When accounting for Week 0 we are officially at the halfway point of this season. Missouri State continues to be the shocker of the year, while USD continues to legitimize themselves and prove last year was not a fluke as 4 teams still control their paths. However, we all know what the big story is. It’s Marker Week. This has been the biggest game in the FCS the last 5 years if not a little longer, and the team that wins will have an inside track to both the MVFC autobid and home field advantage for the playoffs. We’ve got that and more to talk about so let’s roll into the previews

11. Murray State (1-5, 0-3) (0.437 conf wins)

Last week: Loss 31-27 At Indiana State (2-4, 1-1)

 

Murray came back from down 14 at one point to kick a go ahead FG with under 2 min left, however the defense then immediately gave up a game winning drive.This was by far Jayden Johannsen’s best game of the year going 20/38 256 yds and 2 TDs, and their backfield had almost 150 net yards split amongst themselves. However, the Racers just could not get enough defense to be played to make something of this game. This was the last game on the Racers schedule they had an actual shot in so it will be interesting to see what approach they take to the remainder of the season.

 

This Week: (+14.26, 17.19%) Vs #21 Illinois State (4-3, 1-2), 2 PM Sat, ESPN+

 

See Illinois State for preview.

 

10. Indiana State (2-4, 1-1) (1.810)

Last Week: Won 31-27 Vs Murray State (1-5, 0-3)

 

Elijah Owens led the Sycamores on a game winning 2 min drill en route to earning himself MVFC freshman of the week, and overall played well. This was a very evenly matched game, and neither team was very efficient on money downs, but despite winning the trees were worse at 3 for 11. They will need to improve that mark substantially if they want a chance in any of their other games going forward.

 

This Week: (+21.61, 4.65%) At Missouri State (4-2, 2-0), 2 PM Sat, ESPN+/MC22

 

See Missouri State for preview.

9. Northern Iowa (2-4, 0-2) (2.327)

Last Week: 42-17 Loss At #4 South Dakota (5-1, 3-0)

 

UNI is a little hard to watch right now. They kept up a fight for the first couple drives in this one but then the Yotes took over. The Panthers rushed for a very poor 2.2 ypc, and although had an ok passing efficiency they did not have much to show for it. On the flip side their defense was powerless to stop anything that USD threw at them. It has been a tough couple years in Cedar Falls and they are completely in the midst of a rebuild at this point.

 

This Week: (+13.19, 17.91%), At #9 North Dakota (4-2, 1-1), 1 PM Sat, MidcoSN/ESPN+

 

See North Dakota for preview.

 

8. (-1) Southern Illinois  (2-5, 0-3) (2.510)

Last Week: Lost 24-3 Vs #2 North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0)

 

I actually didn’t hate this performance for the Salukis. Yes Cam Miller was hobbled, but the Salukis held the Bison under their season averages in all yardage categories as well as points offensively. I think this was actually a pretty good bounce back game for their defense. Unfortunately on the flip side their offense is still pretty anemic. They have still really struggled to rush the ball in the absence of original starting QB DJ Williams, and 3rd String true freshman QB Jake Curry had a pretty underwhelming day in his first career start, which if we’re all being honest was somewhat expected. The really bad news about this one for SIU is that this was loss 5, so their playoff hopes are on life support with good Missouri State and South Dakota State teams still on the schedule. I think at this point if I was head coach Nick Hill, I’d be looking towards the future and getting young guys reps whenever I can from here on out in hopes to be back to the standard the Salukis expect come 2025.

 

This Week: Bye

 

7. (+1) Youngstown State (2-5, 1-2) (2.661)

Last Week:Lost 63-13 At #1 South Dakota State (5-1, 2-0)

 

Not a lot to say or see in this one for the Penguins. The only player really worth even talking about was Beau Brungard who had a modest showing, especially with his feet. It has been a tough year for the Penguins and this was a burn the tape game in every sense of the meaning.

 

This Week: (+17.78, 12.28%) Vs #4  South Dakota (5-1, 3-0), 5 PM Sat, ESPN+

 

See South Dakota for preview.

 

6. (-2) #21 Illinois State (4-3, 1-2) (4.157)

Last Week: Lost 41-7 At Missouri State (4-2, 2-0)

 

This was going to be a competitive game, but ultimately one the Redbirds were supposed to pull off in what was going to be a win streak headed to a big match up at the end of the season with North Dakota with a playoff seed potentially in the balance. Now the Redbirds’ playoff hopes aren’t dead by any means, but they are looking at trying to set themselves apart in the next 4 games where they are favored to show they deserve an at-large bid still. The big story in this one was Illinois State losing the turnover battle 4-0. Missouri State out gained them 468-362 and was better on the money downs, but the turn overs turned this from a one to two score loss into a rout. Illinois State needs to find some consistency down the stretch here if they are going to keep the aforementioned playoff hopes alive. It seems like when they are good they are a top 15 team in the country, and when they are off they can’t hang with anyone. The troublesome part is they look the former against inferior competition, and the latter against good teams. Their schedule is still favorable to punch their tournament ticket but they need to step it up when it counts.

