FCS college football Week 3 preview

It could have been even stranger. Not only was top-ranked North Dakota State seeing its yearslong winning streak interrupted by a walloping at Southern Illinois last weekend, and not only was No. 3 South Dakota State giving up a 21-3 run to North Dakota; No. 2 James Madison was also laboring mightily with Robert Morris as well.

The Dukes eventually found traction, turning a 16-9 deficit into a 36-16 win. But one thing became clear in the second full weekend of the FCS' spring season: nothing is certain. The power programs are still good, but they might be a little bit wobbly.

We got a healthy dose of chaos last weekend. Is there any more on the horizon? In Week 3, JMU's conference mates in the Colonial Athletic Association join the party in full; NDSU attempts to gather itself against Bobby Petrino's Missouri State, and Deion Sanders takes on the first real test of his head-coaching career, a trip to Grambling to face the Tigers.

Note: Rankings listed below are the STATS FCS top 25 found at NCAA.com, lines are provided by Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, and all times are Eastern.

PANIC!!! in Fargo

No. 6 NDSU at Missouri State (3 p.m., ESPN+)

It was a jarring sight, watching North Dakota State not only lose for the first time since 2017 but get dominated. The Bison's five losses since 2014 had come by an average of just six points, but they had to score late against SIU just to stay within 24. The Salukis outgained them by 175 yards.

While NDSU quarterback Zeb Noland took only one sack, he was consistently under pressure and unable to make the right decisions, completing just 13 of 24 passes for 159 yards. SIU backup quarterback Nic Baker, meanwhile, had the time to complete 17 of 23 passes for 254 yards. This was a truly poor performance from a dominant program, the equivalent of Alabama getting its doors blown off by Ole Miss.

The last time NDSU suffered a loss this bad -- 23-3 to Northern Iowa in 2014 -- the Bison responded by winning six straight and taking home the national title. There doesn't have to be anything seriously wrong here; sometimes you just play poorly. But if there are serious troubles up north, we'll probably know it when the Bison travel to Springfield to take on Missouri State Saturday on ESPN+. Noland will have to prove himself against an MSU defense that picked off Western Illinois QB Connor Sampson twice and sacked him once last weekend.

MSU survived WIU, 30-24; quarterback Jaden Johnson was a lit firecracker -- explosive in both good and bad ways -- in throwing two picks and taking three sacks while also completing 18 passes for 278 yards. One assumes NDSU rebounds to handle its business here, but one assumed SIU wouldn't be much of a problem for the Bison last week either.

Projected score (NDSU -18, over/under 45.0): NDSU 31.5, MSU 13.5.

Coach Prime Watch: The tests begin

Jackson State at Grambling State (1 p.m., ESPN3)

Deion Sanders has dominated SWAC headlines since taking over as Jackson State's head coach in September. He compiled an intriguing staff and inked an entire recruiting class' worth of FBS transfers, and while few of the transfers are eligible just yet, his Tigers handled their business in their season opener two weeks ago, pummeling NAIA's Edward Waters, 53-0.

JSU looked as good as it could have hoped against Edward Waters -- quarterback Jalon Jones was 17-for-19 for 163 yards and two scores, backs Kymani Clarke and Greg Williams rushed 29 times for 149 yards, and linebacker Khalil Arrington was all over the field. But after last week's game against Mississippi Valley State was postponed, the real season now begins: JSU heads to Eddie Robinson Stadium to face annual SWAC contender Grambling State on ESPN3.

The G-Men have also had to deal with postponement issues -- their State Fair Classic battle with Prairie View A&M was moved from February 27 to March 13 due to Texas' extreme weather issues. They won six of seven to finish 2019, but there's a lot we don't know about the new squad. Quarterback Geremy Hickbottom is a strong runner, but neither his arm nor his receiving corps stand out all that much. And while seven Tigers recorded at least 4.5 tackles for a loss in 2019, only one, tackle Wesley Green, returns.

Projected score (GSU -11, over/under 51.0): Grambling 31.0, JSU 20.0.

The first full Colonial weekend

The CAA took a new approach for the spring, separating into two lopsided divisions -- seven teams playing a round-robin schedule in the North, four teams playing home-and-homes amongst each other in the South -- for more controlled travel and risk. (There's no title game at the end: best conference record wins.)

JMU and Elon both played two non-conference games, but the conference slate gets rolling in full at FloFootball.com with four ranked teams making their debuts, two against each other on Friday night.

No. 13 Albany at No. 14 New Hampshire (Friday, 7 p.m.).

Albany quarterback Jeff Undercuffler makes his debut in prime time. The 6-foot-5 sophomore set school passing records and led the CAA with 3,543 passing yards and 41 TDs in 2019, and he's got a unique opportunity to make an impression in front of a captive audience this spring.

He'll have to do it with some new receivers, though -- leading receivers Juwan Green and Jerah Reeves (combined: 2,344 yards, 24 TDs in 2019) are gone. And the Great Danes start their season against one of the CAA's best defenses.

New Hampshire allowed only 20 points per game the last time we saw them. Safety Evan Horn is one of the league's better ball hawks and blitzers -- he had a unique combination of four interceptions, five pass breakups and four sacks in 2019 -- and he's one of four returning Wildcat defenders with at least four sacks. Defensive coordinator John Lyons likes to attack from everywhere, and he's got the personnel to do it.

