What 5 FCS games appear to be the best bets and the best picks against the spread going into Week 2 of the spring football season?
FCS Fearless Predictions, Game Previews
– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews
– Week 2 FCS Schedule, Game Previews
Not to make any excuses before getting going, but if you so choose to invest in the FCS spring session, do so very, very lightly until there’s more information to go on deeper into the season.
1) Teams are super-flaky right now – and for good reason. There’s still that pesky global pandemic thing that’s making teams battle just to get on the field. 2) Even in normal times FCS games are tricky, so multiply that by a gajillion for a strange February campaign, and 3) …
Go for it. What else is there to do?
Take the same attitude and advice thrown out there as the 2020 FBS season got started. With everything off and everything weird, there are two ways to go – either like the underdogs since the lines are likely way off, or steer through the skid and go with what’s supposed to happen if everything was normal. Basically, pick a philosophy and go with it.
So with all that in mind, here are five games and lines this weekend that seem like the best plays of the bunch.
Click on each game for the game preview and fearless prediction.
5. Furman at VMI
LINE: Furman -21
ATS PICK: Furman
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Here’s an early theory that’s getting tested out in this weird, weird FCS spring season, and it’s hardly anything groundbreaking or novel.
Go with the team that has a little more experience.
Also, go with the team with the more known parts. All of the teams are still trying to put the pieces together and all of them are scrambling a bit. The easy call is the favorite with a reasonable spread with a game under its belt, and that’s Furman.
This might not be a national title-good Paladin team, but it has the offense to roll up a big early lead and then control the game with RB Devin Wynn and the ground attack. The 35-7 win over Western Carolina was easy, but it was also against a team that’s probably going to be the worst in the SoCon.
VMI is playing its first game of the year, and it has the offense – and the quarterback in Reece Udinski – to keep up, but the attack will be more dink and dunk than high-octane firepower.
Think 2020 Mississippi State when the O only sort of worked.
The 21 won’t be a breeze for Furman, but it should slowly and steadily get there.
NEXT: South Dakota at Illinois State
4. South Dakota at Illinois State
LINE: Illinois State -6
ATS PICK: Illinois State
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
To add to all the various theories and philosophies on how to figure out this FCS thing, there’s one that seems the easiest.
Like the defense.
In general, the defenses are going to be ahead of the offenses, and if there’s a team out there that appears to have one of the best Ds, go with it.
We’re all mainly going off of rebooted teams from 18 months ago, but Illinois State should have the D and the pass rush to be great right out of the box. The running game has the talent behind a strong offensive line to control the game, but again … the defense.
South Dakota is good. The lines are solid, the passing game is going to be dangerous, and there’s enough talent in place to make this a good, fun game. However, the line is only six for the team with the D at home.
NEXT: Lamar at Nicholls
3. Lamar at Nicholls
LINE: Nicholls -22
ATS PICK: Lamar
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Again, sort of like the thought with Furman over VMI partly because one team played a game and one team didn’t, take that to another level for a team that not only got a game in last week, but made a nice light scrimmage in a coach’s dream world.
It’s why you schedule Lincoln from Missouri – you want to be able to run your schemes and do whatever you want in live action on the way to an 87-3 win. That’s what Nicolls was able to do with former Missouri QB Lindsay Scott going off for a passing game that was flawless.
Obviously Lamar is a big step up in competition, but the program has to prove its offense can keep up the pace. Like everything else this FCS season, it’s not easy to go off of things that happened all the way back in 2019, but the Cardinal offense wasn’t anything special.
The 2021 version could’ve really used a warm-up act against Lincoln.
22 is a whole lot to be giving away to anyone early in the FCS spring season – it’s why the line came way down from Nicholls -25 to start – but the O has the pop to get it done.
NEXT: South Dakota State at North Dakota
2. South Dakota State at North Dakota
LINE: South Dakota State -7.5
ATS PICK: North Dakota
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
This is a straight technical call/play.
Good team, at home, getting more than a touchdown – but there’s a problem.
South Dakota State is potentially FCS national championship-good.
The Jackrabbits are not only solid, but they got the job done in Week 1 on the road against a good Northern Iowa team that had the game all but won before gacking it away with a few late defensive misfires.
South Dakota State pulled off the 24-20 win helped by an outstanding performance from the defense that stuffed the UNI running game all night long. However, the Jackrabbit O wasn’t great until it absolutely had to be.
North Dakota did everything right – including taking the ball away five times – in a fantastic 44-21 win over Southern Illinois. Of course, it’s always dangerous to assume too much after Week 1 of any season – the South Dakota State offense could be much stronger, the North Dakota D isn’t going to come up with five turnovers again, and …
The Fighting Hawks are decent enough to possibly win this thing straight up, much less get 7.5 at home.
NEXT: North Dakota State at Southern Illinois
1. North Dakota State at Southern Illinois
LINE: North Dakota State -16.5
ATS PICK: North Dakota State
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
What, you don’t love North Dakota State anymore, America?
The Bison were underwhelming in their 25-7 win over Youngstown State, didn’t cover, and didn’t quite look like the dominant force that’s going to steamroll its way to a gajillionth straight national title.
Zeb Noland is never going to be Trey Lance, but he needs to be better than 9-of-18, the offense needs to find a bit more explosion, and …
Whatever. The Bison defense was outstanding throughout, there wasn’t any drama, and go ahead and chalk up the overall offensive performance to Week 1 in a fricking February college football game.
– Week 2 FCS Schedule, Game Previews
No, Southern Illinois isn’t going to turn the ball over five times like ti did in the 44-21 loss to North Dakota last week, and yes, the defense is good enough to make this a fight if the Bison really are that mediocre offensively again.
However, think of it this way. North Dakota State didn’t play all that well and won by 18. Outside of all the turnovers – other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? – Southern Illinois wasn’t that bad and lost by 23 to a team that’s a 7.5 point underdog at home this week.
Pick against North Dakota State at your own peril.
