Preview: FCS Playoffs Quarterfinal Games/Sites/Pairings and Predictions

December 8, 2021 by Staff

The quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs get underway Friday night in Harrisonburg, Virginia where James Madison will host Montana at 7 p.m. (eastern) on ESPN2. On Saturday. On Saturday, East Tennessee State travels to Fargo to face North Dakota State, South Dakota State heads east to Philadelphia to take on Villanova, and Montana State goes south tom knock heads with defending national champion Sam Houston State.

The games feature 7 of the top 8 seeds with South Dakota State as the lone unseeded team remaining after the Jackrabbits ousted No. 4 seed  Sacramento State last Saturday.

The Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com have all 8 remaining teams among its top 12 with Sam Houston State at No. 1, followed by James Madison, North Dakota State, Montana and Montana State to complete the top 5. Villanova is ranked 8th, South Dakota State 9th, and ETSU 12th.

ETSU stayed alive last week with a monumental comeback in which the Bucs scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, scored another touchdown and succeeded on a 2-point conversion - all in 47 seconds - to rally past Kennesaw State 32-31.

Sam Houston State stopped Incarnate Word 1-yard shy of its goal line with 8 seconds left to preserve a 49-42 win.

NCAA Playoffs

All games on ESPN+. All times eastern.

Dates/Sites/Pairings/Scores of 3rd-Round Games

NOTE: Computer pick is based on the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com

December 10 at Harrisonburg, Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
(3) James Madison (11-1) by 10.33 over (6) Montana (10-2)

December 11 at Fargo, North Dakota, Noon on ESPN2
(2) North Dakota State (11-1) by 18.39 over (7) ETSU (11-1)

December 11 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2 p.m. on ESPN+
(5) Villanova (10-2) by 0.09 over South Dakota State (10-3)

December 11 at Huntsville, Texas, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+
(1) Sam Houston State (11-0) by 7.45 over (8) Montana State (10-2)

1st Round	2nd Round	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Championship (at Frisco, TX)
UT Martin 32 Missouri State 31	UT-Martin 7 (8) Montana State 25
		(8 Montana State (1) Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin 28 Incarnate Word 35	Incarnate Word 42 (1) Sam Houston State 49
UC Davis 24 South Dakota State 56	South Dakota State 24 (4) Sacramento State 19
		South Dakota State (5) Villanova
Sacred Heart 10 Holy Cross 13	Holy Cross 16 (5) Villanova 21
Northern Iowa 10 Eastern Washington 19	Eastern Washington 41 (6) Montana 57
		(6) Montana (3) James Madison
Florida A&M 14 SE Louisiana 38	SE Louisiana 20 (3) James Madison 59
Davidson 21 Kennesaw State 48	Kennesaw State 31 (7) ETSU 32
		(7) ETSU (2) NDSU
Southern Illinois 22 South Dakota 10	Southern Illinois  7 (2) NDSU 38

FCS vs. FBS

2 teams played 2 FCS teams this fall (UConn and UMass), and 115 teams played 1 FCS school for a total of 117 such matchups.

The FBS finishes the season is 105-12 vs. the FCS. Since we began tracking this in 2003, the FBS teams are 1,574-140 (.918).

Last year, 30 FBS teams played a total of just 34 games against FCS schools and the FCS won just 1 game (1-33). That honor also went to Jacksonville State with its 19-10 victory over FIU.

Here are the FCS wins in 2021:
September 2: UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17
September 2: Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 (2 OT)
September 3: South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23
September 4: Holy Cross 38, UConn 28September 4: Montana 13, Washington 7
September 4: ETSU 23, Vanderbilt 3
September 11: Duquesne 28, Ohio 26
September 11: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17.
September 18: Incarnate Word 42, Texas State 34.
September 18: Northern Arizona 21, Arizona 19
November 6: Rhode Island 35, Massachusetts 22
November 13: Maine 35, Massachusetts 10

This was the only FCS win vs. the FBS in 2020:
October 23: Jacksonville State 19, FIU 10

In 2019, FBS teams were 111-3 (.974) in such games. These were the only FCS wins that season:
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28
September 7: Southern Illinois 45, Massachusetts 20
September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 (OT)

Streaks

SAM HOUSTON STATE - Won 22 straight games overall (FCS longest).
Last: Won 49-42 at home over Incarnate Word in NCAA Playoffs on Saturday, Dec. 4.
Next: Hosts Montana State in Semifinal.

ALCORN STATE - Won 13 straight home games (FCS longest).
Last: Lost 24-10 at Jackson State on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (6-5)

MONMOUTH - Had won 16 straight conference games (was FCS longest).
Last: Lost 49-17 at Kennesaw State on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (7-4)

DARTMOUTH - Won 11 straight road games (FCS longest).
Last: Won 52-31 at Brown on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (9-1) Ivy League champs.

TEXAS SOUTHERN - Lost 18 straight road games (FCS longest).
Last: Lost 24-21 at Alabama State on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (3-8)

YOUNGSTOWN STATE - End road losing streak at 17 games (was tied for FCS longest).
Last: Won 35-18 at Southern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (3-7).

BUTLER - Snapped 14-game conference losing streak (was FCS longest)..
Last: Won 28-21 at Marist on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (3-8).

WAGNER - Lost 20 straight overall (FCS longest).
LAST: Lost 44-0 at home vs. Duquesne on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Next: Season complete (0-11).