We’re certainly eating crow after last week’s FCS Semifinals picks lost in a big way. South Dakota State was run over by Easton Stick and North Dakota State, while Eastern Washington manhandled Maine. That brings our playoff record to 13-8 and our overall record to 35-15-1. It’s been a banger of a season, and now we want to end it right with our FCS Championship pick.
Week 1 Record: 3-1 ATS
Week 2 Record: 3-0 ATS
Week 3 Record: 1-1 ATS
Week 4 Record: 1-1-1 ATS
Week 5 Record: 3-0 ATS
Week 6 Record: 3-0 ATS
Week 7 Record: 1-1 ATS
Week 8 Record: 1-1 ATS
Week 9 Record: 2-0 ATS
Week 10 Record: 2-0 ATS
Week 11 Record: 0-2 ATS
Week 12 Record: 2-0 ATS
First Round Record: 7-1 ATS
Second Round Record: 2-5 ATS
Quarterfinals Record: 4-0 ATS
Semifinals record: 0-2 ATS
FCS Playoffs Finals Betting Odds
North Dakota State -14 vs. Eastern Washington, O/U 60.5
It’s a real testament to what North Dakota State has built to see the Bison as a two-touchdown favorite here. North Dakota State has dominated the FCS like no other team this decade with six national championships in seven years, and the oddsmakers are giving them a lot of respect after perhaps their most impressive season yet.
Related: College Football Betting Guide
In five of their six previous national championship seasons, the Bison ended the season with one loss or more. However, this year they are 14-0 coming into their title tilt with Eastern Washington, and NDSU has been blasting opponents.
South Dakota State was the only team able to keep the margin of defeat close in the regular season, losing by four points. The Bison beat every other team they faced by at least 10, and their performances have only become more impressive in the playoffs. They hammered Montana State 52-10, crushed Colgate 35-0, and whooped up on South Dakota State 44-21 to make it to Frisco.
Eastern Washington has not been nearly as impressive. Although the Eagles did finish the regular season 9-2 and earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, they lost to Weber State in the regular season and needed some good fortune to get past UC Davis in the playoffs. They didn’t beat Nicholls State nearly as bad as it would seem from their margin of victory either, but they have scored some points.
The Eagles are known for their offense, but they aren’t as reliant on the pass as they were in the past. Under former coach Beau Baldwin, they ran a very similar system to Mike Leach’s Air Raid, but current coach Aaron Best gets the running backs going a lot more. Best has given this offense balance, and that has led to Eastern Washington making it back to the FCS National Championship Game for the first time since 2010.
When the Eagles won the national championship back in 2010, they beat North Dakota State 38-31 on their way to the title, but these teams have not met in the postseason since that point. Their most recent meeting came in the regular season last year when the Bison headed west to face Eastern Washington in Cheney. North Dakota State won that game 40-13 after needing overtime to beat the Eagles in Fargo the year before.
We were hoping to see less than two touchdowns here. The oddsmakers did a good job with this line though, putting the number right at 14. We’re going to hope for a lower number closer to kickoff, but we really like North Dakota State laying the points in this one. The Bison will be able to prepare better for Eastern Washington’s offense with three weeks off, and that will be the difference here.
Pick: North Dakota State -14
