FCS Football Week 4 Preview

We’re previewing the key games and storylines each week throughout the 2024 college football season. Our FCS coverage is the home for the Top 25 media poll, FCS National Awards, predictive TRACR model and much more.

The nonconference games and FBS matchups are beginning to wind down before conference schedules, and bye weeks are being sprinkled in, so it may seem like a good time for FCS football to catch its collective breath.

Uh … um … hardly.

That doesn’t happen much in the FCS, where the terrific matchups continue in volume.

Heck, even the Ivy League is jumping into the deep end of the pool this week.

FCS Football Week 4 Preview

FCS Game of the Week

No. 21 Southeast Missouri (2-1) at No. 7 Southern Illinois (2-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois ESPN+)

Notable: Their campuses separated by fewer than 50 miles, the rivals meet for the 92nd time in the “War for the Wheel” matchup (a replica ship’s wheel trophy reflects how in the early years of the series the visiting team would cross the Mississippi River in a boat to play the game). Four of the last six meetings have been decided by four or fewer points, with SIU winning 26-25 last year. While SEMO holds a 43-40-8 series lead, it’s a 3-3 split since the wheel’s introduction in 2018. The visiting Redhawks are coming off a bye. Plus-four in turnover margin, they’ve nearly doubled their opponents in passing yards (867 to 441, mostly behind quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, who has eight touchdown passes), but their rushing yards are about one-third of opponents (603-222). Linebacker Bryce Norman ranks sixth in career tackles (301) among active FCS players. The Salukis’ list of injuries has added red-hot QB DJ Williams (lower body) for an extended period of time, which means redshirt junior Hunter Simmons will make his first career start against SEMO. Linebacker Ben Bogle leads the FCS in tackles for loss (nine) and is tied for second in sacks (5.5).

The Pick: Southern Illinois

Second-and-10 

1. In contrast to Southeast Missouri at Southern Illinois, the other two Week 4 games that match nationally ranked teams are first-time meetings, and both involve the Big Sky. Opponents haven’t been successful running the ball against No. 4 Idaho (2-1), so No. 19 Abilene Christian (2-1) will attack with quarterback Maverick McIvor, who ranks second in the FCS in passing yards (1,032) and third in pass attempts (122) without throwing an interception. Ninth-ranked Montana (2-1) is coming off an absurd 576-45 advantage in yards during a 59-2 rout of Morehead State, its 14th straight home win before welcoming in No. 24 Western Carolina. The visiting Catamounts (1-2) feature dangerous QB Cole Gonzales, but they’ve underwhelmed offensively after leading the FCS in yards per game last season.

2. With a bye and extra rest to look forward to next week, top-ranked South Dakota State (2-1) has to be aware of the potential trap in its trip to Southland member Southeastern Louisiana. Following a 28-24 win over Eastern Washington, the host Lions are 7-1 in nonconference home games during the Frank Scelfo coaching tenure. They’re not the high-powered passing offense of recent seasons, running the ball more than 55 percent of the time (Antonio Martin Jr. leads with 56 carries for 310 yards).

3. If the FCS follows the NFL’s 2024 offensive pattern of more run and less pass, then these teams appear prepared for it with two rushers having already combined on 500+ yards: Central Arkansas, 715 (ShunDerrick Powell 475 and Darius Hale 240); Montana State, 646 (Scottre Humphrey 354 and Adam Jones 292); Davidson, 612 (Mari Adams 383 and Mason Sheron 229); Northern Iowa 577 (Tye Edwards 352 and Amauri Pesek-Hickson 225); Tarleton State, 555 (Kayvon Britten 384 and Derrel Kelley III 171); and Youngstown State, 516 (Beau Brungard 315 and Ethan Wright 201). Each player is a running back except Brungard, a quarterback.

4. What’s the third-strongest FCS conference behind the MVFC and Big Sky is a terrific topic this season with the Southern Conference closing the gap on CAA Football, which a couple decades ago was No. 1. Each conference has three teams ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and one just outside the rankings – the CAA with Villanova (5), William & Mary (12), UAlbany (20), then Richmond, and the SoCon with Mercer (14), Chattanooga (23) and Western Carolina (24), then Wofford. The CAA has a 3-2 advantage on the SoCon in head-to-head meetings. This week, the CAA hosts a pair of solid matchups, Elon versus ETSU and William & Mary versus defending SoCon champ Furman.

5. Ivy League teams kick off their 10-game season with six of the eight facing Patriot League opponents. The Ancient Eight went 15-9 out of league against FCS opponents last year, and that was even the low mark of their last six seasons, as they’ve gone 102-40 (.718) in that time (there’s also one FBS loss and one sub-FCS win since 2017).

