FCS Roundtable: Week 1 Picks and Predictions
By Kyle Kensing
Members of the illustrious FCS Roundtable weigh in on Week 1’s slate — yes, the season is finally here. The last eight months have certainly been arduous, but the wait is over. Plenty of great games on top for this opening weekend, including those examined below. Read on, intrepid soul.
Russell Varner, SouthernPigskin.com
Villanova vs. Temple (Thurs.) – Villanova has had plenty of success against the Owls recently. Villanova wins and gets bragging rights on their local rivals.
Furman at Coastal Carolina – Furman has plenty of talent on defense and if you are set on defense, you can win any game. Furman will just barely squeak out a victory, but it will be a good start to the Bruce Fowler era.
James Madison at UNC – Carolina is more or less decimated after their awful offseason. James Madison returns plenty of players from the squad that made a run to the playoffs last year. The Dukes will push the Tar Heels to the limit, but will just miss out on a victory.
Northern Iowa at Iowa State – UNI may be able to pull the upset, but I have a hard time seeing it happen here for whatever reason.
William & Mary at Virginia – Let’s see, top team in the FCS vs. a lower-level ACC team. And this happened in 2009: http://www.youtube.com/TribeAthletics#p/search/3/qJAOJPP977Q. The Tribe will repeat that success this year.
Kyle Roth, Bison Illustrated & Bison Sports Blog
Western Illinois at Sam Houston State (Thurs.) – While the Leathernecks have a lot of holes to fill with the departures of Matt Barr and Kyle Glazier (among others), they still have a potent rushing attack in Caulton Ray and Bryce Flowers. They’ll still surprise some teams this year.
Villanova vs. Temple (Thurs.) – Mr. Everything Sczcur did more for this team than most casual fans realize, and starting off against in-city foe Temple will be a sore test for the Wildcats.
UMass at Holy Cross (Thurs.) – UMass is headed to the FBS, and despite their record being locked at 0-0 in conference play this season they still want to leave the FCS on a high note. Starting with a win at Holy Cross will factor into that.
Delaware at Navy– While I like what Delaware returns from national runner-up team last season, I don’t know that they can overcome the Midshipmen in Week 1. Later in the season? Much more likely.
Furman at Coastal Carolina – The SoCon is definitely Georgia Southern-App. State-Wofford in some order, but Chattanooga and Furman could be right there if a few things go right. Despite Coastal Carolina coming off a playoff year, I think Furman makes it happen on the road.
James Madison at UNC – James Madison knows how to take down heavy-hitters, stealing a win from ACC Champion Virginia Tech last season. UNC might look ripe for the picking with a laundry list of program violations, but their defense will still likely be among the top in the country as it seems to have been every year since Mack Brown left. Still, Madison could potentially pull the upset here.
Northern Iowa at Iowa State – Most Bison fans will hate me for this, but I love Northern Iowa’s potency up front on the defensive line. Bolstered by Buchanan nominee Ben Boothby, they have the potential to control the game with defense and a strong, dual-faceted running game led by QB Tirrell Rennie. The key here is if Rennie can refine his passing enough to take pressure off himself and RB Carlos Anderson to control the clock, turn the field over and potentially steal a win from Ames.
William & Mary at Virginia – North Dakota State’s FBS win from last year came because they were able to run the ball and play defense, and that’s exactly what the Tribe are built to do. With one of the nation’s top defenses returning and the ground game commanded by Payton nominee Johnathan Grimes, William & Mary is built to win this football game.
Southern Illinois at SEMO – Saluki fans are asking themselves a lot of questions about last year’s 5-6 campaign when they were picked to win the conference, and despite the loss of QB Chris Dieker, SIU returns what could repeat as the statistically-best defense in the MVFC (which should boast a number of good defenses this season). If their offense can develop, they could make a run at a conference crown this season.
Eastern Washington at Washington – EWU has a lot of key players returning from last year’s championship squad, including QB Bo Levi Mitchell and WR Brandon Kaufman, but I don’t see them overcoming a middle-of-the-road Pac-12 team.
Ben Moore, PantherTalk.com & SBNation Atlanta
Game of the Week: ‘Nova vs. Temple. Al Golden did not leave the Owls barren when he departed for Corral Gables but Villanova will give them everything they can handle. Ultimately depth will wear on the ‘Cats and Temple starts the season off 1-0 and claims a victory in the Mayor’s Cup.
Temple over Villanova: 28-21
Navy over Delaware: 30-24
Furman over Coastal Carolina: 21-10
North Carolina over James Madison: 42-17
Virginia over William & Mary: 28-24