even want to put the thought in my head of how much time I'll spend on my STATS Top 25 poll if Maine wins.
[divider]
No. 18 Montana @ No. 4 UC Davis
Brian: UC Davis 35, Montana 30
UC Davis went into the Lion's Den … check that, the Bison Den (do Bison go in Dens? I don't think so) … and gave a good showing against North Dakota State, trailing only by four points going into the final two minutes of play. Montana has been impressive so far, too. Both these programs need this win, but I'd say the Griz need it more, but it's going to be a challenge.
Sam: Montana 31, UC Davis 23
The Bison Hangover is a real thing. In fact, Griz fans know all about it when their team lost to Cal Poly after knocking off No. 1 NDSU in 2015. Whether it's being fatigued physically (NDSU beats up on teams and UC Davis did have a number of injuries) or mentally (getting so amped up to play the No. 1 team can be challenging for a team to match that emotion the next week), teams don't always perform to the level they did the week before against the Bison. That's a partial reason for me picking Montana to win, but I also feel the Griz are entering this game with a ton of confidence. I've stayed patient with Montana's 3-1 start because it hasn't beaten a strong team yet. This is the chance to do so.
[divider]
North Dakota @ No. 21 Eastern Washington
Brian: EWU 28, UND 27
North Dakota will certainly earn a Top 25 vote on my ballot with a win in this game, and Eastern Washington can begin to rally after a 1-3 start with a win in this one. Both programs need this one for completely different reasons.
Sam: EWU 35, UND 31
What a ginormous game for both teams and their playoff outlook. The Fighting Hawks can firmly plant themselves in the discussion for an at-large bid with a win … in which, let's be honest, most of us penciled this game as a loss. That's because EWU looked like a national title threat in the preseason but has really disappointed to start this season. The Eagles have yet to beat an FCS opponent and it's almost October. The defense has struggled and injuries haven't helped that. And while the offense has remained explosive, the offensive line that looked like it could be the best in the Big Sky has been inconsistent. The Eagles overall have been inconsistent, especially in these last two road games. EWU needs a win here to keep its playoff hopes alive and I think the Eagles can put together four solid quarters to get a home win.
[divider]
No. 12 Nicholls @ Texas State
Brian: Nicholls 28, Texas State 24
This may be the FCS' final chance to pick up an FBS win this year, and it's very possible it could happen Saturday night. Nicholls needs a signature win badly to stay high up in the Top 25. This could be exactly what it needs, as it wins an FBS game for the second straight year. Chase Fourcade looks really good in this one.
Sam: Texas State 28, Nicholls 27
Not often do you see an FCS team favored against an FBS opponent, but the oddsmakers feel Nicholls is about a 1-point favorite against Texas State. We've been waiting for the Colonels to have a statement game … but I don't think this is it. Something tells me this is going to be another "almost" win for the FCS. But it seems this year, the FBS teams always find a way to win in the fourth quarter.
[divider]
No. 9 Northern Iowa @ No. 5 Weber State
Brian: Weber State 17, UNI 16
In a game that certainly features two potential playoff teams, we may look back at this one in November and could it be the reason one of these two teams picks up a No. 7 or No. 8 seed? Possibly. Another great installment of the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge sees the home team have the slight advantage. Both of these teams gave FBS teams fits before falling (UNI in OT vs Iowa State and San Diego State and Nevada close calls for Weber State).
Sam: UNI 17, Weber State 10
I love both defenses. I don't trust either offense. Weber State is still trying to find some explosiveness on offense. And while I thought UNI was looking good on that side of the ball in the first two games, last week the Panthers scored just 13 points on an Idaho State team that isn't really known for its defense. So don't expect a lot of fireworks in this game. But I think UNI's talented group of wide receivers has one big play for a score and in a game like this, that might as well be worth 25 points.
RELATED: SoCon Week 5 Picks
RELATED: HBCU Week 5 Picks
[divider]
NEXT: Top 15 Favorites To Win The National Title After Week 4
Listen to this week's episode of B-Mac and Herd's FCS Podcast, which is also available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, Stitcher and Spreaker.
SUBSCRIBE: HERO Sports FCS Podcast