 

This Week: (-14.26, 82.81%), At Murray State (1-5, 0-3), 2 PM Sat, ESPN+

 

Ideally this should be the perfect get right game for the Redbirds. Murray is listless and the Redbirds need to get the taste of a very poor performance out of their mouths. I know I am supposed to write about both teams in these previews here, but I’m sorry Racers fans I just don’t have much to say about your squad right now.

5. #9 North Dakota (4-2, 1-1) (4.560)

Last Week: Bye

 

This week: (-13.19, 82.0%) Vs Northern Iowa (2-4, 0-2), 1 PM Sat, MidcoSN/ESPN+

 

A UND team that is looking to rebound after suffering a beating against their biggest rival and a UNI squad that is reeling will look to square off in this one. The storylines to watch in this one are how does young QB Simon Romfo bounce back from a poor showing, and can UNI find any traction with anything at all? Both teams are looking to sort some things out that haven’t gone how they’ve hoped so far this year, however, being the better team and in the Alerus the Fighting Hawks are a large favorite. 

 

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4. (+2) Missouri State (4-2, 2-0) (5.476)

Last Week: Won 41-7 At #21 Illinois State

 

It is a shame this is one of Missouri State’s transition years because they are making me as well as many other people around the country eat their words about them. They are playing like a solid top 15 team this year, and have not actually added any extra scholarships yet. This was the most complete game they have played in probably 3 years. I’ve been harping on them about their lack of a rush offense for what feels like years now especially since Jacardia Wright is a solid back. And wouldn’t you know it they put up a very respectable 110net, 151 gained stat line on the day on the ground. Jacob Clark and the passing offense were on point as usual. The defense, although they gave up a ton of yards, were able to  come away with 4 key turnovers to hold the Redbirds to just 7 points. This was a very nice performance by the Bears.

 

This Week: (-21.61, 95.35%) Vs Indiana State (2-5, 1-2), 2 PM Sat, ESPN+/MC22

 

One of the arguably hottest teams in the Valley against a team who just had to fight and scratch and claw to eek out their second win of the year against a bad Indiana State team. Stranger things have happened, but I think Missouri State pulls out a comfortable win in this one.

3. #4 South Dakota (5-1, 3-0) (6.144)

Last Week: Won 42-17 Vs Northern Iowa (2-4, 0-2)

 

There was a lot of talk in Yote about how this was a revenge game for the beating the Panthers handed out in 2022, and the Yotes responded to that call. The Panthers made it interesting, popping some big plays and scoring points on their first two drives, but the Yote offense responded in kind. After that the Yote defense tightened up only allowing 7 more the rest of the way while Aidan Bouman, Travis Thies, and friends continued to roll. There isn’t a lot to be said about who the Yotes have played so far this year, but to their credit they keep answering the bell, and doing what a truly good team should be doing in these situations.

 

This Week: (-17.78,87.72%) At Youngstown State (2-5, 1-2), 5 PM Sat, ESPN+

 

The Penguins have traditionally been a bit of a thorn in the side for the Coyotes, including last year’s game the Yotes had to win with a long field goal as time expired. The Yotes have never won in Stambaugh. However, as we talked about in the USD recap, if the Yotes are who they are supposed to be they need to win this one, and comfortably. This is not your usual Youngstown team as they are reeling , but this could be their chance to make a big splash on the season.

 

2. #2 North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0) (6.853)

Last Week: Won 24-3 At Southern Illinois (2-5, 0-3)

 

This was a bit of a clunky one if such a thing exists in a 3 score win. The NDSU defense continued to look improved, but the injuries to DE Hendricks and MLB Kubitz could cause concern going forward. Cam Miller was also not his usual self, but still threw the ball well even with his limited mobility. Overall Carbondale can be a difficult place to play and a 3 score win there is always hard to be upset with.

 

This Week: *GAME OF THE WEEK* (+1.65, 44.89%) Vs #1 South Dakota State (5-1, 2-0), 7 PM Sat, ESPN2

 

See South Dakota State.

1. #1 South Dakota State (5-1, 2-0) (7.066)

Last Week: Won 63-13 Vs Youngstown State (2-5, 1-2)

 

A Hobo Day performance for the ages. The Jacks were sharp in almost every facet of the game and dominated Youngstown from bell to bell in this one, not even punting or attempting a field goal until the 3rd string offense came into the game.

 

This week: *GAME OF THE WEEK*  (-1.65, 55.11%) At #2 North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0), 7 PM Sat, ESPN2

 

It’s here. The Granddaddy of them all when it comes to FCS football, go argue with someone else, the last 10 years this game has set itself apart. This will be meeting 115 overall, 24 in the D1 era, and the 20th edition of “The Marker” (other 4 in D1 era were playoff games where the Marker was not wagered although one could argue more is on the line in those). The D1 series is 13-11 NDSU and the Marker games are 10-10. This one is huge, 2nd time ever and in the last 3 years that it is #1 vs #2, and first time on national television not counting being featured on GameDay. If you want Xs and Os we have that all over our blog and pods here this week. So I’ll just leave you this, make sure you watch this one. This is going to be one of the top football games of the year across all divisions.

 

Go Jacks!

 

Alex