FCS Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

by Mike Allen - 8/29/2024

The Football Championship Subdivision, in this new era of college football, is seeing more and more higher-level talent each year, not to mention the upsets pulled off on FBS teams by the FCS. These smaller schools are getting larger and larger programs.

As you will see below, the elite teams in the FCS are concentrated around one region. The top five betting favorites are from North and South Dakota, along with Montana.

The FBS debuts their 12-team playoff this season, but the FCS is ahead of the game. They had a 24-team playoff last season. Only eight teams are seeded, however, and those teams have a bye and host the 2nd-round game. The higher seed will host after that until the FCS Championship is played on a neutral field.

We have betting odds today for more than 20 of the best teams in the FCS.

South Dakota State: +200

Leading the way is the current king of the FCS, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who are riding easily the longest win streak in the nation at 29 games. They beat Montana in the finals last year by a score of 23-3.

The Jackrabbits have a chance to pull an upset in Week 1 when they visit Stillwater to challenge the Oklahoma State Cowboys. OK State is favored by 9.5 points and (-275) on the moneyline. They have the best running back in the nation and will likely keep the explosive SDSU offense off the field. This team of winners might not want to hear it, but even a one-score loss here will make them a better team come playoff time.

North Dakota State: +275

North Dakota State doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but the football games have to be rabid, especially with the school having to play second fiddle now for a while against the team that played that same instrument when they were the gatekeepers.

The Bison lost in overtime in the semifinals last year 31-29 to Montana in a heartbreaker. This came right after they beat Montana State by two in overtime. As you can see, there is a ton of parity here at the top of the FCS amongst the Dakotas and Montanas.

I will pass on NDSU, though, as they lost their head coach to an assistant’s position at USC.

Montana State: +325

I helped build some of the student housing at Montana State several years ago. We installed the much-needed heating units. Air conditioning is not required, but boy does it get cold up there. Bozeman is a beautiful town just north of Yellowstone National Park. The secret is out now, but I would go back.

One thing I remember was how serious the locals were about the football team. After following their rise over the past few seasons, it makes sense now. Looking at their roster, and putting two and two together with all the Californians flooding in, I see that a lot of the MSU recruiting is done both in NorCal and SoCal.

If you caught the highlights from Zero Week, Montana State is already 1-0 with a win over an FBS team. New Mexico isn't the best, but they had the game in hand until the Bobcats outscored them 21-0 in the 4th quarter for the win. This team has more continuity in 2024 than any other at the top, as well as the most upward momentum amongst the elite.

Montana: +400

The Montana Grizzlies are the final team at the top before the betting odds drop off severely to 20-1. Montana travels south to Bozeman for the final game of the year. Even if they win that game and are undefeated going into the playoff, it's hard to bet on a team that lost the title game by 20 points.

Best Bets

South Dakota State: +200

There aren’t many times where you find the most betting value on the betting favorite, but the Jackrabbits are the bet until somebody in the FCS beats them.

Montana State: +325

The Bobcats could run the table in the regular season. From there, I give them the best shot to beat SDSU, who needed a 4th quarter comeback to defeat the Bobcats early last season. In the past two years, this team has lost three games by a total of eight points.

More Odds to Win the FCS Championship

South Dakota: +2000

Villanova: +3300

Albany: +3300

Idaho: +5000

Sacramento State: +5000

William & Mary: +5000

Illinois State: +5000

North Dakota: +6600

Southern Illinois: +7500

Richmond: +7500

Incarnate Word: +7500

Furman: +12500

Youngstown State: +12500

Chattanooga: +15000

Central Arkansas: +15000

Samford: +15000

Mercer: +15000

Weber State: +20000

Northern Iowa: +20000

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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FCS Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

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