Check Out the FCS in A Loaded Week 5
The Week 5 college football is absolutely stacked with top 10 matchups between surprising Arkansas and Georgia, and Cincinnati with a prime opportunity to make a Playoff case against Notre Dame.
Week 5 also features Ole Miss, which gave Alabama its toughest game last season, traveling to Tuscaloosa; Oklahoma visiting Kansas State, the Sooners’ most vexing Big 12 opponent for years; and UCLA hosting Arizona State in what may very well determine the Pac-12 South.
As you settle in Saturday to follow the action, be sure to check in on an equally loaded docket in the Football Championship Subdivision.
FCS Week 5 includes top 25 matchups and a bevy or rivalry games. With conference play starting to roll in the subdivision, most of these contests will have implications for the NCAA Playoffs.
No. 4 Montana at No. 6 Eastern Washington - 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT - ESPN2
We start with the last of the day’s offerings because it’s the biggest — in more ways than one.
Saturday’s top 10 showdown between Montana and Eastern Washington sets the early pace in what promises to be a fiercely contested Big Sky Conference race. The folks in Bristol moved the telecast to ESPN2, giving the matchup a stage befitting its significance and finally showcasing the FCS as something more than (extreme corporate drone voice) I N V E N T O R Y.
The uninitiated checking these teams out for the first time can expect a clash of styles that borders on a statement about football philosophies.
Eastern Washington has consistently been one of the most explosive offenses in FCS, and a nationwide innovator for air-raid offense. Eagles quarterback Eric Barriere is the early pace-setter for the Walter Payton Award, boasting 1,698 passing yards and 16 touchdowns against just two interceptions through the first four games.
EWU sacrifices nothing on the ground for the sake of its passing attack, either, evident in running back Dennis Merritt’s near-100 yard per game average and seven touchdowns.
All told, Eastern Washington leads the nation in both scoring and yardage. Montana has been the polar opposite, allowing just seven points and 268.3 yards per game.
The Griz linebacker corps may be the best in the nation with Jace Lewis and Marcus Welnel, the latter of whom has two sacks, two interceptions and six quarterback hurries on the season.
For more detail on the contrasts between these teams and how each views the other’s strengths, I highly recommend the article below:
No. 5 North Dakota State at No. 10 North Dakota - 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT - ESPN+
Even the most novice of FCS followers should know all about North Dakota State. A dynasty more dominant than John Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams, the New York Islanders of the 1980s or the Jordan Chicago Bulls, North Dakota State should not be discounted as a front-runner to win a remarkable ninth championship in the last 11 years.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference is full of potential landmines, the first of which is this weekend against North Dakota.
UND was one of the most intriguing, breakout stories to emerge in the shortened spring season, flirting with the No. 1 overall ranking before a COVID-related shutdown and late-season stumble. Still, the Fighting Hawks reached the national quarterfinals and returned an outstanding corps.
Saturday marks significant measuring stick of just how realistic North Dakota’s own title aspirations might be. NDSU is still figuring out its offense in the post-Trey Lance era, but the Bison defense looks just as formidable as the championship-winning incarnations through the previous decade.
Brayden Thomas, a transfer from Div. II Minnesota State, is a force on the defensive line.
No. 1 Sam Houston at Stephen F. Austin
North Dakota’s re-repeat run of national championships ended in the spring, with a Sam Houston program that had been knocking on the door for the past decade finally breaking through.
The unusual circumstances of the spring season give the Bearkats’ national championship a unique feel. I wouldn’t call it an asterisk, but I’m also not the head coach of Sam Houston’s chief rival.
Forget Stephen F. Austin, this trash talk feels more befitting “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
I’ll editorialize for a bit and mention if there’s any asterisk to be placed on a title, its SFA’s Southland Conference championship from last fall. The Lumberjacks played only one SLC member, Abilene Christian, and otherwise faced a schedule of half-FBS program, half-Div. II members. The Lumberjacks are off to a hot start this season, but have played a soft slate. Nevertheless, I appreciate a coach diving so aggressively into the spirit of a rivalry.
Saturday’s 95th installment of the Battle of the Piney Woods will show just how real SFA is, and should be the stiffest challenge the defending national champion has faced thus far.
The longtime Southland Conference programs have taken this rivalry to the revitalized Western Athletic Conference. With their potent offenses, including SFA standout wide receiver Xavier Gipson and Sam Houston’s running back Ramon Jefferson, expect a combined score in the 80s — befitting the legacy of the old WAC.
VMI at The Citadel (Military Classic of the South) - 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT - ESPN+
VMI and The Citadel play for the Silver Shako, a trophy that in hindsight I really wish I had included in my feature on rivalry awards from a few years ago.
The unique trophy aside, the Military Classic of the South features a contrast of styles with The Citadel operating out of the option and VMI bucking military-program tradition running an air raid.
The Keydets have won the last two meetings, snapping a losing streak of 12 games dating back to 2003.
No. 17 Jacksonville State at No. 20 Kennesaw State - 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT - ESPN+
The soon-to-be ASUN rivals meet this season in a non-conference clash with Kennesaw State finishing out its tenure in the Big South.
Former Paul Johnson assistant Brian Bohannon instilled many of the same principles at the fledgling Kennesaw State program and, in short order, built a perennial FCS Playoffs participant.
And he coached NXT’s Bron Breakker!
While not quite as devastating in Bronson Rechsteiner’s days at KSU, the Owls option offense is still racking up almost 280 rushing yards per game. Saturday is their first real FCS test against a Jacksonville State team that captivated the nation with a win over Florida, then struggled against FCS newcomer North Alabama before losing to old OVC counterpart UT Martin.
Jax State is much better offensively with Zerrick Cooper playing quarterback, and in the Gamecocks’ defense, he didn’t play in the sluggish win over UNA then returned for three touchdowns against UTM.
Saturday isn’t a playoff elimination game for either team, both of which can still win their conference automatic bids regardless of the result. For at-large purposes, however, this might be make or Breakker (sorry).