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For a long, long time – especially this year – I thought that college football might be dying, especially at the FCS level. But this week, especially, I am starting to realize that isn’t the case. The great Rivalries survive, because that’s what they do.
The Big Sky Conference saw its second week of conference competition and teams continue to separate themselves as the Homecoming and spirit based games start arriving on the schedule. A few straggler out of conference games remain, but the most exciting of them happened this past Sunday in Gainesville, Florida. Thankfully, the two teams were.
The first week of in-conference games started to shape the race to the Big Sky Conference title and eventual playoff hopes. Dog fights, statement wins, and lucky stars all aligned on this week as conference opponents took a step ahead of others while Sacramento State absolutely embarrassed FBS Colorado State. All of the conference leaders.
The majority of the Big Sky’s non-conference slate has been played and we can now form some pretty potent opinions about what the teams may offer in conference play.
Week 2 Schedule – September 10th, 2022 Date Away Home Time Location Links Saturday 9/10/2022 Morehead State Montana State 1:30 p.m. MT Bozeman, Mont. TV: ABC Montana/SWX in Billings (503 on cable, 8.2 over air)/ESPN+ streaming Radio: Bobcat Radio Network Saturday 9/10/2022 South Dakota Montana 1:30 p.m. MT Missoula, Mont. TV: ABC/Fox TV Stats Radio:.
There were surprises across the Big Sky that were good and bad. Good: Portland State causes a scare for San Jose State, Idaho makes Washington State respect their effort, and Eastern Washington reloads with another stud quarterback. Bad: David Hoage is listed injured and UNC plays below Houston Baptist’s level, Cal Poly and NAU non-competitive.
Week 1 Schedule Thursday, September 1, 2022 The Wildcats kickoff their 2022 campaign with a substitute opponent after James Madison opted to play a full FBS slate right off the bat. Weber State found the trustworthy Division II Western Oregon Wolves to fill in for the Dukes for an inevitable shellacking. There might be looming.
FRISCO, Tex. — North Dakota State, who was the #2 seed in this year’s Division I FCS Playoffs, scored on its first three drives to really finish off the 2022 National Championship game. The Bison also scored the first 35 points of the game to dominate #8 seeded Montana State to a 38-10 final in.
These two border state schools in the northern part of the country head south to Texas to see who is the best in the FCS this year when Montana State and North Dakota State meet this Saturday.
For the Bison, this is old hat. This is NDSU’s ninth trip to Frisco in the last 11 years. The two missing years were this past spring’s contest–held then due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2016 when James Madison upset NDSU in the semi-final round. And all prior eight trips to north Texas have resulted in the Bison capturing the crown.
For Montana State, this is the first trip to the national title game since 1984 when the Bobcats won the title over Louisiana Tech in a game played in Charleston, S.C. MSU has been a contender in the playoffs though as the last season this team played it made it to the FCS semifinals in 2019 to the same team it will playing this year in the title game in NDSU.
FCS SEMIFINAL PLAYOFF MATCHUP: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT MONTANA STATEWHERE: BOBCAT STADIUM, BOZEMAN, MONT.WHEN: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 12:00 PM MSTTV/STREAMING: ESPN2 / WATCHESPN The other semifinal game between James Madison and North Dakota State will rightfully get its attention as those are the top seeds left in the final four but the South Dakota State-Montana State.
FCS SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUP: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT SACRAMENTO STATEWHERE: HORNET STADIUM, SACRAMENTO, CALIF.WHEN: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 6:00PM PSTTV/STREAMING: ESPN+ A first time match-up will take place in Sacramento in the Division I FCS Second Round when South Dakota State visits Sacramento State. Sacramento State was the Big Sky Conference champions with an unblemished conference mark to.
FCS FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUP: NORTHERN IOWA AT EASTERN WASHINGTONWHERE: ROOS FIELD, CHENEY, WASH.WHEN: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH, 1:00 PM PSTTV/STREAMING: ESPN+ Two of the Division I FCS powerhouse program meet again in the playoffs when Northern Iowa travels to Eastern Washington. These two programs have been two of the most dominant FCS programs over the past.
These two teams were actually conference members of the now defunct Great West Football Conference until SDSU left that league after the 2007 season. UC Davis left the league after the 2011 season. Both moved to their current leagues of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for SDSU and the Big Sky Conference for UC Davis.
The Big Sky and Mountain West Conference see their first action of the season when Southern Utah travels to San Jose State at 9pm PT.
Compared to the chaos of the final week of February, where we saw half the top 25 lose, the results of the first week in March could instead be called “March Mildness”.
Like many other football fans across the nation of FCS, we watched North Dakota State’s 39 game winning streak come to an end in Carbondale, Illinois, but it wasn’t the only event this weekend that had us shaking our heads.
