We’re previewing key games and storylines each week during the college football season. Our FCS coverage is the home of the Top 25 media poll, FCS National Awards and much more.
Let your favorite grammarian know there’s no stopping alliteration in FCS football this weekend.
Call it Super Saturday. Maybe Showdown Saturday. Even Smashing Saturday for our FCS friends in the United Kingdom.
Just don’t call it hyperbole with the Week 10 schedule.
The five Top 25 head-to-head matchups are a season high to date and each one is from a different conference. Important games in title races abound, with only three full weekends remaining in the regular season.
Basically, the schedule is sensational.
Hmmm.
FCS Football Week 10 Preview & Predictions
FCS Game of the Week: Stephen F. Austin at Lamar
A win by No. 2 Stephen F. Austin (9-0, 6-0 Southland) would continue the Lumberjacks’ best start in program history, clinch at least a share of its second consecutive conference title and lock down an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs
However, No. 13 Lamar (7-2, 5-1) has the chance to pull into a first-place tie and possess a head-to-head tiebreaker over SFA for the auto-bid. The Cardinals have scored over 30 points in five straight games (they reached that level only three times in last year’s 13-game playoff campaign), with their seasonal average up 11.6 points to 33.1.
No. 13 Lamar (7-2) is unbeaten at home. No. 2 Stephen F. Austin (9-0) is simply unbeaten. So much is at stake in the Southland Conference.Kendra Sheehan previews the Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week. pic.twitter.com/KW4GrpkJnG
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) November 3, 2026The Opta win probability is close: SFA. 53.0%, and Lamar, 47.0%.
Second-and-10
1. The Abilene Christian-Tarleton State rivalry, which dates to 1920, has been announced as “The Hundred-Mile Showdown,” to signify what’s basically the distance between their campuses. First place is on the line in the UAC. While top-ranked TSU (9-0, 4-0) has commanded much of the attention in the conference this season, No. 23 ACU (5-4, 4-0) has found ways to win recent meetings, going 4-1 since 2021, with go-ahead scores the last two seasons with just 19 seconds remaining (2024) and at the buzzer (last year).
2. There’s no secret about what No. 14 Mercer (7-2, 4-1) at No. 25 Chattanooga (6-3, 5-1) should be about in the Southern Conference. The host Mocs rank No. 1 in the FCS in fewest points allowed per game (12.9) and Mercer is 10th (17.3). The visiting Bears are the only FCS team with three players over 500 rushing yards (Devon Caldwell, Zahmari Palode-Gary and quarterback JP Pickles). However, Chattanooga’s top two rushers both have more yards than the Mercer trio: Kevin Lalin (913) and Journey Wyche (600).
FCS teams whose remaining opponents have 10 highest combined winning percentages:Mercer (20-7, .741)Merrimack (18-7, .720)Yale (15-6, .714)Abilene Christian (19-8, .704)Illinois State (20-9, .690)Cal Poly (12-6, .667)Idaho State (18-9, .667)Northern Colorado (18-9, .667)…
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) November 3, 20263. The winner of No. 10 Illinois State (7-2, 3-2) at No. 11 North Dakota (6-4, 3-3) appears set for at least an at-large bid to the playoffs out of an MVFC that can be counted on for four to six overall bids. The losing team would still be in need of a seventh Division I victory (Illinois State has one sub-FCS win that doesn’t count on its resume). ISU, which heads to UND with 18 wins in its last 21 road games, still has to play Top 10 opponents in Youngstown State (road) and South Dakota (home). UND has a bye, then a home game against Southern Illinois. The Fighting Hawks haven’t lost a regular-season game at the Alerus Center to a non-Dakota school in over eight years (Weber State on Oct. 27, 2018).
4. Also in the Top 25, No. 3 Montana State (8-1, 5-1) heads to No. 22 Idaho State (6-3, 3-3) with wins in 15 of their last 16 meetings, losing only in 2018. The host Bengals rank No. 1 in the Big Sky against the pass but could be vulnerable against the defending FCS champion’s powerful rushing attack. In their last five games, the Bobcats’ haven’t been below 220 rushing yards and have a 262.4-yard average in that time (second in the FCS). The yards are spread out, including to Jared White (301), Colson Coon (265), Adam Jones (264) and back-up QB Patrick Duchien (188).
Photo: Bobcat Creative Services.5. In a recurring theme in the Patriot League, it’s home to one of Week 10’s more influential schedules. Two-time defending champ Lehigh (7-2, 5-1) is alone in first place but with just one fewer league loss than five teams. It’s hosting Colgate (5-4, 4-2), which is ranked 10th against the run as it takes its best shot at slowing FCS rushing leader Luke Yoder (1,271 yards, 141.2 per-game average), now No. 1 all-time at Lehigh. Richmond (6-3, 4-2) at Villanova (5-4, 4-2) and Holy Cross (4-5, 4-2) at Georgetown (3-4, 3-2) are basically must-wins for all involved.
6. Already owning two home wins over Top 5 teams in the MVFC, Northern Iowa (4-4, 3-2) seeks a third against No. 5 South Dakota State (7-2, 4-1). The Panthers are 4-0 inside the UNI-Dome, forcing 14 turnovers as part of a plus-11 margin in those games. The Jackrabbits may not be fazed, have committed just two turnovers in a road schedule that has already seen them play at Northwestern, Illinois State and North Dakota (but they’re 1-2 on the road).
7. Speaking of takeaways, no player in the FCS is doing it better than Harvard safety Xaden Benson, who has 10 in seven games. He’s set the Crimson single-season record with nine interceptions and has one fumble recovery. The last FCS player to reach a double-figure interception total in a season was Bucknell’s Bryce Robertson with 13 in 2011 (that’s No. 2 all-time to Bethune-Cookman’s Rashean Mathis with 14 in his 2002 Buck Buchanan Award season).
