North Dakota State's run of eight FCS national titles in the last nine years has, overall, been good for the subdivision. The level of attention the Bison have brought to the FCS has been great. There is a growing concern, though, especially with how good the 2020 and 2021 (and probably the 2022) Bison teams are looking. And that's taking away some of the excitement of what's great about this level: the 24-team bracket.
"Everyone is just playing for second place" is an unfortunate comment I've been seeing a lot in recent years when November rolls around. Even some Montana fans, as confident as any FCS fan base out there, have tweeted me that.
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We're at a point where NDSU's presence in the FCS has brought the subdivision added credibility, but at the same time, the more NDSU runs through the playoffs with little competition, it weakens the credibility and the perceived strength of the FCS.
And before the "it's time to move up" tweets start rolling in, give this a listen.
The FCS needs a few teams to reach that top tier and stay there. The more competitive the playoffs are, the better. Look no further than how fun the 2014 bracket was.
There were so many teams capable of winning the championship this year.
NDSU was pushed by South Dakota State in the second round, Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinals and then Illinois State in the title game. ISU had close games with New Hampshire in the semifinals and Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals. UNH was nearly knocked off by Chattanooga in the quarterfinals. SDSU was just minutes away from knocking off the Bison in the second round, but the week before edged Montana State 47-40.
The 2014 FCS playoffs were an absolute blast. While NDSU was still considered the favorite that year, it wasn't a foregone conclusion and the playoffs had multiple teams that could threaten NDSU's run.
Let's hope we see multiple rounds of competitive games soon, something I'm sure even NDSU fans are starting to agree with.
For some throwback watching, here are a few of those games from the 2014 playoffs:
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SDSU @ NDSU (2nd Round)
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Illinois State @ EWU (Quarterfinals)
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Coastal Carolina @ NDSU (Quarterfinals)
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Illinois State @ New Hampshire (Semifinals)
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Illinois State vs. NDSU (Title Game)
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