Projected score (PICK, over/under 44.0): Albany 22.0, UNH 22.0

No. 1 James Madison at Elon (Saturday, 1:30 p.m.).

Curt Cignetti did some incredible work as Elon's head coach, immediately turning around a moribund program and bringing the Phoenix to the FCS playoffs in both 2017 and 2018. Elon's reward for the great hire: conference heavyweight JMU plucked him away in 2019, and his Dukes walloped the Phoenix, 45-10, on the way to the national title game.

Elon will get a couple of shots at revenge this spring, hosting JMU on Saturday before a return trip to Harrisonburg on April 10. They might have been more encouraged by the Dukes' wobbly showing, however, had they not gotten blown out, 42-20, by Gardner-Webb last Saturday.

This should be a nice rebound opportunity for JMU quarterback Cole Johnson, who began the RMU game 4-for-8 for 28 yards and back-to-back first-quarter picks before settling down. He might not have to do much in Elon, though: Gardner-Webb overwhelmed QBs Joey Baughman and JR Martin, and the JMU defense should be able to do the same.

JMU moved to No. 1 and has a massive opportunity with NDSU struggling; let's see if they can look the part.

Projected score (JMU-21.5, over/under 47.0): JMU 34.3, Elon 12.8

No. 5 Villanova at Stony Brook (noon).

One more player you should get a look at this spring: Villanova quarterback Daniel Smith. The senior threw for 3,274 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2019 and rushed for 457 yards and 12 scores in his first season after transferring from Campbell. He's sharing a backfield with a couple of dynamite running backs -- Justin Covington and DeeWil Barlee combined for 1,588 yards rushing and receiving in 2019 -- but the VU roster got picked apart in the long offseason. Stud receiver Changa Hodge left for Virginia Tech, offensive lineman Paul Grattan landed at UCLA, safety Jaquan Amos at Iowa State and linebacker Michael Ruane at UMass.

The VU defense held on to a couple of stars in Malik Fisher and linebacker Forrest Rhyne (combined: 22.5 TFLs, 13.5 sacks), but while the Wildcats have crept into the top five without playing thanks to top teams' losses, staying there will require some huge performances from Smith.

Projected score (VU -9, over/under 55.0): Villanova 32.0, Stony Brook 23.0.

Maine at No. 25 Delaware (noon).

The makeshift CAA North has four ranked teams, and with Joe Fagnano at QB and Rutgers transfer Elijah Barnwell at running back, Maine has enough offensive upside to make a run at a playoff bid as well. (Really, Rhode Island is the only North team without semi-reasonable playoff aspirations.)

Delaware's chances of making a run likely depends on the pass rush: both theirs and their opponents'. The Blue Hens managed just six sacks while allowing 37 in 2019, and they were held to 17 or fewer points in five of their last eight games. Protecting quarterback Nolan Henderson and at least occasionally hitting the other team's QB is imperative if they are to threaten in this loaded division.

Projected score (Delaware -2, over/under 48.0): Delaware 25.0, Maine 23.0.

Some more games to watch

If you're looking to make the most of your spring viewing experience, here are more games to follow throughout the weekend. 

Saturday afternoon: No. 11 SIU at Youngstown State (noon, ESPN+).
Time to see if SIU can avoid a rocking hangover following last week's big win.

Saturday afternoon: Samford at No. 17 Furman (1 p.m., ESPN+).
A preseason SoCon favorite, Furman slipped up at VMI last week and probably can't afford a second loss.

Saturday afternoon: UC Davis at No. 19 Idaho (3 p.m., Pluto TV).
Paul Petrino's Vandals upset Eastern Washington -- albeit with help from one of the more baffling blown calls possible -- and now get a chance to move to 2-0 against Dan Hawkins' debuting Aggies.

Saturday evening: No. 15 Illinois State at No. 3 Northern Iowa (5 p.m., ESPN+).
A top-15 elimination game of sorts -- the loser will have two losses and find it awfully difficult to either win the MVC or snare an at-large playoff bid.

Saturday night: No. 7 Nicholls at Northwestern State (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Nicholls has outscored its first two opponents 142-3 with former LSU and Missouri quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. completing 80% of his passes and averaging 70 rushing yards per game.

Saturday night: McNeese State at No. 24 SELA (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Last week, SELA and Sam Houston combined for 1,208 yards and 81 points, and SHSU eked out a 43-38 win. SELA games could have prime #SouthlandAfterDark potential all spring. 

Sunday afternoon: Sacred Heart at Duquesne (1 p.m., NEC Front Row).
The Northeast Conference also gets rolling this week, and the top two contenders take each other on right out of the gates.

Sunday afternoon: No. 10 Jacksonville State at Tennessee State (3 p.m., ESPN+).
After a 3-1 fall, JSU opened the spring with an easy win over Tennessee Tech. OVC favorites?

Sunday evening: Dixie State at New Mexico State (5 p.m.).
NMSU's first spring contest was a disastrous 43-17 loss to Tarleton State two weeks ago. Now the Aggies take on a Dixie State team that just beat Tarleton.