The CSJ writing staff answer the questions many of us have about the beginning of this unprecedented FCS season.
The Big Sky plans for a six-game conference-only schedule with two open weeks (March 20th & April 17th). In the time leading up to that, there has been a lot of changes in staff and players, with plenty of time for more chaos.
The college football landscape is a fluid bed of magma that constantly changes. Television contracts of major FBS conferences are up for renewal in the coming years and a potential realignment is on the not-so-distant horizon. Closer to the home of the FCS is a potential revitalization of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) offering football.
On July 21st, 2020, when David Pollack went on air to suggest that FCS football should permanently become spring football, I cringed.
The Patriot League’s dilemmas, whether the rest of FCS admits it or not, is the FCS’ dilemmas. And as we inch closer to an alleged 2020 college football season, the NCAA needs to make some things very clear before a huge mess happens.
New Weber State TE Logan Strom has taken a very interesting route to the Wildcat football program. The former two-sport Norfolk High school (NE) standout has been to several different programs in basketball before deciding recently to head to Ogden, Utah as a prospective TE. Our David Mays caught up with Logan.
This week, CSJ’s David Mays got a hold of Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill and talked to him about the future of the conference, how the schools of the conference are navigating through a Covid-19 world, and his thoughts about FCS.
Sixty student-athletes in the NCAA Division I Football’s Championship Subdivision have been named to the 2020 College Sports Journal Preseason FCS All-America Team.
Eastern Washington’s bid to move into a tie for the lead in the Big Sky Conference standings took a major hit from the unlikeliest of sources Idaho held on for a 74-71 win over the Eagles on Feb. 13.
FARGO, N.D.—WR Christian Watson scored touchdowns on back-to-back touches early in the second quarter and top playoff seeded North Dakota State defeated fifth seeded Montana State 42-14 in a Division I FCS semifinal matchup for its 36th straight victory in front of 18,077 in attendance inside the Fargodome. QB Trey Lance found Watson behind the.
FCS Semifinal Round Playoff Matchup: Montana State at North Dakota State Where: Fargodome, Fargo, N.D. When: Saturday, December 21st, 1:00PM CST TV/Streaming: ESPN2/Watch ESPN #5 Montana State Bobcats Coach: Jeff Choate – 4th Year at Montana State – 4 Years Total as a Head Coach Record at Montana State: 28-21 Overall Record: 28-21 Big Sky Championships:.
As of right now, the FCS Playoff field feels like the show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway”, where the picks are just random improvisations of things that end up not making any sense. Nonetheless, we’ll keep pressing on, trying to figure out some version of truth.
A week ago, UC Davis was being lauded for giving top-ranked North Dakota State a true run for their money at their place. Last week, thanks to a sneak Grizzly attack, Aggie fans have to wonder whether they can still make the playoffs.
The Griz still missed the playoffs, but made improvements on both sides of the ball. QB Dalton Sneed and the offense did well at moving the ball, but the turnovers were costly for them. Dante Olson made a huge splash in the Big Sky and the FCS as a defensive nightmare for opposing teams.
It’s May. Spring football is over, and the preseason camps don’t start for a couple months. We are in the doldrums of the FCS offseason. But at this point, everyone is 0-0 and hope springs eternal. 127 schools think they have a shot to make the playoffs and compete for an FCS Championship in Frisco..
FRISCO, Tex.— The Bison powered their way to a 38-24 victory against Eastern Washington to repeat as national champions at Toyota Stadium in front of 17,082 fans. NDSU won its seventh national title to make it the most of any program in Division I FCS history, surpassing Georgia Southern, which has six. The Bison (15-0).
This year, Eastern Washington finally got back to Frisco. The Eagles were actually the first national champions crowned in the Dallas metroplex area back in January 2011 when it was awarded to host the game. The Eagles are in the Top 3 this decade in terms of wins within the Division I FCS but playoff.
CHENEY, Wash.— Eric Barriere threw seven touchdown passes as third seeded Eastern Washington beat seventh seeded Maine 50-19 in the semifinals of the Division I FCS playoffs, to advance to the national title game for the second time in the school’s history. The Eagles broke a three-game losing streak in playoff semifinal games. “We were.
Trailing 21-14, Eastern Washington scored twice within a less than three minute span to pull ahead and ultimately prevail 34-29 over Big Sky conferencemate UC Davis in a frenzied fourth quarter of FCS Playoff action.
Seventh seeded Maine’s national championship run continued with its Division I FCS quarterfinals win over two-seeded Weber State 23-18 in front of 7,726 in attendance at Stewart Stadium.
