We’re previewing key games and storylines each week throughout the college football season. Our FCS coverage is the home of the Top 25 media poll, FCS National Awards and much more.
That Lindenwood, which is hosting the Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week, is located in Missouri is appropriate now that the regular season has moved into the second half.
Quite simply, it’s Show-Me Time.
Lindenwood is in its first season of FCS playoff eligibility and basically has one shot to be a legitimate contender out of the OVC-Big South – by upsetting unbeaten Tennessee Tech.
The storyline is everywhere across the FCS this week.
What’s the pecking order behind North Dakota State and South Dakota State in the FCS’ strongest conference?
Can Montana get back to playing a complete game?
Can winless Oregon State upset the Lafayette juggernaut? Oops, Oregon State is actually an FBS team.
Bascially, watcha got?
FCS Football Week 8 Preview & Predictions
FCS Game of the Week
No. 8 Tennessee Tech (6-0, 3-0 OVC-Big South) at Lindenwood (3-3, 2-0)
Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN+) at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri
Series: Tennessee Tech leads 2-1 (last meeting: TTU won 52-10 in Cookeville, Tennessee, on Nov. 2, 2024)
Notable: First place is at stake, with Gardner-Webb also 2-0 in conference and set to visit Lindenwood on Oct. 25, then Tennessee Tech on Nov. 1. TTU’s plus-238 scoring margin (310 points scored, 72 allowed) is the highest in the FCS (conversely, Lindenwood is minus-41, although against a much-tougher nonconference schedule). TTU running backs Quintell Quinn and Q’Daryius Jennings are both averaging eight yards per carry, so the Golden Eagles will seek to attack an LU rushing defense that’s giving up 5.2 yards a pop (just 106th-best out of 129 FCS defenses). TTU’s Kekoa Visperas (264.5) and LU’s Nate Glantz (258.3) rank 1-2 in the conference in total offensive yards per game, and each has a wide receiver (TTU’s Noah Robinson and LU’s Rico Bond) with five touchdown catches. TTU’s Theron Gaines is top 15 in the FCS with 8.5 tackles for loss, and his 40 overall stops lead OVC-Big South defensive linemen. The Lions posted a 23-0 win in 2023 in the only previous meeting in St. Charles.
The Pick: Tennessee Tech
Second-and-10
1. With top-ranked North Dakota State and No. 2 South Dakota State a week away from their Dakota Marker showdown, two Week 8 games will go a long way in determining the number of MVFC playoff qualifiers (likely four to six). Ninth-ranked North Dakota (4-2, 2-0) travels to No. 12 Southern Illinois (4-2, 1-1) for the only Top 25 matchup, while No. 10 Illinois State (4-2, 1-1) hosts Youngstown State (3-3, 0-2).
The North Dakota State at South Dakota State matchup on Oct. 25 (Dakota Marker rivalry and a possible No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown) has been set for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPNU or ESPN2. The network determination will be made by ESPN following this week's games. Both teams are… pic.twitter.com/TG1FlX3mTo
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) October 13, 20252. Also in the MVFC, No. 22 South Dakota (4-3, 2-1) has climbed to fourth place heading into a visit to Northern Iowa, but the combined .667 winning% of the Coyotes’ remaining opponents is the highest in the FCS. Not a lot has gotten in the way of running back L.J. Philips Jr. during his five starts since All-American Charles Pierre Jr. suffered a season-ending injury (OK, NDSU got in the way). But Phillips only needs 14 yards to become the season’s first 1,000-yard rusher, having rushed for the fourth-most yards (913) by an FCS player over a five-game span since 2018.
3. No team in legitimate in playoff contention has an easier schedule than No. 11 Monmouth (5-1) – its remaining opponents have a .300 winning% (12-28) that is sixth-lowest in the FCS. The only opponent that isn’t below .500 visits on Saturday, Stony Brook (3-3), which basically faces a must-win in the CAA Football matchup. The Seawolves were ranked 24th in the preseason before opening 1-3, but they’ve won their last two games by a combined 60 points, then rested over a bye week. To beat QB Derek Robertson and the Monmouth offense, the visitors figure to need a big game out of Roland Dempster, who’s averaged 113.6 rushing yards and scored all six of his TDs against FCS opponents.
4. The FCS playoff selection committee adds value to road wins, and no team has done it better than No. 3 Tarleton State, whose four include an FBS triumph over Army. Last week, the Texans (7-0) won at Utah Tech 41-24 without their No. 1 quarterback and top two rushers, with QB-turned-RB Jame Paige filling in the gaps with five total touchdowns (four rushing, one passing). Coach Todd Whitten’s squad doesn’t just lead the FCS in 2025 road wins, it also does over the last two seasons (nine) and since 2023 (13).
5. The good news for No. 4 Montana is it’s 6-0, tying for the FCS high with three wins after facing halftime deficits. The bad news for coach Bobby Hauck’s squad is it’s trailed at halftime three times. But the Grizzlies have their high point (40.0) and yard (491.0) averages since 1999, and they’re getting fourth-quarter heroics (outscoring the three teams they trailed against at halftime – North Dakota, Idaho State and Cal Poly – by a combined 45-7). Oh yes, the other FCS team that has three wins after trailing at halftime is Sacred Heart (5-2), which visits Washington-Grizzly Stadium this week.
