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History of FCS teams as betting favorite over FBS opponents

North Dakota State is favored in tonight’s matchup against Arizona. We take a look at the recent history of FCS teams being favored over FBS foes.

By Nick Simon

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NCAA Football: FCS Championship-North Dakota State vs Montana State Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

FCS powerhouse North Dakota State will look to take down yet another FBS opponent tonight when traveling to Arizona at 11 p.m. ET on FS1. The Bison are respected in the eyes of oddsmakers and that is reflected by the fact that they enter this game against the Wildcats as a three-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook.

We see a handful off FCS over FBS upsets each season but it’s ultra rare to see the FCS team enter as the betting favorite. According to previous research by Action Network, it’s happened a few times in the last decade.

In 2018, Northern Arizona opened the season as a 7.5-point favorite against UTEP. Oddsmakers were correct here as the Lumberjacks thumped the Miners 30-10. Eventual FCS quarterfinalist Kennesaw State also opened that season as a 1.5-point favorite against Georgia State and fell to the Panthers in a 24-20 setback.

Prior to 2018, this scenario had happened 19 times dating back to 2005 with the favored FCS opponent winning 15 times. Arizona, beware of what awaits you late tonight.

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