Most college football observers did a double-take when reading last Saturday’s FCS small college playoff scores.
The undefeated defending FCS champion North Dakota State Bison lost – at home! They were eliminated from the playoffs by Illinois State 29-28.
NDSU’s loss has opened the door for a new national champion to be crowned in less than one month. Villanova’s 2008 national championship was the most recent title won by a member of this year’s remaining eight quarterfinalist teams.
What happened to North Dakota State last weekend?
North Dakota State came into last Saturday’s home playoff game with Illinois State with a perfect 12-0 record in 2025. The Bison had already defeated the Redbirds 33-16 at Illinois State a couple of months ago.
However, my weekly FCS report last week noted, “That game saw the Bison leading by only two points (18-16) after three quarters before NDSU tacked-on two late scores for the final margin of victory”.
Illinois State came into Fargo, North Dakota last Saturday with the knowledge that they had come really close to taking down the Bison in that previous meeting.
By contrast, North Dakota State confidently entered last week’s game knowing they had won 14 straight games against their Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals.
The Bison wasted no time in taking a 14-0 first quarter lead in NDSU’s always-noisy FargoDome stadium last Saturday.
The first offensive play from scrimmage produced a 79-yard touchdown pass completion to Bryce Lance (yes, he is the younger brother of former Bison and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance). North Dakota State tacked-on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown to take a 14-point lead in the opening quarter.
North Dakota State’s usually punishing offense was throttled all day. Illinois State held the Bison to just six first downs – for the entire game! NDSU still led 28-14 early in the fourth quarter as Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse tossed five interceptions which allowed the Bison to maintain the lead.
However, the Redbirds’ quarterback saved his best for last. Rittenhouse tossed two touchdowns in the game’s final three minutes plus a two-point conversion to give Illinois State a thrilling 29-28 win.
Illinois State controlled the ball – well, when they weren’t throwing one of those five interceptions to North Dakota State. The Redbirds kept possession of the football for 42 minutes compared to just 18 for the Bison. NDSU finished its season at 12-1.
Illinois State improved to 10-4 and now travels west this week to play UC-Davis on Saturday afternoon.
Let’s preview this week’s four FCS quarterfinal playoff games!
#7 seed Stephen F. Austin (11-2) at #2 seed Montana State (11-2) – FRIDAY – 8PM CST on ESPN
Two mirror image teams will meet on Friday night in Bozeman, Montana.
The SFA Lumberjacks opened the season with two straight losses and have reeled-off a school-record 11 straight victories to reach Friday’s FCS quarterfinal game.
The Southland Conference champions defeated the United Athletic Conference winner Abilene Christian 41-34 at home Saturday in Nacogdoches, Texas to advance to this weekend’s game.
Ditto for Montana State!
The Bobcats dropped a road “money game” at Oregon and were surprised in their home opener by South Dakota State.
After an 0-2 start, Montana State’s defense has only allowed one team (Montana) to score more than 17 points in their current 11-game winning streak. The Big Sky Champion Bobcats edged Ivy League winner Yale 21-13 last Saturday in Bozeman to advance into the quarterfinals at home on Friday night.
Stephen F. Austin’s defense is doing its part this season, too. The Jacks have allowed just 16 points per game over their current 11-game winning streak.
Offensively speaking, Montana State ranks #9 nationally in scoring 36.8 points per game. Stephen F. Austin is #14 in the FBS in scoring by producing 36 points per game.
The explosive Lumberjacks’ offense has produced 57 plays of more than 20 yards this season.
Montana State expects nearly 20,000 fans for Friday night’s game. The weather will be chilly with gametime temperatures around 40 degrees and brisk winds of 15-20 mph during this game.
11-2 Villanova at #4 seed Tarleton State (12-1) – Saturday at 11AM on ESPN
The Wildcats come into Saturday’s quarterfinal game in north Texas on a 10-game winning streak.
Villanova went on the road last Saturday to end the season for previously undefeated Lehigh 14-7 in a game played in Bethlehem, PA. The Wildcats from the Coastal Athletic Conference took advantage of two Lehigh turnovers to secure a win in this tightly-contested game.
Villanova’s fans must travel nearly 1,600 miles southwest to Stephenville, Texas (near Fort Worth) to attend this Saturday’s quarterfinal game.
The Tarleton State Texans prevailed 31-13 over the University of North Dakota last week to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinals.
The 12-1 Texans’ only blemish on its record came after a last minute field goal gave eventual United Athletic Conference champion Abilene Christian a 31-28 win on November 1.
Tarleton State’s defense is ranked #10 nationally and allows just 18 points per game.
The weather in north central Texas should be terrific on Saturday. Sunny skies with gametime temperatures in the mid-60’s and light winds will make for perfect football weather conditions.
Univ. of South Dakota (10-4) at #3 seed Montana (12-1) – Saturday 2:30PM on ABC
The Coyotes of South Dakota and the Grizzlies of Montana will meet on Saturday afternoon for the first time in a playoff setting.
These two FBS schools are spaciously separated by nearly 1,100 miles. The University of Montana football team has never lost to USD (5-0) since the Coyotes moved up into the FCS football group in 2008.
South Dakota wants to change that on Saturday.
The Coyotes’ 10-4 record is deceiving. Their losses came at FBS member Iowa State and against three other FCS playoff qualifiers (Lamar University, Illinois State, and North Dakota State).
USD from the Missouri Valley Football Conference has blasted two consecutive playoff opponents. Last week’s 47-0 ambush at #6 seed Mercer raised a lot of eyebrows. The Coyotes’ offense ran for 309 yards and passed for another 241 on Saturday in Macon, Georgia. South Dakota’s defense stifled Mercer’s vaunted passing attack as it produced four interceptions.
The Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference will have the home field advantage on Saturday.
This will mark the first-ever football game to be televised by ABC at picturesque Washington/Grizzly stadium in Missoula. Montana is the FCS’ all-time leader in post-season appearances (29) with national championships won in 1995 and 2001.
The Griz is #3 nationally in scoring (41.5 points per game).
Their prolific passing attack produces almost 300 yards per game with an efficient 70% completion percentage.
The weather forecast for Saturday’s game calls for afternoon sunshine and a balmy (by Montana standards) high temperature of 52 degrees.
Illinois State (10-4) at #8 seed UC-Davis (9-3) – Saturday at 4PM on ESPN+
The final FCS quarterfinal game of this weekend will be played just west of Sacramento on the campus of UC-Davis. UC-Davis and Illinois State are both seeking their schools’ first FCS national football championship.
These two teams played each other in the second round of last year’s FCS playoffs. The Aggies of UC-Davis cruised in a 42-10 home field decision over the Redbirds from Normal, Illinois.
As we covered earlier, Illinois State (which finished in 3rd place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular season) will not be intimidated after traveling to #1 seed North Dakota State last weekend and taking a 29-28 victory over the defending champs.
The “Road-birds” are now 13-1 over the past two seasons as a visiting team against FCS opponents.
Senior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz added three touchdowns against North Dakota State last week.
He now owns the Illinois State school record with 36 TD catches in his career.
Meanwhile, the UC-Davis Aggies of the Big Sky Conference feature one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the entire FCS. Last week’s home playoff win over Rhode Island saw the Aggies pass for 277 yards and rush for 276 more as they pulled away in the second half in a 47-26 victory over the Rams.
UC-Davis is hosting a quarterfinal game at home for the first time since 2001. Saturday’s weather in northern California will feature plenty of sunshine and a kick-off temperatures at a cool 47 degrees.
Enjoy this weekend’s FCS quarterfinal games!
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