Which FCS teams saw their stock rise and fall after Week 7 of action?
We break down three teams for each and where they go from here.
Stock Up
Montana State
The question mark surrounding No. 3 Montana State heading into Saturday’s matchup vs. No. 7 Idaho was it hadn’t been tested yet. Well, that’s still technically true. MSU thrashed the Vandals in a 38-7 win. Yes, Idaho was probably running on fumes due to its schedule and has dealt with multiple quarterback injuries. But Idaho’s front seven is legit, and the Bobcats had their way, rushing for 360 yards. Tommy Mellott has put himself in the conversation for the Walter Payton Award.
Now 7-0 with an FBS win and a ranked win, the Cats are in the driver’s seat to finish 12-0 and earn a Top 2 playoff seed. More ranked opponents are coming, but if MSU plays like this, it’ll be favored to win every game.
For Idaho, a 4-3 record doesn’t look great after once receiving first-place votes in the Top 25 polls. But the Vandals have a good shot at winning their remaining games to finish 9-3 with two FCS losses, three ranked wins, and an FBS win. That could maybe get them a first-round bye, depending on what happens elsewhere.
Chattanooga
The Mocs went off the national radar for a bit. They started 0-3, losing big to FBS No. 15 Tennessee, by three points to FBS Georgia State, and by seven points to Mercer, who is still undefeated and now ranked in the Top 10. Chattanooga has since won three straight to sit at 3-3 overall and 3-1 vs. the FCS, beating Portland State, No. 23 ETSU, and dismantling Furman 41-10 on Saturday.
Furman isn’t close to the same quarterfinal squad it had last year. But it was still an impressive performance by the Mocs and showed why they were the preseason favorites in the SoCon. Chase Artopoeus threw for 232 yards with 168 going to Javin Whatley.
The Mocs have perhaps the two toughest SoCon opponents behind them (Mercer and ETSU), so keep an eye on this team and how it finishes the season as it moves back up the rankings. They are No. 19 in this week’s Media Poll.
Stephen F. Austin
SFA has won three straight, improving to 4-2. On Saturday, the Lumberjacks defeated No. 22 Lamar 27-20 behind Sam Vidlak’s 329 passing yards and Qualan Jones’ 119 rushing yards. Vidlak, a transfer from Montana, has played well this fall. He is completing 66.47% of his passes for 1,565 yards, 17 touchdowns, and two interceptions.
SFA hosts ranked UIW and Abilene Christian in the final two games of the regular season. The Lumberjacks can position themselves for the playoffs by hitting eight wins before those two games in the next four weeks.
With the MVFC and Big Sky looking like four-bid leagues this year instead of five or sometimes six, and the CAA having so many teams that will lack ranked wins, that will free up more bids for conferences like the SoCon, Southland, UAC, and Big South-OVC. UIW looks like the class of the Southland after dominating Nicholls. The No. 2 team in the league will be a tight race, and SFA is in that conversation.
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Stock Down
Abilene Christian
A week after beating No. 5 Central Arkansas, Abilene Christian couldn’t hold on to its Top 10 ranking, losing 47-34 to North Alabama. UNA was 2-5 coming into this game. ACU drops to 4-3 overall and 4-2 vs. the FCS. UNA’s TJ Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
This sets ACU back as it could have kept climbing the rankings to earn a high playoff seed. With limited opportunities at ranked wins, losing to an unranked team really hurts your resume. It’ll be a red flag for the playoff committee if you don’t have several ranked wins to make up for it.
ACU finishes the regular season against two teams currently ranked — at Tarleton State and at SFA. ACU needs to avoid letdown performances before those matchups to position itself for a nice playoff seed. But the UAC is always good for some upsets and crazy finishes.
Sacramento State
After being preseason ranked No. 8, Sac State is now 2-4 overall and 2-2 vs. the FCS, dropping back-to-back games to unranked FCS teams. The Hornets lost 34-16 at Northern Arizona. And on Saturday, No. 18 Sac State lost 35-28 at home to Eastern Washington, who was 1-4 entering the game. Interestingly, it was the run game that Sac State couldn’t stop. EWU rushed for 289 yards and four touchdowns while its explosive passing attack only needed to attempt 17 passes with Kekoa Visperas completing 15 of them for 141 yards.
Sac State probably has to win out and finish 8-4 to make the playoffs. In a 12-game season, the magic number to hit is eight and not seven. A 7-5 record could make the bracket, but it’s like a 6-5 team in previous years getting a postseason bid — possible, but pretty rare. The Hornets still have to play ranked Montana State (on the road) and UC Davis (at home).
Weber State
A week after winning 55-48 in overtime at No. 8 Montana, No. 20 Weber State lost 21-17 to Northern Colorado. UNC snaps an 18-game losing streak with the win.
The Wildcats are now 3-4 overall and 3-3 vs. the FCS, also losing to unranked Lamar and McNeese. Like Sac State, they likely need to win out to reach the playoffs at 8-4. A 7-5 record may not cut it this year on a packed bubble. Weber still needs to play at ranked Idaho and at Northern Arizona, who was ranked last week.
And this weekend, Weber State goes to Sac State in what could be a de facto playoff elimination game.