(2024 Ivy League preview and when Ivy League teams played in major bowl games)

6. With the Ivy League season just getting underway, the rest of the FCS includes seven unbeaten teams, and No. 3 Montana State (3-0) is the only one to have an FBS win. The other unbeatens are No. 5 Villanova (3-0), No. 14 Mercer (3-0), Butler (3-0), Delaware (2-0), San Diego (2-0) and Drake (1-0)

7. A rivalry game in September doesn’t get much better than Hampton vs. Howard, better known as the “Battle of the Real HU.” Howard, the defending MEAC champion, can feel it’s overdue against the Pirates, who have won the last seven meetings of a series that turns 99 at Audi Field in Washington. It’s fortunate when old rivals can continue to face off amid such upheaval of conference affiliation. Hampton left the MEAC for the Big South, then moved on to CAA Football – a path followed by North Carolina A&T, which meets its old MEAC rival North Carolina Central on Saturday. Their last seven meetings have been decided by 14 or more points, including NCCU winning the last two, 28-13 in 2022 and 30-16 last year.

(HBCU FCS defensive players who are early season standouts)

8. Of course, a September rivalry that would surpass the “Battle of the Real HU” is the Mid-America Classic, if the 112th meeting between No. 17 Illinois State and Eastern Illinois resembles last year: ISU went ahead with just over four minutes remaining before EIU’s Pierce Holley threw a 25-yard touchdown pass at the 0:30 mark to lift the Panthers 14-13 and end a five-game slide in the series. Neither team’s play has been overwhelming this season – EIU is 1-2 with ISU 2-1, with all three losses to FBS programs – so it will be a game to look back on if their playoff resumes are part of at-large consideration.

9. Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson not only ranks No. 1 in the FCS in passing yards (1,135) and touchdown passes (11), but he’s done something perhaps even more difficult, accounting for the season’s two longest completions – an 89-yard TD to TJ Speight against Lafayette on Sept. 7 followed by a 94-yard TD to Josh Derry at Maine last Saturday. Oh yes, Robertson spent the 2020-23 seasons at Maine, playing in 21 games with 18 starts, and he passed for six touchdowns in his return, tying for the FCS season high.  

10. St. Thomas has done so much since beginning its move from Division III to the FCS in 2021, posting a 26-9 record (21-3 against fellow Pioneer Football League programs). But Coach Glenn Caruso’s program hasn’t defeated an FCS non-league opponent in that time, with a close loss to Northern Iowa on Sept. 7 making them 0-5 in those games. The Tommies (1-2) will seek to break through at Lindenwood, which also is going through the Division I reclassification process in the Big South-OVC.

FCS Football Week 4 Top 25 Schedule

All Times ET Saturday

1. South Dakota State (2-1, 0–0 MVFC): at Southeastern Louisiana (7 p.m., ESPN+)

2. North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC): Towson (2 p.m., ABC North Dakota/ESPN+)

3. Montana State (3-0, 0-0 Big Sky): Mercyhurst (3 p.m., Scripps/ESPN+)

4. Idaho (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky): at No. 19 Abilene Christian (8 p.m., ESPN+)

5. Villanova (3-0, 1-0 CAA): at Maryland (noon, Big Ten Network)

6. South Dakota (1-1, 0-0 MVFC): Drake (2 p.m., ESPN+)

7. Southern Illinois (2-1, 0-0 MVFC): No. 21 Southeast Missouri (7 p.m., ESPN+)

8. Central Arkansas (2-1, 1-0 UAC): at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7 p.m., SWAC Digital Network)

9. Montana (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky): No. 24Western Carolina (3 p.m., MTN/ESPN+)

10. North Dakota (2-1, 0-0 MVFC): San Diego (2 p.m., Midco Sports/ESPN+)

11. Sacramento State (1-2, 0-0 Big Sky): at Texas A&M-Commerce (7 p.m., ESPN+)

12. William & Mary (2-1, 0-0 CAA): Furman (6 p.m., FloFootball)

13. UC Davis (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky): Utah Tech (10 p.m., ESPN+)

14. Mercer (3-0, 1-0 SoCon): The Citadel (6 p.m., ESPN+)

15. UIW (1-2, 0-0 Southland): Northern Arizona (7 p.m., ESPN+)

16. Tarleton State (2-1, 0-0 UAC): at North Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN+)

17. Illinois State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC): Eastern Illinois (7 p.m., ESPN+)

18. Lafayette (2-1, 0-0 Patriot): at Columbia (noon, ESPN+)

19. Abilene Christian (2-1, 1-0 UAC): No. 4 Idaho (8 p.m., ESPN+)

20. UAlbany (1-2, 0-0 CAA): No game

21. Southeast Missouri (2-1, 1-0 Big South-OVC): at No. 7 Southern Illinois (7 p.m., ESPN+)

22. Lamar (1-2, 0-0 Southland): Texas Southern (7 p.m., ESPN+)

23. Chattanooga (0-3, 0-1 SoCon): No game

24. Western Carolina (1-2, 0-0 SoCon): at No. 9 Montana (3 p.m., MTN/ESPN+)

25. Northern Iowa (2-1, 0-0 MVFC): at Hawaii (midnight, Spectrum PPV)