2021 FCS Season Preview: Elon
Elon had a dreadful spring season going 1-5 with the lone win coming against non-scholarship Davidson by three points. To be fair, the Phoenix were riddled with injuries for the spring and never really had a chance.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Stony Brook
Stony Brook went 1-3 in the spring season before pulling the plug and cancelling their last two games. It was good for the Seawolves to get their players live reps.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Rhode Island
The Rams went 2-1 last spring with overtime road victories against Villanova and UAlbany before having its season cut short by COVID. The glimpse we got of the Rams before the shutdown showed a lot of potential for the fall season.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Montana State Bobcats
Montana State opted out of the Spring Season and chose to only do an inter-squad spring game. Despite being out of competition for a year the Bobcats are loading up and have a host of hungry seniors ready to have a last hurrah. Between Isiah Ifanse, Lewis Kidd, Troy Andersen, and North Carolina State transfer.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Montana Grizzlies
Montana may have opted out of the spring season, but their two-game schedule of Central Washington and Portland State had tremendous results of 56 points and 41 points margins of victory. The powerhouse from Missoula is trying desperately to reclaim relevance and a conference title under Coach Hauck. Despite their best efforts, Weber State has.
FLASHBACK: Cal Repeats as National Champion in 1921
Official NCAA records show there was plenty of uncertainty as to the best college football team in the nation in 1921.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Idaho State Bengals
Tyler Vander-Waal is the first quarterback worthwhile watching since Tanner Gueller was at the helm with his brother Mitch. The Bengals new dynamic duo of Vander-Waal and Tanner Conner is one of the more electric combos in the Big Sky Conference. Vander-Waal averages 323.5 yards through the air per game and Conner accounts for 114.2.
2021 CSJ ASUN-WAC Challenge Fall Football Preview
Jacksonville State, Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky will enjoy a “challenge” with the WAC before joining the newly formed (for football) Atlantic Sun in 2022.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Sam Houston
The king of the new conference until further notice is Sam Houston (10-0, 6-0 in Southland), which became the first Division I football program in the state of Texas to win a national championship since Vince Young’s vaunted Texas squad.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Jacksonville State
The Gamecocks (10-3, 6-1 in Ohio Valley) flip-flopped quarterback injuries while playing the most games in the FCS over the fall/spring season.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Idaho Vandals
Paul Petrino and company were eight points away from being 0-6 in the spring season. The Vandals out-schemed EWU in the first game of the season, but their only other win would be a one-point escape from the clutches of Southern Utah.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian (1-5) struggled during an abbreviated fall season, dropping a game to D-II Angelo State, and playing three FBS opponents.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Central Arkansas
Having played last fall, but not in the spring, the Bears return 20 starters, and they also get back some former starters from injuries.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin (6-4) had an encouraging fall season. SFA named itself Southland Conference Fall Champions after beating Abilene Christian – the only other SLC team to play in the fall.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Eastern Washington Eagles
Can the Eagles send Barriere onto his pro aspirations with a conference title or better this season?
2021 FCS Season Preview: Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Eastern Kentucky (3-6) played a fall season and beat Stephen F. Austin 24-6 in its lone matchup against a future WAC opponent.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Lamar Cardinals
Second-year head coach Blane Morgan has a difficult task ahead of him at Lamar (2-4, 2-4 in Southland), but the Cardinals showed some fight in the spring season.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Cal Poly Mustangs
There is no way to sugarcoat just how awful the Mustangs performed in Spring. While every single team in the nation had a weird season there are few sympathies allowed for Beau Baldwin who is a proven program builder. A new coach, new quarterback, and new offense were simply too much for Cal Poly to.
2021 CSJ Missouri Valley Football Conference Fall Football Preview
Besides NDSU, North Dakota and Northern Iowa look like the toughest completion to unseat the Jackrabbits from the MVFC crown. Missouri State and Southern Illinois appear other teams that look like playoff hopefuls again this fall.
2021 FCS Season Preview: North Dakota State
The NDSU 2021 spring season was the worst team from the Fargo school in the last decade. The Bison still went to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs but fell at eventual national champion Sam Houston in that round after NDSU defeated Eastern Washington in the first round.
2021 FCS Season Preview: South Dakota State
South Dakota State finally got over the hump this past spring. The Jacks beat North Dakota State in the final regular season game to earn the top seed in the FCS playoffs where they would host all playoff games in Brookings. SDSU used that home field advantage to dispatch Holy Cross, Southern Illinois, and Delaware to reach their first ever national championship game in Frisco, Texas.
