North Dakota State Heavily Favored to Repeat as FCS Champions
- We’re though the first round of the FCS Championship, and North Dakota State is a huge favorite
- Can Eastern Washington, South Dakota State, or Weber State score an upset?
- Or are the Bison just that good?
While we blather on elsewhere about the lame four-team playoff in FBS, the FCS Championship is already underway. The odds sheet is out ahead of the second round, and defending champs North Dakota State are huge favorites.
2018 FCS Championship Odds
| Who Will Win the 2018 FCS Championship? | Odds |
|---|---|
| North Dakota State | -250 |
| Eastern Washington | +800 |
| South Dakota State | +800 |
| Weber State | +800 |
| Kennesaw State | +1400 |
| Maine | +1400 |
| UC Davis | +2000 |
| Colgate | +25000 |
Can Anyone Beat NDSU?
It’s difficult to overstate NDSU’s dominance of FCS-level football. Here are the streaks the Bison have going right now:
- 18 consecutive wins
- 6 straight wins against FBS teams
- 8 consecutive FCS semifinals
They’re a very, very good football team, and they haven’t lost a game since last year. They will very likely win their 15th national title this year. They’re somewhat Alabama-esque, if Alabama’s reign stretched back into the early 2000’s and had ever produced a good NFL quarterback.
It also helps that they’ve already beaten their strongest competition this year. Against South Dakota State and Eastern Washington (listed here at +800), the Bison won 21-17 and 50-44, respectively. They’ve also blown out everyone else, and since that Week 2 Eastern Washington game only one two teams have scored more than 20 points on the Bison. One was Iowa, and the other was Northern Iowa.
Which Longshots Stand a Chance?
Eastern Washington, Weber State, and South Dakota State are all considered equals on this odds sheet.
Eastern Washington might have the best chance of scoring an upset over NDSU, as they already stretched the Bison to a wild overtime game early in the season. Their only other losses of the season came against Washington State and Weber State, both of which are understandable.
Eastern Washington might have the best chance of scoring an upset over NDSU, as they already stretched the Bison to a wild overtime game early in the season.
South Dakota State may have given up the Dakota Marker, but they didn’t make it easy on NDSU. The Bison needed a long, game-killing drive in the fourth quarter to seal the win, and I don’t think anybody who saw that game would call a rematch a certainty.
Weber State avoided NDSU this season, but scored a key win over Eastern Washington and faces Maine in the next round of the Playoffs. They’ll be strong favorites in that game (sportsbooks have them as 7-point underdogs) and should make their way to the final four.
Alex studied political science in university but spent most of that time watching college football. He covered sports betting for SBD from 2017-2019. Avid tennis player, golf nut, and motorsports nerd.