6. This week’s in-season “playoff eliminator” comes out of the Big Sky, where Sacramento State hosts Northern Colorado. Both teams are 3-3 overall, 1-1 in conference and receiving votes in the national media poll. UNC is more of the surprise, coming off a 49-33 win at then-No. 11 Idaho to claim Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week, but it also has a sub-FCS win that doesn’t count on its playoff resume. Sac State is the disappointing team given it added the FCS’ largest transfer class this past offseason and was No. 15 entering coach Brennan Marion’s first season. But the Hornets rolled 55-27 at Weber State last Saturday, as Rodney Hammond Jr. collected 262 all-purpose yards, the fourth-highest total in an FCS game this season.
7. Imagine if Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens didn’t have to sit out the Catamounts’ first three games – all losses – due to an academic issue. He’s returned to complete 78.9% of his passes for 1,607 yards and 17 touchdowns with no interceptions in four straight wins. A win at The Citadel would move the Catamounts into a first-place tie with defending Southern Conference champion Mercer. Just two years ago, Drake (Pioneer) and Nicholls (Southland) earned automatic playoff bids after 0-3 starts.
8. Elon All-America punter Jeff Yurk posted the fifth-highest average in an FCS season last year and is slightly above it at 47.9 this season. But he’s not even the national leader. Gardner-Webb’s Brady Braun is averaging 49.6 yards per punt, which is above the all-time FCS record (Idaho State’s David Harrington at 48.7 in 2011). Braun, a junior college transfer, has gone 50+ yards on 12 of his 23 punts.
9. The FBS drop-down quarterbacks draw much of the attention in the offseason, but there may not one more valuable to his team than Dayton’s Bryce Schondelmyer, who has the Flyers (5-1, 3-0) atop the crowded PFL standings. He redshirted in 2023 and then did not see action last season at Youngstown State, but this year, he’s wrestled away the starting job from returnee Drew VanVleet and passed for 15 touchdowns without an interception. Dayton, which hosts Butler this week, is tied with San Diego for the most all-time PFL titles (12), but it’s seeking its first since 2015.
10. Let every down be fourth for Southern Utah’s offense: The United Athletic Conference squad has converted all 12 of its attempts into first downs, which is best in the FCS. That perfection is a lot different from being 6 of 13 (46.2%) on attempts last season.
FCS Longest Active Winning StreaksOverall11 – Tennessee Tech10 – NDSU, Presbyterian7 – Lehigh, Tarleton St6 – Montana, SDSUHome33 – SDSU18 – Villanova16 – NDSU12 – Rhode IslandRoad5 – Harvard, Presbyterian4 – Tarleton St, Tennessee Tech
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) October 12, 2025FCS Football Top 25 Schedule – Week 8
All times ET and on Saturday; Predicted winner in boldface
Last week’s record: 18-4 (.818); Season record: 114-30 (.792)
1. North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0 MVFC): at Indiana State (2-4, 0-2), 1 p.m. (ABC North Dakota/ESPN+)
2. South Dakota State (6-0, 2-0 MVFC): at Murray State (0-6, 0-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
3. Tarleton State (7-0, 3-0 UAC): West Georgia (5-2, 2-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
4. Montana (6-0, 3-0 Big Sky): Sacred Heart (5-2), 3 p.m., Scripps (ESPN+)
5. Montana State (5-2, 3-0 Big Sky): No game
6. UC Davis (5-1, 3-0 Big Sky): No game
7. Lehigh (7-0, 2-0 Patriot): No game
8. Tennessee Tech (6-0, 3-0 OVC-Big South): at Lindenwood (3-3, 2-0), 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
9. North Dakota (4-2, 2-0 MVFC): at No. 12 Southern Illinois (4-2, 1-1) 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
10. Illinois State (4-2, 1-1 MVFC): Youngstown State (3-3, 0-2), 3 p.m. (Midco SN/ESPN+)
11. Monmouth (5-1, 2-0 CAA): Stony Brook (3-3, 1-1), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
12. Southern Illinois (4-2, 1-1 MVFC): No. 9 North Dakota (4-2, 2-0), 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
13. Abilene Christian (4-3, 3-0 UAC): at Southern Utah (1-5, 0-2), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
14. Jackson State (5-1, 3-0 SWAC): No game
15. Villanova (4-2, 3-1 CAA): Hampton (2-5, 0-3), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
16. Rhode Island (5-2, 3-0 CAA): at UAlbany (1-5, 0-2), 3:30 p.m. (FloCollege)
17. Lamar (5-1, 2-0 Southland): UT Rio Grande Valley (5-1, 1-1), 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
18. Harvard (4-0, 2-0 Ivy): Merrimack (3-4), noon (ESPN+)
19. Northern Arizona (4-3, 1-2 Big Sky): No game
20. Mercer (5-1, 4-0 SoCon): No game
21. Presbyterian (6-0, 2-0 Pioneer): Stetson (3-4, 2-1), 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
22. South Dakota (4-3, 2-1 MVFC): at Northern Iowa (2-4, 0-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
23. Austin Peay (4-3, 2-2 UAC): No game
24. Idaho (2-4, 0-2 Big Sky): at Eastern Washington (2-4, 1-1), 7 p.m. (SWX/ESPN+)
25. Stephen F. Austin (4-2, 2-0 Southland): Nicholls (1-5, 1-1), 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
For more FCS coverage, follow on social media at X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
FCS Football Week 8 Preview & Predictions: Watcha Got? It Show-Me Time Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about fcs football week 8 preview predictions watcha got it show me time was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( FCS Football Week 8 Preview & Predictions: Watcha Got? It Show-Me Time )
Also on site :