Would you look at that, another MVFC team in the FCS playoffs. Southern Illinois used their upset win over NDSU early to propel them to a playoff birth for the first time since 2009. On the other sideline, Weber State is an angry football team. After winning the Big Sky Conference outright, they were snubbed for a top-four seed. Wildcat signal-caller Bronson Barron, a freshman and Jerry Rice Award finalist, has been great this year.
Let’s take a look at this FCS Playoffs matchup of Southern Illinois vs Weber State, review the betting odds and give our official FCS football prediction.
Southern Illinois vs Weber State | FCS Football Playoffs
Date: Saturday April 24th, 2021 | Time: 4 PM ET
Coverage: ESPN3
Location: Stewart Stadium — Ogden, UT
Southern Illinois vs Weber State Betting Odds
Spread: SIU +4 (-105) | WEB -4 (-115)
Moneyline: SIU (+150) | WEB (-170)
Total: 48 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill, who’s been at the helm since 2016, led the Salukis to a FCS Playoffs birth for the first time in his tenure. In their 38-14 upset of NDSU, the defense played a major role. They held then-Bison quarterback Zeb Noland to under 175 yards passing and picked him off once. Before their final regular season game versus Southeastern Louisiana, they had lost two straight. They were destroyed by number one seed South Dakota State, 44-3. Then a week later, they fell to Bobby Petrino and Missouri State, 30-27. Hill has shown his brilliance in the win over the Bison, but to get a win in Utah, he will need a stout defensive performance from all levels of the defense.
Just like James Madison, the Weber State enter the FCS Playoffs ticked off. After an undefeated regular season that saw the Wildcats win the Big Sky Conference outright, they were not given a top-four seed by the playoff committee. I can guarantee you that will be on the mind of head coach Jay Hill on Saturday afternoon.
On paper, Weber State is just better than Southern Illinois. Freshman quarterback Bronson Barron has been great this year and, in my opinion, should win the Jerry Rice Award. However, Barron isn’t the only one contributing on offense. Running back Dontae McMillan has rushed for five touchdowns while averaging over six yards per carry. On defense, the big men up front will control the outcome of this game.
FCS Football Prediction: Weber State 24, Southern Illinois 19 (WEB -4, Under 48).
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