FCS championship preview: North Dakota State vs. Eastern Washington

The top two seeds in the FCS playoffs made it through the field. Here’s how to catch Eastern Washington and North Dakota State in the national championship.

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After the culmination of four rounds of playoffs, the FCS subdivision of NCAA Division I football has winnowed down the 24-team field to the final two teams. It comes as little surprise that the top two teams this year are also the top two seeds entering the playoffs.

Undefeated North Dakota State makes a run at an unprecedented seventh national championship in eight seasons as they prepare for their final game under head coach Chris Klieman before he follows his former boss Craig Bohl to the FBS ranks as the replacement for Bill Snyder at Kansas State. The Bison dominated the scoreboard on both sides of the ball, ranking No. 6 in the FCS in scoring and No. 2 in points allowed by their top-notch defense.

Eastern Washington scored even more points than North Dakota State, finishing No. 3 in the FCS with their 44.5 points per game constituting nearly a field goal more than the Bison. Where they differ is on defense. Though the Eagles rank No. 20 in scoring defense across the lower subdivision of Division I football, that means they give up nearly 10 more points per game than North Dakota State. They were, however, second nationally in turnovers generated.

Both teams are quite familiar with a venue that is more familiar to fans of the Association football code than the American version. Home of Major League Soccer club FC Dallas, the venue now called Toyota Stadium is also the site of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. But a stadium in Texas is always going to feature a little bit of the gridiron variety of football, and the FCS championship game nears a decade on the site with a pair of teams all too familiar with the space.

Eastern Washington was the first team to win the NCAA Division I national championship after it moved from Chattanooga to what was then Pizza Hut Park in Frisco back in 2010. North Dakota has basically owned the venue ever since. Here’s how you can watch the FCS national championship game on Saturday between No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 Eastern Washington:

Date: Saturday, Jan. 5
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Frisco, Texas
Venue: Toyota Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

There are honestly few flaws to find with North Dakota State. Easton Stick could stand to have a big game, and the defense will need to shut down Eastern Washington’s Eric Barriere. But the biggest thing that could stand in the way of passing Georgia Southern for the most FCS titles in NCAA history is a special teams unit that struggles with giving away field position on kickoffs. Stopping Dennis Merritt will be critical to ensure victory for the Bison.

Eastern Washington, on the other hand, has a serious issue with taking penalties. Already at a disadvantage in most offensive and defensive categories, the Eagles cannot afford to shoot themselves in the foot in Frisco on Saturday. If Aaron Best’s team is going to get the better of North Dakota State in Klieman’s last contest in the FCS ranks before heading for Manhattan, they will need to play a perfect — and perfectly disciplined — game on neutral turf.

Prediction

Eastern Washington has been an incredible team throughout 2018, and they are going to put together an impressive shootout against the Bison. But North Dakota State is simply too deep, too complete, and too dominant to cede a title chance against the Eagles.

Look for Easton Stick to throw a couple of touchdown passes and score at least one more on the ground, while the defense shuts down Barriere and crew,  as the Bison send Klieman off into the sunset with one more victory.

Final Score: North Dakota State 36, Eastern Washington 17