Our FCS football picks have been treading water over the last couple weeks, so it’s time to change that in Week 5 of the college football betting season. Last week, we were a little fortunate to get a push with Delaware against North Dakota State. The Bison were clearly the better team, racing out to a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Blue Hens rallied to give us our money back. In our two Southern Conference games, we were dead right about The Citadel as a touchdown underdog against Mercer, with the Bulldogs pulling off the outright upset, but we were wrong when it came to Samford and Chattanooga combining for a lot of points.
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 FCS Football Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Eastern Washington PK at Montana State
The Eagles are a known commodity. Eastern Washington took a dip last season and didn’t make it to the postseason, but they were the pick to win the Big Sky with 18 returning starters including record-setting quarterback Gage Gubrud. Under second-year head coach Aaron Best, they have developed something they haven’t had in the past too, a running game.
Eastern Washington has long been known as the school that throws the ball all over the place, but the Eagles are ninth in the FCS in rushing coming into this game. They killed Cal Poly on the ground last week, and their offense is frightening with this kind of balance.
Meanwhile, Montana State has been the talk of the Big Sky with Troy Anderson emerging as a potential Walter Payton Award finalist. Anderson is a do-it-all player. He played linebacker and running back last year, and now he is the Bobcats’ starting quarterback with Chris Murray currently sidelined due to academic issues. Anderson is a great story, but he is one-dimensional and not much of a passing option. Eastern Washington’s veteran defense will limit him here.
Elon -6 vs. New Hampshire
It’s time to give the Phoenix the respect they deserve. Seeing Elon as just a six-point favorite on the CFB betting line is ludicrous given New Hampshire’s woes. The Wildcats have scored just 24 points through three games this season, and Elon has a good defense capable of keeping them in the single digits.
Elon has been able to control the clock and move the ball effectively on the ground this season, and Davis Cheek has grown in his second year as the starting quarterback for this team. Look for the Phoenix to shut down New Hampshire early and get the win.
South Dakota State +11.5 at North Dakota State
It’s fair if you want to call us crazy for going against the Bison again, but the oddsmakers are still giving this team way too much credit. South Dakota State has won the last two regular season meetings between these two schools, and they had a bye last week to prepare for the Bison. Jackrabbits quarterback Taryn Christion shredded North Dakota State through the air in a 33-21 win last season, and he has looked even better through the first few weeks of this season. This is just too many points.
