2021 FCS Quarterfinal Odds and Predictions: Sam Houston vs Montana St, NDSU vs ETSU, Villanova vs SDSU & Montana vs James Madison

• The 2021 FCS Quarterfinals will be played on Friday, December 10th and Saturday December 11th
• Sam Houston faces Montana State, while North Dakota State hosts East Tennessee State
• Read below for FCS Quarterfinals odds, plus predictions for all four games

There are only eight FCS teams remaining in the hunt for a National Championship this season. The 2021 FCS Quarterfinals are scheduled to be played on Friday, December 10th and Saturday December 11th.

JMU and Montana State kickoff Quarterfinals weekend with a matchup on Friday, while powerhouses Sam Houston and North Dakota State are in action Saturday.

Here are FCS betting odds and predictions for all four Quarterfinal games.

2021 FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals Odds

Odds as of December 10th at DraftKings

Grizzlies Hold Underdog Value vs JMU

The Montana Grizzlies are 7.5-point road underdogs against JMU in the FCS Quarterfinals at Bridgeforth Stadium on Friday. There’s value betting Bobby Hauck’s team to keep this within a touchdown. The Grizzlies are riding a six-game winning streak, including a 57-41 victory over EWU last weekend.

Locked and Loaded for JMU. 👏

Let's go get this dub. 😤#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/GQSeULUCbD

— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) December 9, 2021

The Grizzlies rank sixth nationally in sacks per game (3.42) and will feast against JMU’s young offensive line. Montana cornerback Justin Ford leads the FCS with nine interceptions and should come up with a few big plays against JMU’s talented QB Cole Johnson.

Both these teams have stifling defenses, which sets up a tightly contested game at Bridgeforth Stadium. The UM rush defense in particular is only allowing 2.2 yards per carry, which is going to create issues for a JMU offense missing star running back Percy Agyei-Obese.

Montana is 4-1 on the road this season, including beating Washington outright as 24-point underdogs. The Grizzlies don’t back down from a challenge and should keep this game within a TD.

• Pick: Montana +7.5 (-110)

ESTU Runs on Holmes vs NDSU

East Tennessee State is the biggest underdog of FCS Quarterfinals weekend. The Broncos are whopping 25-point underdogs against No. 2 North Dakota State at the Fargodome on Saturday. ETSU’s key to pulling off a shocking upset is running back Quay Holmes, who ranks second in FCS rushing yards (1518).

NOW THAT IS A MAN'S RUN!! @_HO11YWOOD_ showing why he is the BEST rusher in the nation!#ETSUTough pic.twitter.com/4uJZOeN0ac

— ETSU Football (@ETSUFootball) December 4, 2021

This is simply too large of a spread for an FCS Quarterfinal playoff game. Although the Bison dominated Southern Illinois 38-7 last weekend, they’re currently without star receiver Christian Watson due to injury. The Bison are relying heavily on their run game, rushing for 389 yards last week.

ETSU have a far more efficient rush defense than SIU, allowing just 143 YPG on the ground. Furthermore, ETSU ranks top-five in turnover-margin (1.08). Taking care of the football will be key against an NDSU team that has scored 87 points off turnovers.

It would take something special for ETSU to pull off the upset in Fargo, but look for the Broncos to control the clock with Holmes to keep it respectable.

• Pick: ETSU +25 (-110)

Wildcats Intriguing Home Underdogs vs SDSU

Villanova is getting seven points at home against South Dakota State despite being the higher seed in this quarterfinal matchup. This is particularly interesting considering the Jackrabbits had to travel to Sacramento State last weekend, where they escaped with a 24-19 victory.

FINAL | Next stop: Philadelphia

Jackrabbits survive and advance to quarterfinal matchup against Villanova with hard-fought win over Sacramento State#GoJacks🐰🏈 pic.twitter.com/xMIu0oy5Iu

— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) December 5, 2021

It’s another long trip to Villanova, so we could look be looking at some fatigue issues for Mark Ferrante’s team. Villanova has a stifling defense, allowing just 263 yards and 15.17 points per game. They have two defensive studs in LB Forrest Rhyne (131 tackles) and DB Christian Benford (7 INT).

South Dakota State relies heavily on it’s run game led by Pierre Strong Jr. The Wildcats are allowing under 100 YPG on the ground and should have a game plan for making SDSU one-dimensional. Villanova has won four straight games, and their elite defense gives them home underdog value vs the Jackrabbits.

Pick: Villanova +7 (-110)

Bearkats Offense Can’t Be Stopped

Sam Houston will continue it’s quest for back-to-back FCS Championships with a Quarterfinal matchup against Montana State at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium on Saturday. A key stat for this game is that SHSU has won 17 straight home playoff games, while the Bobcats have lost six straight road postseason contests.

Quarterfinal ready. 😤#EatEmUpKats #NCAAFCS #Bearkats #RunItBack pic.twitter.com/QdR46cfDLH

— Sam Houston Football (@BearkatsFB) December 7, 2021

Sam Houston has developed a knack for winning close playoff games, which has led to this FCS betting line being a little longer than it should be. The Bearkats have won their last gives games by seven points or less. This is still a powerhouse that features all it’s starters from last year, including QB Eric Schmid.

MSU’s defense has been their calling card, but they rank 16th in rushing defense compared to 6th in passing defense. Sam Houston has an elite running back tandem of Ramon Jefferson and Noah Smith that should exploit the MSU defensive front. Jefferson had 166 rushing yards last weekend vs IWU.

K.C. Keeler is one of the best coaches in FCS, and his 31-0 career record in home playoff games is hard to bet against. The Bearkats are averaging 43 points per game and should rely on their talented running backs to keep the home streak alive against a less-experienced Montana State squad.

• Pick: Sam Houston -7 (-110)