FCS Playoff Picks

Sam Houston State pulled off the big upset last weekend by knocking off defending-champion North Dakota State, 24-20, in the FCS quarterfinals. The Bearkats' reward is a contest on Saturday against 2016-champion James Madison. Kick off is 2:30 pm ET at Bowers Stadium.

The Bearkats got another strong game out of QB Eric Schmid and took advantage of the Bison’s inexperience at QB in their upset victory. But they should face a tougher test against a JMU offense that dominated North Dakota with 468 yards of offense in their 34-21 win. It’s the second straight week the Dukes have topped 30 points following their opening-round victory over VMI.

QB Cole Johnson looked strong with 251 yards passing and 2 TDs against zero picks, while RB Percy Agyei-Obese topped the 100-yard mark on the ground for the second time in a row. The JMU defense has been strong against the run all season (66 rushing yards per game) and should pose problems for a Sam Houston running game that managed just 101 yards on 30 carries versus NDSU.

The Dunkel Index projects James Madison as a 5-point favorite in this matchup, which is above the current line of 1 ½. The Index also has the final score total set at 50, which is over the O/U total of 47 ½.

Dunkel’s Pick: James Madison (-1 ½); Over

Below are all of Dunkel’s picks for this weekend’s schedule:

MAY 8

Delaware at South Dakota State
Time: 12:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Delaware 76.732; South Dakota State 79.472
Dunkel Line & Total: South Dakota State by 2 ½; 44
Vegas Line & Total: South Dakota State by 8; 37 ½
Dunkel Pick: Delaware (+8); Over

James Madison at Sam Houston State
Time: 2:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: James Madison 83.658; Sam Houston State 78.523
Dunkel Line & Total: James Madison by 5; 50
Vegas Line & Total: James Madison by 1 ½; 47 ½
Dunkel Pick: James Madison (-1 ½); Over