Which FCS vs. FBS games matter, and which ones are the most dangerous – who should be on upset alert?
– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews
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– Week 1 TV Schedule & Game Times: Thursday
Week 1 Fearless Predictions, Game Previews
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No one likes FBS vs. FCS games.
They’re cash grabs for the lower-level programs, easy wins for the FBSers, and they’re generally nothing more than a light scrimmage to get everything tuned up for games that actually matter.
However, if you’re going to play them – considering there’s no preseason like there is in the NFL – play them now.
There are 39 of these games in Week 1, and almost everyone will blow them off because 1) they’re almost certainly going to be ugly blowouts and 2) it’s hard to bet on them.
We do previews and predictions on every FBS vs. FCS game, but we don’t count them in out record against the spread, mainly because most places don’t take wagers on them. But there are lines out there and outfits that will take your investment if you want to place it.
When doing the write-ups we never look at the spread until after predicting the score – don’t want the judgement to be clouded. Where should the spread be and what is it?
Which cupcake matchups do you need to care about? Here’s a ranking of all 39 of them from FBS vs. FCS lines that appear to be the most off – going from closest to what it should be, to the biggest disparity.
Click on each game for the preview and prediction
NA. Grambling State at ULM
Line: Not Available, o/u: Not Available
The Line SHOULD Be: ULM -18
NA. Abilene Christian at North Texas
Line: Not Available, o/u: Not Available
The Line SHOULD Be: North Texas -21
NA. Monmouth at Western Michigan
Line: Not Available, o/u: Not Available
The Line SHOULD Be: Western Michigan -33
NA. Portland State at Arkansas
Line: Not Available, o/u: Not Available
The Line SHOULD Be: Arkansas -41
NA. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at TCU
Line: Not Available, o/u: Not Available
The Line SHOULD Be: TCU -57
34. Incarnate Word at UTSA
Line: UTSA -6.5, o/u: 58.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UTSA -7
33. Weber State at San Diego State
Line: San Diego State -7.5, o/u: 36.5
The Line SHOULD Be: San Diego State -7
32. Northern Iowa at Iowa State
Line: Iowa State -18.5, o/u: 41.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Iowa State -18
31. Nicholls State at Kansas State
Line: Kansas State -23.5, o/u: 47.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Kansas State -22
30. Gardner-Webb at Charlotte
Line: Charlotte -31.5, o/u: 55
The Line SHOULD Be: Charlotte -32
29. Campbell at Troy
Line: Troy -35.5, o/u: 42
The Line SHOULD Be: Troy -33
28. Northern Colorado at San Jose State
Line: San Jose State -16, o/u: 59.5
The Line SHOULD Be: San Jose State -18
27. Alcorn State at Southern Miss
Line: Southern Miss -26, o/u: 55
The Line SHOULD Be: Southern Miss -24
26. Norfolk State at Old Dominion
Line: Old Dominion -27, o/u: 55.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Old Dominion -24
25. Florida A&M at UCF
Line: UCF -45, o/u: 65.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UCF -48
24. Houston Baptist at UTEP
Line: UTEP -17.5, o/u: 61.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UTEP -21
23. James Madison at West Virginia
Line: West Virginia -6, o/u: 52.5
The Line SHOULD Be: West Virginia -10
22. Eastern Washington at Washington
Line: Washington -21, o/u: 54.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Washington -25
21. Southern Utah at UNLV
Line: UNLV -24, o/u: 70.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UNLV -20
20. Morgan State at Bowling Green
Line: Bowling Green -25.5, o/u: 49.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Bowling Green -30
19. Sam Houston State at New Mexico
Line: New Mexico -9, o/u: 62.5
The Line SHOULD Be: New Mexico -14
18. UC Davis at Cal
Line: Cal -13, o/u: 48
The Line SHOULD Be: Cal -18
17. Albany at Central Michigan
Line: Central Michigan -16, o/u: 45
The Line SHOULD Be: Central Michigan -21
16. East Tennessee State at Appalachian State
Line: Appalachian State -32.5, o/u: 51.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Appalachian State -38
15. Montana State at Texas Tech
Line: Texas Tech -25, o/u: 60
The Line SHOULD Be: Texas Tech -31
14. Alabama State at UAB
Line: UAB -38, o/u: 51.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UAB -32
13. VMI at Marshall
Line: Marshall -39, o/u: 60.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Marshall -45
12. Wagner at UConn
Line: UConn -17.5, o/u: 70.5
The Line SHOULD Be: UConn -24
11. Illinois State at Northern Illinois
Line: Northern Illinois -5.5, o/u: 42.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Northern Illinois -13
10. Holy Cross at Navy
Line: Navy -21.5, o/u: 53.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Navy -31
9. Rhode Island at Ohio
Line: Ohio -22.5, o/u: 66.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Ohio -13
8. Howard at Maryland
Line: Maryland -29.5, o/u: 65.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Maryland -39
7. Bucknell at Temple
Line: Temple -40.5, o/u: NA
The Line SHOULD Be: Temple -31
6. Central Arkansas at WKU
Line: WKU -10, o/u: 54.5
The Line SHOULD Be: WKU -20
5. Stephen F. Austin at Baylor
Line: Baylor -38, o/u: 57.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Baylor -48
4. South Dakota State at Minnesota
Line: Minnesota -14.5, o/u: 56
The Line SHOULD Be: Minnesota -4
3. Robert Morris at Buffalo
Line: Buffalo -45.5, o/u: 70.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Buffalo -34
2. Colgate at Air Force
Line: Air Force -19.5, o/u: 43.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Air Force -30
1. Idaho at Penn State
Line: Penn State -36.5, o/u: 58.5
The Line SHOULD Be: Penn State -48
