FCS Playoffs: Quarterfinals Preview and Predictions

There are only seven games left on the FCS calendar. Four of them are this weekend. There are eight teams still alive in the playoffs. The teams that received seeds in this year's tournament will be trimmed to four on Saturday night.

North Dakota State hosts Samford in Frisco on Friday night. The game is a big test for Samfords as they are without their star quarterback Micheal Hiers. Hunter Luepke is out for the season with a shoulder injury. NDSU has a lot of weapons on the ground, including Tamerik Williams and Cam Miller. Samfort has only lost one game this season.   The team that beat them earlier this year is no longer in the FCS. They played a team in College Football Playoff. It was in Georgia. James Madison has never beaten NSDSU in Fargodome.

Montana State has won 19 straight games in their home stadium. William & Mary has been winning for eight straight and is 11-1. The game will be played under the lights on Friday night. Montana State's rushing attack is very good. W&M's defense is good but has only lost one game all season.   The Tribe's quarterback is Darius Wilson and their running back is Bronson Yoder. They have only won one other game this season, against Elon. Their defense allows under 20 points and 144.4 rush yards per game.

Sac State is the only team that won all games this season. They beat Richmond last Saturday. Now they face Incarnate Word, who are 11-1 and have a very good offense. The game is going to be a track meet of a game. UIW's quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. is lethal when throwing the ball. Sac State's two quarterbacks are effective. Their defense is good. UIw's defense gives up 22.6 points per game, while Sac's gives 20.7. Chris Whittaker is a key player for the Cardinals.

Holy Cross is playing in their first quarterfinal game since 1993. South Dakota State is the top seed and the defending champions. The Jacks are a suffocating defense and an explosive offense. They have a quarterback who has thrown for over 2,000 yards and rushed for 1,500 yards this season. Holy Cross has a very similar offensive line and a tight end. They need to stop Matthew Sluka to avoid a shocker. SDSU has the best tight-end in the nation with Tucker Kraft. It's a tough task for Bob Chesney and his team. He's the coach of the Big Ten's Iowa Hawkeyes.