8. Dayton is tied with San Diego for the most titles in Pioneer Football League history with 12, but it hasn’t claimed one since 2015. The Flyers (7-1) are tied for first place with Butler (7-2) and St. Thomas (7-2) at 4-1 each. They’re set to face a tough home game against Valparaiso but also are enjoying the fact St. Thomas and Butler square off on Saturday in Indianapolis. The Flyers have a win over Butler and aren’t facing St. Thomas in the 11-team PL’s eight-game league schedule. They have the easiest closing stretch of the three teams.
9. A number of teams are alive in conference races while seeking their first-ever FCS playoff bids. From the group, CAA member Campbell (7-2) probably has the only chance of an at-large bid if it doesn’t claim an automatic qualifier. In addition, the first-time playoff hopefuls that are within one loss of first place are Brown, Dartmouth and Princeton in the Ivy League, LIU and Stonehill in NEC Football, Lindenwood in the OVC, Georgetown in the Patriot League, and Marist, St. Thomas and Valparaiso in the PFL.
10. Having played at three neutral sites, SWAC East Division leader Alabama A&M (7-2, 4-1) will play only its second true road game of the season at Prairie View A&M (4-5, 3-2), the defending conference champion and part of a three-way tie atop the West Division. A&M wide receivers Jarel Williams (42 receptions, 701 yards, eight TDs) and Jaylan Bean (39-641-9) have size and production, making the Bulldogs the only FCS team with two players to have 8+ TD catches. PVAMU has surrendered an SWAC-high 21 TDs through the air.
FCS Longest Active Winning StreaksOverall9 – Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State6 – Monmouth5 – Central Connecticut State, Mercer, Youngstown StateHome14 – Montana State13 – Stephen F. AustinRoad4 – Columbia, Monmouth, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) November 1, 2026FCS Football Week 10 – Top 25 Schedule
All games ET and on Saturday unless noted; Predicted winner in boldface
Last Week’s Record: 19-1 (.950); Season Record: 159-43 (.787)
No. 1 Tarleton State (9-0, 4-0 UAC): vs. No. 23 Abilene Christian (5-4, 4-0), 7 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 2 Stephen F. Austin (9-0, 6-0 Southland): at No. 13 Lamar (7-2, 5-1), 4 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 3 Montana State (8-1, 5-1 Big Sky): at No. 22 Idaho State (6-3, 3-3), 6 p.m. (ESPN+/Scripps) No. 4 Youngstown State (7-2, 5-1 MVFC): at Murray State (1-8, 0-5), 2 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 5 South Dakota State (7-2, 4-1 MVFC): at Northern Iowa (4-4, 3-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 6 Northern Arizona (7-2, 5-1 Big Sky): at Cal Poly (4-6, 3-4), 5 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 7 Austin Peay (7-2, 3-1 UAC): vs. Eastern Kentucky (3-6, 2-2), 5 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 8 South Dakota (7-3, 4-2 MVFC): No game No. 9 Tennessee Tech (8-1, 5-1 Southern): vs. VMI (0-9, 0-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 10 Illinois State (7-2, 3-2 MVFC): at No. 11 North Dakota (6-4, 3-3), 2 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 11 North Dakota (6-4, 3-3 MVFC): vs. No. 10 Illinois State (7-2, 3-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 12 Montana (6-3, 4-2 Big Sky): vs. Portland State (2-7, 2-4), 3 p.m. (ESPN+/Scripps) No. 13 Lamar (7-2, 5-1 Southland): vs. No. 2 Stephen F. Austin (9-0, 6-0), 4 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 14 Mercer (7-2, 4-1 Southern): at No. 25 Chattanooga (6-3, 5-1), 1 p.m. (Nexstar/ESPN+) No. 15 Monmouth (7-2, 6-0 CAA): vs. North Carolina A&T (4-5, 3-2), noon (FloSports) No. 16 Campbell (7-2, 4-1 CAA): vs. Stony Brook (5-4, 3-2), 1 p.m. (FloSports/WITN/WRAL) No. 17 Lehigh (7-2, 5-1 Patriot): vs. Colgate (5-4, 4-2), noon (ESPN+) No. 18 Weber State (6-4, 5-2 Big Sky): No game No. 19 (tie) ETSU (6-3, 4-1 Southern): vs. Samford (3-6, 3-3), 1 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 19 (tie) Harvard (6-1, 3-1 Ivy): vs. Columbia (4-3, 1-3), 1 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 21 UAlbany (6-3, 4-1 CAA): at Bryant (5-4, 3-2), 1 p.m. (FloSports) No. 22 Idaho State (6-3, 3-3 Big Sky): vs. No. 3 Montana State (8-1, 5-1), 6 p.m. (ESPN+/Scripps) No. 23 Abilene Christian (5-4, 4-0 UAC): at No. 1 Tarleton State (9-0, 4-0), 7 p.m. (ESPN+) No. 24 South Carolina State (7-2, 2-0 MEAC): at Howard (4-5, 1-1), 5 p.m. Thursday (ESPNU) No. 25 Chattanooga (6-3, 5-1 Southern): vs. No. 14 Mercer (7-2, 4-1), 1 p.m. (Nexstar/ESPN+)Top photo, from left, from Lehigh, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin and Mercer Athletics. For more FCS coverage, follow on social media on X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
FCS Football Week 10 Preview & Predictions: Important Conference Games Abound Opta Analyst.
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