2021 FCS Season Preview: North Dakota
The newest MVFC member is North Dakota had a very successful first season in the MVFC this past spring in being a tri-champion. The Fighting Hawks won their first ever DI playoff game over MVFC mate Missouri State before falling to FCS power James Madison in the quarterfinals.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa was just not on its game this past spring in finishing with a losing record for the first time since the 2016 season. That next season of 2017, the Panthers bounced back to make the playoffs. UNI hopes to duplicate that in the 2021 season.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois got over the hump this past spring with its first playoff bid since 2009. SIU used the most of their appearance in getting an upset win at Weber State in the first round and the Salukis advanced to the quarterfinals but lost at 31-26 heartbreaker to MVFC mate South Dakota State.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Missouri State
MSU finished tied for the conference crown and also received the team’s first playoff bid since 1990. While the Bears would fall in the first round to MVFC foe North Dakota, the team exceeded expectations by a long shot in Perinto’s first campaign in Springfield.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Illinois State
Illinois State lost its first three contests before defeating Western Illinois in what would be their last game of the spring. Illinois State after that win then shut down their season due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 FCS Season Preview: South Dakota
USD started Carson Camp as the first freshman quarterback to start a season opener in recorded history at USD. He was the Valley’s second-leading passer and ranked 16th nationally at 241 yards per game.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Youngstown State
Coach Doug Phillips took over the Penguins this past spring season after most recently being on the staff of FBS Cincinnati. He was previously on the YSU staff as a graduate assistant in 1991 and 1992.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Western Illinois
Western Illinois had no problems really on offense this past spring with QB Conner Sampson leading the team with two go-to receivers in Dennis Houston and Tony Tate being his prime targets.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Indiana State
Indiana State was the lone MVFC squad to decide to not play any game in the spring 2021 schedule. The Sycamores will be the first MVFC team to play this fall with a game at home in Week 0 versus the Ohio Valley’s Eastern Illinois.
CSJ Southland Conference Football Preview: Fall 2021
The reimagined Southland’s fall hopes rest mainly on a high-octane Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-2) squad that just missed the spring playoffs, and a Nicholls (4-3, 3-3) team that saw its streak of FCS playoff berths end at three but remains talented.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Southeastern Louisiana
Head coach Frank Scelfo has Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-2) poised to make a run at the Southland title and an FCS playoff berth this year.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Nicholls Colonels
The preseason favorite to win the Southland in the spring, Nicholls (4-3, 3-3) struggled down the stretch – losing three of its final four games to finish third in the conference.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Incarnate Word Cardinals
The UIW offense was spectacular, averaging 42 points per game due to the emergence of Jerry Rice Award winner – given to FCS’s top freshman – Cameron Ward (2,260 yards, 24 TDs).
2021 FCS Season Preview: McNeese Cowboys
No team in the country dealt with more hardship last year than McNeese (3-4, 2-4).
2021 FCS Season Preview: Houston Baptist Huskies
With the transfer of Bailey Zappe, Houston Baptist (1-3, 0-0) will have a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2017.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Northwestern State Demons
Northwestern State (1-5, 1-5) is poised for a breakout season this year despite a tough spring season.
CSJ Big Sky Conference Football Preview: Fall 2021
This fall will be a chance to revamp the entire resume of the Big Sky as the craziness of opt-outs and forfeits should be behind us.
CSJ OVC Conference Football Preview: Fall 2021
“What a time this is to be a football fan,” Eastern Illinois coach Adam Cushing said. “We have a second season … two football seasons in one calendar year.”
2021 FCS Season Preview: Austin Peay
The Govs look to challenge for the top spot in the league.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Murray State
Returning all 22 starters from the previous season is something rarely seen in college football. Couple that with the fact a new coach got those 22 players to perform at a high level in their first season together only fuels the excitement in southern Kentucky this season.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Southeast Missouri State
In the boot hill of the Show-Me State, Southeast Missouri State has the potential to sweep through the OVC. Just ask SEMO coach Tom Matukewicz.
2021 FCS Season Preview: UT Martin
The Skyhawks find themselves sitting in the middle of the OVC preseason poll. And that’s a pretty good sport since there are some question marks surrounding UT as the start of fall camp looms on the horizon.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Tennessee Tech
Three of Tech’s setbacks were by a combined 16 points. Now the Golden Eagles think they have something to prove to those naysayers.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Tennessee State
While one NFL hall of famer continues to cherish the sound of his own voice on a daily basis as he looks to become known as a successful coach, another, even more successful collegiate player, begins his coaching career not far from where he earned his spot in Canton.
2021 FCS Season Preview: Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois has every reason to believe things will return to normal in Charleston and that the Panthers will once again become a force in the FCS. But it’s going to take some baby steps and 2021 will likely not be the year it happens.
College Sports Journal Preseason FCS Top 25
The College Sports Journal staff has compiled the College Sports Journal’s Preseason Top 25.
Mountain Hawks Hope Return to (Semi-)Normalcy Leads To Winning Ways This Fall
At Lehigh there is the hope that less restrictive practices and a return to a normal fall practice will mean a return to more familiar winning ways.
ROUNDTABLE: How Does Texas and Oklahoma Exiting Big XII Affect G5 and FCS?
Today we had an emergency convo to figure out what could end up happening with the Big XII, the Group of Five, and the upper echelons of the FCS. The one thing everyone seemed to agree on is that change will be happening, and the Group of 5 and FCS won’t look the same as it does now once it’s done.
From Small Town to Game’s Biggest Stage, Boyd Dowler Shines
Nestled in southwestern Wyoming, the tiny town of Rock Springs was once home to one of the most famous of all outlaws in Wild West history. Another of the city’s famous sons made history in a much more noble fashion by becoming one of the brightest stars in the National Football League.
