The Big Sky and the Missouri Valley, the two biggest rivals for the title of SEC of the FCS, stayed deadlocked within the national landscape as three stalwarts and an upstart all advanced to the Elite 8 of the FCS playoff bracket on Saturday.
And in the three crossover matchups between the two power conferences in the second tier of Division I football, two of the games went to overtime.
No. 1 South Dakota State extended the nation’s longest Division I winning streak (Georgia lost 27-24 to Alabama on Saturday, ending the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak) by drilling Mercer 41-0 to continue its pursuit of a repeat national title. The Jackrabbits play No. 8 seed Villanova next weekend after winning for the 26th week in a row.
“This might’ve been our most consistent performance against a really good, well-coached football team,” SDSU first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers said. “We will enjoy this and then get ready for Villanova.”
No. 4 Idaho did not lead for one second of its nationally televised second round playoff game, that is, until the last second when Ricardo Chavez drilled a 29-field goal in overtime to lift the Vandals to a 20-17 win over Southern Illinois of the MVFC. That helps the Vandals a chance to host No. 5 UAlbany next weekend.
No. 6 Montana State had its collective hearts shattered into pieces as No. 8 North Dakota State had a backup offensive lineman block MSU’s extra point to escape with a 35-34 overtime win. That victory gives NDSU 46 all-time FCS playoff wins, surpassing Georgia Southern for the subdivision’s all-time record.
It also moves NDSU into the quarterfinals of the playoffs for the 15 playoff bracket in a row and gives the Bison another shot at South Dakota.
“Unbelievable football environment, two really well-coached teams …and it was 28-21 and there was an opportunity right there to fold and pat ourselves on the back and say nice year and say ‘Next year, let’s get it cranked up again’ but the resolve, the energy is contagious,” North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz said.
The No. 3 Yotes powered through Sacramento State for a 34-24 win to earn the right to play NDSU again. South Dakota beat the Bison 24-19 at the FargoDome earlier this season, one of the key victories to USD’s first Top 8 seed in its D-I history.
The only Missouri Valley team in action not from the Dakotas was Youngstown State. The Penguins, who housed Southland Conference champion Nicholls last week 35-0, lost 45-28 to Villanova.
Second-seeded Montana was the only Big Sky Conference team in action that didn’t play a MVFC team. The Grizzlies ran rough shod over Delaware, blasting the Blue Hens 49-19. Montana moves on to play No. 7 Furman; the SoCon champions beat Chattanooga 26-7.
That means two of the final 8 are from the Big Sky (Montana, Idaho) and three from the Missouri Valley (South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota State). Two more (UAlbany, Villanova) and SoCon champion Furman make up the rest of the Elite 8 this year.
