FCS Football Betting: Weekly Odds and Game Picks: Week 5 (2021)
The 2021 Spring FCS season is off and running as Week 5 is officially upon us, and teams begin to get their legs back after what was a year off the field. Week over week, the top 10 has largely held steady, with the biggest move being North Dakota picking up another impressive win and leapfrogging previously #3 Northern Iowa.
Though it’s been improving each week, offenses and special teams sluggishness have been the primary story thus far on the field, as the extended break hasn’t been kind to production. Total points per game (per team) are coming in thus far at just 25.7, vs. over 27 in 2019.
With another full slate of 18 games Saturday and Sunday, let’s take a look at the Week 5 board and see where we can find the edges.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Saturday
North Dakota vs. Western Illinois (+20.5, O/U 45.5)
In their first full season in the Missouri Valley Conference, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have been nothing short of spectacular. Through their first three games, they’ve beaten three ranked opponents (Southern Illinois, South Dakota State, and South Dakota) by double digits and have shown no signs of slowing down.
On the other side of this matchup, the Western Illinois Leathernecks aren’t having the same fortune as they sit at the bottom of the Missouri Valley Conference. Through two games, the Leathernecks have been outscored 75-34 and haven’t been able to get things going on either side of the ball.
The story thus far for North Dakota has been the dominance of the offensive line. Facing a team in Western Illinois that is as one-dimensional as they come from an offensive standpoint, I see a major mismatch here that should result in a blowout in favor of the Fighting Hawks.
Pick: North Dakota -20.5
Northern Iowa vs. Southern Illinois (-3.5, O/U 37.5)
We stay in the Missouri Valley for this one as the Northern Iowa Panthers take on the #10 ranked Southern Illinois Salukis in what should be a competitive affair.
The story for the Salukis this season was ending North Dakota State’s 39-game win streak a few weeks ago, in blow-out at that. Their 89 offensive points put them just behind North Dakota for the top rank in the conference.
For the Panthers, the defense has been the name of the game as their 34 points allowed puts them near the top of that metric in the entire nation and in clear first within the conference.
In this one, I see the offensive and defensive firepower evening these two out, and a close game to be in order that likely comes down to the wire. With that in mind, I’ll gladly take the points in a game I think the Panthers could end up winning outright.
Pick: Northern Iowa +3.5
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.