FCS Football Betting Weekly Odds and Best Bet Game Pick: First Round Playoffs (2021)
The Spring 2021 FCS playoffs are finally upon us, which will follow a bracket-style of play culminating in the FCS Championship game in Frisco, TX, on May 16th.
The unforeseen rise of South Dakota State and Sam Houston has been rewarded with the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively, with usual suspects James Madison and North Dakota State trailing behind. With all games now being shown on the ESPN family of networks, the attention should increase, and with that, the volume of bets (and tighter lines).
Let’s take a closer look at a game I have my eye on this weekend.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Eastern Washington vs. North Dakota State (-7.5, 55.5)
The Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, will play host to one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend, with the winner likely slated to face #2 Sam Houston on the road next week. For the home Bison, a problem no teams want to have has plagued them all season as the quarterback position remains very much in flux. While Zeb Noland has been the primary guy, his inconsistency has led to continued questions and might even cause freshman Cam Miller to see some time this week.
For the visiting Eagles, the quarterback position has not been an issue behind Eric Barriere, who is averaging 365 yards through the air through the regular season. However, what could be an issue is the loss of leading tackler Ty Graham, who was recently declared done for the season following a knee injury.
Even with the play of Barriere, the Eagles are averaging 172 yards on the ground this season and are committed to the run game. For the Bison, who are averaging just 24.8 points per game, their lack of confidence in quarterback should translate to continued ground attack strategies as well. In fact, even when you include one game in the fall led by current NFL draftee Trey Lance, the Bison are averaging the fewest points since 2004.
Add that all up with a slightly higher than average total, and to me, this game screams under.
Pick: Under 55.5
Compare odds from all major sportsbooks for this weekend’s FCS action! >>
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.