FCS college football picks, predictions: NDSU vs. SDSU championship odds, spread, lines

Picks and predictions for the FCS college football national championship game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State

It's not just the College Football Playoff determining its national champion this week as the FCS championship is slated between North Dakota State and South Dakota State this coming Sunday.

North Dakota State has run away with the FCS championship in recent years, winning 9 titles in the last decade-plus with 2016 and 2020 the only years it didn't.

This year, the Bison come into the game at 12-2 and sitting at second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, just five combined points away from an undefeated record, including a two-point loss to SDSU midseason, resulting in a No. 3 seed in the FCS playoff.

After falling 7-3 to Iowa in the season opener, the Jackrabbits ran through the rest of their schedule, winning 13 straight and placing first in the conference.

SDSU is the No. 1 overall seed in the FCS football playoffs, winning 10 games in six straight seasons, while NDSU is looking to win its 10th title in the last 12 years.

What do the experts think of the game? Let's see how the Congrove Computer Rankings computer prediction model projects the matchup.

FCS College Football Championship: NDSU vs. SDSU picks, predictions

Game prediction: The computer is siding with South Dakota State to win the FCS championship, projecting it as the 3.12 point favorites over North Dakota State.

Point spread: South Dakota State comes into the game as 5.5 point favorites over North Dakota State, according to the updated lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: The bookmakers set the over/under mark at 47.5 points for the game.

Moneyline: South Dakota State -250 | North Dakota State +170

How to watch, stream: The game is set for Sun., Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. Central time on the main ABC network and streams live on fuboTV (Try for free).

How we got here: FCS Championship Playoff

North Dakota State: The Bison opened its FCS playoff run with two impressive victories, beating Montana by 23 points in the second round and then shutting out Samford for three quarters before winning, 27-9.

From there, NDSU defeated No. 7 Incarnate Word in a 35-32 game after coming back from a 16-0 deficit, the team's largest rally since the 2008 season. 

South Dakota State: The No. 1 seed Jackrabbits opened up the playoffs with a dominant 42-6 victory over Delaware and then took down Holy Cross in a 42-21 decision in the quarterfinal round.

Most recently, SDSU beat No. 4 seed Montana State, 39-18, in the semifinal round to earn a spot in the FCS national championship game.

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FCS College Football Rankings

1. South Dakota State

2. Sacramento State

3. Montana State

4. North Dakota State

5. Jackson State

6. Holy Cross

7. Incarnate Word

8. William and Mary

9. Samford

10. Weber State

11. Furman

12. SE Missouri State

13. Fordham

14. Richmond

15. Elon

16. New Hampshire

17. Montana

18. Mercer

20. Florida A&M

21. NC Central

22. Chattanooga

23. SE Louisiana

T-24. North Dakota

T-24. Idaho

Others receiving votes

Delaware (60) 8-5; Saint Francis U (43) 9-3; Eastern Kentucky (40) 7-5; Austin Peay (33) 7-4; UT Martin (33) 7-4; Yale (22) 8-2; Princeton (19) 8-2; Rhode Island (16) 7-4; UC Davis (15) 6-5; Davidson (13) 8-4; Gardner-Webb (13) 7-6; Merrimack (7) 8-3; North Carolina A&T (7) 7-4; Youngstown State (2) 7-4; Stephen F. Austin (2) 6-5

(CFP)

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