A rematch between Big Sky Conference teams will take place this Saturday when the Eastern Washington University football team hosts UC Davis in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
CHENEY, Wash. – At the close of the first half, Nicholls, up 14-3, had just advanced the ball 68 yards on 11 plays behind the offensive direction of QB Chase Fourcade, and PK Lorran Fonseca was lining up for a field gol try to put the Colonels up two scores. But Eastern Washington rover Kedrick.
OGDEN, Utah – Weber State scored its most points of the year and defeated Southeast Missouri State 48-23 Saturday afternoon at Stewart Stadium in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. “I thought that was an awesome game,” head coach Jay Hill said. “Offense, defense, special teams all had their moments tonight … I thought.
DAVIS, Calif.—UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier threw for 310 yards while wide receiver Keelan Doss hauled in nine catches for 137 yards, helping the sixth playoff seeded UC Davis t to a 23-16 win over Northern Iowa in a Division I FCS second-round contest at Aggie Stadium with 8,306 in attendance. It was the first Division I playoff win.
FARGO, N.D. —Lance Dunn scored four touchdowns all in the first half and top playoff seeded North Dakota State overwhelmed Montana State 52-10 in a second-round Division I FCS playoff game in front of 17,007 fans at at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. MSU hit an explosive play on the first snap of the.
Northern Iowa at (6) UC Davis When: Saturday, December 1, 4:00 PM PST Where: Aggie Stadium, Davis, Calif. TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 Northern Iowa Panthers (7-5) Cedar Falls, Iowa Missouri Valley Football Conference Enrollment: 10,005 FCS Sagarin Rating: 97 (7 in FCS) How They Got Here: The Panthers won its opening round playoff game at home to Lamar narrowly.
Montana State at (1) North Dakota State When: Saturday, December 1, 2:00 PM CST Where: Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, Fargo, ND TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 Montana State Bobcats (8-4) Location: Bozeman, Mont. Big Sky Conference Enrollment: 1 0,177 FCS Sagarin Rating: 132 (19 in FCS) How They Got Here: The Bobcats won its opening round game.
Incarnate Word at Montana State When: Saturday, November 24, 1:00 PM MST Where: Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, MT TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Incarnate Word Cardinals (6-4, 6-2 Southland) San Antonio, Tex. Southland Conference Enrollment: 10,389 FCS Sagarin Rating: 173 (47 in FCS) Season Recap:In one season, UIW football Head Coach Eric Morris took the Cardinals from a 1-10 record (2017) to a 6-4.
Weber State at Idaho State When: Saturday, November 17, 2:35 PM MST Where: Holt Arena, Pocatello, Idaho TV/Streaming: Watch Big Sky / Pluto TV Weber State Wildcats (8-2, 6-1 Big Sky) The Wildcats have won five games in a row and come into this game hoping to win at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title. The.
Montana State at Montana When: Saturday, November 17, 12:00 PM MST Where: Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Mont. TV/Streaming: ROOT Sports NW/DirecTV Audience Network (Ch. 101)/DISH Studio (Ch. 102) Montana State Bobcats (6-4, 4-3 Big Sky) Montana State brings a diverse, multiple ground game on offense to this game. The Bobcats starting the season almost fully running the ball most of.
Weber State at North Dakota When: Saturday, October 27, 2:00 PM CDT Where: Alerus Center, Grand Forks, N.D. TV/Streaming: Pluto TV channel 241/ WatchBigSky Weber State Wildcats (5-2, 3-1 Big Sky) This will be just the fourth meeting all-time between the two schools, with Weber State holding a 2-1 series lead. Grand Forks was the site of Jay Hill’s.
When: Saturday, October 6, 3:00 PM PDT Where: Stewart Stadium, Ogden, Utah TV/Streaming: Eleven Sports (DirecTV Ch. 623) / Pluto / WatchBigSky Eastern Washington Eagles (5-1, 3-0 Big Sky) The Eagles are undefeated in FCS play with its lone lose to FBS Washington State. Eastern ranks third in FCS in total offense at 570.2 yards per game. The Eagles.
When: Saturday, October 6, 3:35 PM MDT Where: Holt Arena, Pocatello, Idaho TV/Streaming: Pluto TV Channel 243 / Watch Big Sky Idaho Vandals (2-2, 1-1 Big Sky) The Vandals are coming off a 20-7 win over Portland State-their first Big Sky Conference win since moving to the FCS level again. Idaho moved out of the Big Sky Conference in.
Idaho at UC Davis When: Saturday, September 22, 4:00 PM PDT Where: Aggie Stadium, Davis, Calif. TV/Streaming: Eleven Sports (DirecTV Ch. 623) / Pluto TV Idaho Vandals (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) The Vandals are 1-1 after losing to Fresno State 79-13 in Week 1 and defeating DII Western New Mexico 56-10 in Week 2. The Vandals had a bye in Week 3..
