The best of the best remain standing as the quarterfinals begin Friday night in the 2018 FCS playoffs.
So let's keep that "best" theme going and look at some of the best offenses, defenses, players and coaches in the round of eight.
More importantly, who has the best uniforms, mascot and quotes?
[divider]MORE FCS PLAYOFFS
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Odds To Win The National Title [divider]
Best Offense
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SDSU Athletics[/credit]
The passing game remains lethal with quarterback Taryn Christion developing another great connection with wide receiver Cade Johnson. But it's the running game with guys like Pierre Strong Jr. stepping up that has SDSU as balanced of an offense as it's ever been. The Jackrabbits are second in the FCS with 45.9 points per game.
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Best Defense
Statistically, Colgate dominates the FCS with 7.0 points allowed per game. But its quarterfinal opponent NDSU is tied for second at 12.0 with a much tougher schedule. In this case, it's like comparing a 4.0 GPA general studies college student to a 3.8 GPA pharmacy student. The Bison have All-Americans at every level of the defense with depth that very few FCS teams have.
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Best Uniforms
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EWU Athletics[/credit]
You can't go wrong with any of the possible uni combos for the Eagles.
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Most Valuable Offensive Player
QB Chandler Burks, Kennesaw State
This came down to two of the Top 3 Walter Payton Award finalists: Burks and NDSU quarterback Easton Stick. These are two vastly different quarterbacks with Stick the most pro-ready and overall most talented QB in the FCS. Then there's Burks, whose value in the option offense cannot be understated. Maybe it'd be better to call this best offensive weapon, but we'll stick with Burks as the guy on this one. He leads the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 29 and is probably the most important offensive player to his team in the playoffs.
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Most Valuable Defensive Player
LB LeGrand Toia, Weber State
Weber is built to have success in the postseason. A solid defense with playmakers all over the field is a big reason why. The heart and soul of that Wildcats defense is Toia. The senior linebacker is a solid presence at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. He's all over the field this year with a team-high 79 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.
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Best Home-Field Advantage
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NDSU Athletics[/credit]
Fargodome, NDSU
Even Bison fans will admit the Fargodome has lost its edge compared to the glory years of 2011-2014. But it still provides at least a touchdown advantage over teams who come to the Dome for the first time and are noticeably rattled in the first quarter.
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Best Mascot
SDSU Jackrabbits
We'll defer to our resident mascot expert and social media guru Ben Fox on this one, who wrote an excellent article on filling out the 24-team FCS playoff bracket based on which mascot would win in a fight.
"Not only is South Dakota State the only school in the NCAA with the Jackrabbits as a nickname (and I always give extra points for uniqueness), their logo looks dope and they've incorporated an animal that's associated with the great plains. Plus, all the other mascots left in this quarterfinal slate are super generic. Forget the Eagles, Owls, and Wildcats, give me the Jackrabbits, please."
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Best Coach
Chris Klieman, NDSU
This is about as subjective as it gets. Do you base this off of wins, turning a program around, keeping the winning tradition going, in-game adjustments? But one thing that's hard to dispute is Klieman going for his fourth national title in his five years of being head coach.
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Best Quote
Dan Hawkins, UC Davis
The eccentric coach is a blast to talk to. Just watch his postgame interview on ESPN after the second-round win. He also went 1-on-1 with HERO Sports in November, which can be heard here. But he's not all talk. Hawkins is a damn good coach who has quickly turned the Aggies into an FCS contender.
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Biggest Surprise
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Maine Athletics[/credit]
This is based off of preseason outlooks, where the Black Bears did not receive a single vote in the preseason HERO Sports, Coaches or STATS Media Polls. They are currently 9-3, the No. 7 seed and finished 7-1 to win the CAA title.
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Best Story
Colgate has an undergraduate enrollment of around 3,000 students in Hamilton, New York. It plays in a Patriot League that doesn't often send teams to the quarterfinals. But the Raiders have proved they belong in the discussion as a Top 10 FCS team. Their fans provided a terrific atmosphere in the second round and the players proved their talent on the field by knocking off a James Madison team that previously played in two straight national title games.
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Biggest Pro Prospects
SDSU CB Jordan Brown & UC Davis WR Keelan Doss
Both are projected Day 3 NFL Draft picks with the potential to rise in the offseason. Brown is a 6-foot-1 shutdown guy who's soared onto the radar of scouts. Doss is a catching machine at 6-foot-3 and could have declared for the draft after his junior season last year.
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NEXT: This Week's FCS Bowl Features 52 FCS Products
