If you don't watch FCS Football, start watching. The FCS playoffs are on fire right now and it is make or break time for the four teams left. This Saturday is the Semi-Finals, and all four teams are hungry. The four teams left are North Dakota State, South Dakota State, the University of Main (football school) and Eastern Washington. There will be a brutal rivalry game between SDSU and NDSU. The other game will be West coast vs. East coast, a find out who is the best coast kind of game, between Maine and EWU. All four of the teams want it, and they want it bad. Let's break down the teams and the games for this upcoming Saturday.
NDSU: They are the reigning National Champions and the juggernaut of FCS football. They are the Alabama of FCS football, if you will. These green and yellow Bison come to play every game, home or away. I have watched and experienced the green and yellow mob. The team shows up to do business. The fans will drive days to watch these guys play, and when they arrive in their RVs, campers and mother fucking school buses, they turn whatever town they are in into Fargo. If you don't follow FCS football and walked into a town where the Bison are playing an away game, you would swear you were in Fargo. They take over and destroy. I have never seen a fan base more supportive than these guys, and their team treats them with the respect they deserve by destroying teams left and right without mercy. NDSU also has a QB by the name of Easton Stick who can dribble a football like basketball. They don't fuck around in Fargo; these Bison are angry and bull rush any team that stands in their way.
SDSU: The Jackrabbits are led by QB Taryn Christion, whois a top 10 QB in FCS football. He has lit up defenses since becoming the starting QB for the Jackrabbits. They have the QB and they have a sneaky good defense that helps them win games. Some consider SDSU a dark horse favorite to win the FCS National Championship this year, and if you look at their stats, you can't argue with it. The high energy they bring usually propels them to big wins. A fun fact for you is that SDSU was the last team to beat NDSU and were the last team to beat the Bison in the Fargodome, which is no easy feat. This Jackrabbit team could shock the Bison in Fargo again, this time taking them to the National Championship. Brooking would go berserk, and the Bison would never live it down.
UMaine: If you read an earlier blog of mine about the University of Maine Black Bears, you would know that I didn't even realize they had an FCS team. The Black Bears, though, have come out of obscurity and are demanding respect from everyone. They have not had an easy road in this playoff, but they beat Jacksonville State and a very good Weber State team to make it to the semi-finals. Now I think it is absolutely insane that Maine has come this far because what is Maine football? When was the last time you heard about something coming out of Maine that wasn't a Stephen King novel? Well, these Black Bears are hungry and they have gold on their menu. The Black Bears have shown me that they can hang with the best and can definitely beat some of the best. UMaine is a football school right now, no arguments about it.
EWU: Eastern Washington has the BEST turf in football. They have the same kind of turf as Boise State, but it is red instead of blue, and it is awesome. If you have never seen their turf, look it up now. EWU is a pretty good team, but I will admit I had never heard of them until 2015 when Vernon Adams Jr. transferred to Oregon from there. They are no strangers to the FCS playoffs, however, and experience is always a key to winning. The Eagles have another trick up their sleeve and it's the fact that the UMaine Black Bears have to travel across the nation to play them. This might be a very overlooked fact, but it could very well play in EWU's favor big time.
NDSU/SDSU: This will be a gritty game that will rely on one team stopping the other team on one single drive. Whether that is a turnover or a punt, that is what it will come down to. These two teams have already played each other once this year with NDSU squeaking out a tight victory 21-17 in Brookings. But SDSU will be making the journey north and will play the Bison in the Fargodome. SDSU has a knack for winning those tough games in Fargo. I think the home field advantage will be a huge factor though. NDSU fans are some of the best in the nation and will be out in full force for this game. NDSU has, in my opinion, the best FCS QB in Easton Stick, who (also in my opinion) is more athletic than Carson Wentz. Stick has thrown three more TDs and two less INTs in his junior year compared to Wentz's junior season. Easton Stick is the real deal. SDSU will bring a very good road energy, but I don't think it will be enough to stop the Bison. NDSU has a great defense and can get that one turnover or force that one punt that will give the Bison their ticket to the the FCS National Championship.
Final Score: NDSU 24 SDSU 17
UMiane/EWU: UMaine (football school) has been on a hot streak; they haven't had an easy road in the playoffs and have prevailed and come this far. UMaine (football school) is on a "demand respect tour" and that is exactly what they are doing. If you haven't seen their coaches pump up speech before their last game, go look it up now. EWU, though, has a big factor playing in their favor: the fact that UMaine has to make the journey from Orono, Maine, to Cheney, Washington. That is clear across the country, and traveling through three time zones will probably affect them a little bit. Though UMaine (football school) defeated a tough Weber State team in the playoffs, earlier this season Weber State beat EWU 14-6. That is a good stat to see in my book and is enough for me to say the Black Bears will prevail. UMaine has a great defense, and that is what this game will come down to. UMaine (football school) will be going to the FCS Championship.
Final Score: UMaine 17 EWU 14
I expect to see the NDSU Bison vs. UMain Black Bears in the FCS National Championship.
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