2021 FCS Season Preview: Northern Colorado Bears
One of the biggest headlines in the FCS was lost behind the dust of the Spring headlines. Ed McCaffrey (NFL veteran and 3-time Super Bowl Champ) is the new head coach of Northern Colorado. Additionally, his sons Max McCaffrey as wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator, and Dylan McCaffrey as starting quarterback will be there along with him to try to rewrite UNC’s Division I reputation. On top of that excitement, UNC is installing a new turf field, a new performance center, and their last two recruiting classes have been riddled with FBS transfers and the highest rated in school history. If UNC looks to become a winning program this is the best chance, ever.
Schedule
Northern Colorado
| Home | Away | Venue | Match Day | TV/Streaming | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Colorado  |  Colorado | Folsom Field | Boulder, CO | - | - |
| Northern Colorado |  Houston Christian | Husky Stadium | Houston, TX | ESPN+ | - |
Lamar  | Northern Colorado | Nottingham Field | Greeley, CO | - | - |
Northern Arizona  | Northern Colorado | Nottingham Field | Greeley, CO | - | - |
| Northern Colorado |  Montana State | Nottingham Field | Bozeman, MT | - | - |
Eastern Washington  | Northern Colorado | Nottingham Field | Greeley, CO | - | - |
| Northern Colorado |  UC Davis | UC Davis Health Stadium | Davis, CA | - | - |
| Northern Colorado |  Southern Utah | Eccles Coliseum | Cedar City, UT | - | - |
Sacramento State  | Northern Colorado | Nottingham Field | Greeley, CO | - | - |
Montana  | Northern Colorado | Nottingham Field | Greeley, CO | - | - |
| Northern Colorado |  Weber State | Stewart Stadium | Ogden, UT | - | - |
Key Players
Dylan McCaffrey – Quarterback – 6’5″ 220 lbs. – Grad Student
McCaffrey joins the family of Bears with his father Ed as head coach and big brother Max as offensive coordinator. This family affair will be the talk of the town, good or bad, as all eyes will be on the McCaffreys. Dylan transfers out of FBS Michigan as a former four-star recruit with a lot of talent. With all of these pros backing Dylan is he the savior of the Bears?
RJ Potts – Safety – 6’2″ 240 lbs. – Junior
Potts comes to Northern Colorado from FBS Cincinnati as one of Coach McCaffrey’s biggest four-star transfers. In the 2017 recruiting season Potts was listed as a top 30 safety prospect in the country. While Potts does not have a lot of playing time the talent level will help the Bears limit the points.
Predicted Finish
Ninth. Coach McCaffrey has all of the talents in the world at his hands and improvement has to be on the horizon. The level of that improvement will depend on his coaching abilities, player health, and a little bit of luck. The Bears should be capable of doubling their wins from the last season they played to four.
They face every ranked team in the preseason poll from the Big Sky and an FBS opponent. Granted FBS Colorado just lost their starting quarterback to a “significant” knee injury so there may be a slightly better chance to impress in Boulder. Regardless, the Bears have a rough conference schedule and will have to rely on a strong out-of-conference performance to get the momentum rolling early and do well the rest of the year.
Records
Best: 6-5
Worst: 2-9
Predicted: 4-7 (2-6)
My name is Ben Schleiger and I’m your representative for the Big Sky Conference. I have done work for multiple newspapers and sports blogs including The Johnstown Breeze, The University of Northern Colorado Mirror, and Mile High Maniac. I am a proud alumnus of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. In my free time, I like watching sports, playing video games, and trying new foods.
