The FCS Playoffs will kick off on Saturday and 24 teams will duke it out to see who is the best in the country. Eight teams received national seeds and automatic byes into the Round of 16, while the other 16 teams will be battling for their spot in that round this weekend.
Coming into the 2018 FCS Playoffs, North Dakota State is once again the heavy favorite to win it all. The Bison are hefty -300 favorites per the FCS national championship odds to win their seventh title this decade. Every other team is at least 7-1, and that will make for a juicy payout if a team other than North Dakota State wins it all this year.
2018 FCS Playoff Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
North Dakota State -300
Eastern Washington +750
Kennesaw State +1000
Weber State +1000
South Dakota State +1200
James Madison +1200
UC Davis +1200
Maine +1500
Jacksonville State +1600
Colgate +2000
Wofford +2500
Elon +3000
Towson +3000
Nicholls State +3000
Northern Iowa +3500
Stony Brook +4000
East Tennessee State +5000
San Diego +5000
Southeast Missouri State +6000
Delaware +6000
Montana State +7500
Lamar +10000
Duquesne +10000
Incarnate Word +10000
Related: College Football Betting Guide
North Dakota State has to be this big of a favorite considering its pedigree and how dominant the Bison have looked. They went undefeated during the regular season, and only South Dakota State was able to keep the final score within single digits. They will be tough to beat with the best homefield advantage at this level in the Fargodome, and NDSU is likely to be a double-digit favorite per the FCS betting odds in every game it plays.
Although Eastern Washington is on its back-up quarterback, the Eagles are the second-favorite to win it all. Eric Barriere has really come into his own over the last few weeks, putting up 48 points on Northern Colorado, 74 points on Portland State, and 59 points on UC Davis. That latter score was particularly impressive as UC Davis was favored to win that game coming in, but Eastern Washington winning by 39 was a statement to the Selection Committee.
Kennesaw State is an intriguing bet at 10-1, but the Owls’ run to Frisco will likely go through both South Dakota State and North Dakota State. This is an offense that can score a ton of points and looked great for much of the year, but there are doubts due to the team’s lack of tough opponents in the Big South Conference.
Despite not receiving a national seed, James Madison and Jacksonville State are getting plenty of respect from the oddsmakers. The Dukes and the Gamecocks are both three-touchdown favorites against their first-round opponents per the CFB betting odds, and they have both made deep postseason runs very recently. Each team stumbled a couple times over the course of the season, but it would be foolish to rule either side out.
The best longshot on the board is Northern Iowa at 40-1. The Panthers snuck into the postseason with a 6-5 record, but they played the toughest schedule in the FCS, and they have a relatively easy first-round opponent in Lamar. They would take on UC Davis and then Eastern Washington if they were to win that game, and those are both teams they could beat with their stout front seven.
