An Early Look at 2020 FCS Teams

March 27, 2020 · Jason Groomes

 

College Sports Madness’ Jason Groomes takes a quick look at what each team that finished in last year’s Top 25, along with a handful of other teams, return heading into the 2020 FCS campaign. Each notes returning starters on offense and defense as well as a brief descrption of why that team could be in for a promising, or disappointing, 2020 season.

 

Rk Team Conference Note
1 North Dakota State Missouri Valley 9/5, offense will be tough as qb lance returns. Losing lb Cox to portal leads to questions on defense, but still the favorite.
2 James Madison Colonial 4/5, massive losses all over but rbs Agjei-obese & Hamilton are the nation’s best combo. Defense needs to replace two best players.
3 Weber State Big Sky 9/8, qb Constantine in portal – that hurts. Otherwise, offense remains intact. Defense will be stout as always. K Tuttle is clutch.
4 Montana State Big Sky 9/7, whoever ends up at qb will have weapons to use. Defense should be capable of slowing down most oppnents.
5 Montana Big Sky 6/6, if qb play improves, might be best offense in fcs. Defense has losses but a few big pieces return.
6 Northern Iowa Missouri Valley 7/7, qb Mcelvain gets wr Weston / te Moore back at full strength. rb help? Defense might be best in fcs. DE Smith is a sack machine.
7 Austin Peay Ohio Valley 7/6, offense should still be good. Despite defensive losses, elite talent still returns.
8 Illinois State Missouri Valley 8/9, lose rb Robinson. Return qb Davis and top level defense. offensive continuity?
9 Sacramento State Big Sky 9/7, qb Thomson leads an excellent offense that can score with anyone. Losses on defense were key. Big sky schedule is very favorable.
10 South Dakota State Missouri Valley 6/9, triplets of Gibbs/Strong/Johnson as good as it gets. Defense is top 3 despite loss of lb Rozeboom.
11 Central Arkansas Southland 8/10, depth all over. QB Smith is poised for a huge year. Defense should be better with almost everyone back.
12 Kennesaw State Big South 8/7, triple option will be stout again. Defense could be even better, but will be hard to gauge with a weak overall schedule.
13 Monmouth Big South 8/9, replacing qb Behar and rb Guerriero are nearly impossible. The defense is solid across the board. all Big South contenders at home.
14 Nicholls Southland 6/6, reloading with jc talent. QB Fourcade is gone, a suitable replacement will be hard to find. Kicking game has been atrocious.
15 Albany Colonial ?/?, qb Undercuffler returns as soph. RB Mofor is a machine. Defense returns three with 100+ tackles.
16 Southeastern Louisiana Southland 6/6, team is replacing qb. Despite losses, team figures to be in the race. Nothing screams look at me, but no obvious glaring holes.
17 Villanova Colonial 10/7, offense should be awesome behind qb Smith. Defense is notorious for giving up points. if they get back to normal – look out!
18 Wofford Southern 4/7, offense losing important players to graduation. The defense should be good but has to wait for offense to catch up.
19 Southeast Missouri State Ohio Valley 8/6, new qb and replacing the o-line – scary. Defense has to replace major parts. Might be an uphill climb.
20 Central Connecticut State Northeast 6/8, strong o-line should help the transition from qb Winchester (grad). The defense will be good by NEC standards.
21 North Carolina A&T Mid-Eastern 8/8, everything is there offensively except a qb. Should still be class of MEAC. Defense should be near the top of the MEAC also.
22 San Diego Pioneer 7/8, a lot of the best components return for Toreros. Both lines will be best in PFL, which will help new starters. should win PFL again.
23 North Dakota Missouri Valley 6/8, possible freshman @ qb. Defense is largely intact and slightly above average.
24 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 8/8, offense should continue to improve. Defense should do likewise though losing All-American safety Chinn hurts.
25 Furman Southern 8/6, rbs Wynn and Abrams form great duo. Defense needs to improve to previous standards.
  Delaware Colonial 8/9, veteran squad. Was outsacked by opponents 37-6, needs fixed. RB Knight will be the workhorse as a soph.
  Elon Colonial 7/8, qb Cheek is a fine player. Running game is weak. If defense can fill two key losses, should be good.
  Maine Colonial 8/8, all starters lost on defense were on the line. Offensive line should be tough, but consistency improvement overall is the key.
  New Hampshire Colonial 8/7, offense needs to score more. Defense has to replace 2 cb and 2 lb, so pass defense needs addressed first.
  Richmond Colonial 9/8, offense has to replace both wr. Overall, the team is experienced but needs to take the next step.
  Towson Colonial 7/7, many injury returnees but qb Flacco is a huge loss. Team should be good enough to finish in middle of pack.
  Eastern Washington Big Sky 4/7, qb Barriere retuns but little else on offense. Defense needs vast improvement. Most tough games at home.
  Northern Arizona Big Sky 8/9, replacing qb Cookus is top priority. Defense needs to find its teeth. Overall, very experienced group. Excellent kicking game.
  Portland State Big Sky 6/5, team is young but o-line is experienced. QB Alexander has to lead. S Adams is an All-American, needs some help. JC transfers?
  UC-Davis Big Sky 9/8, veteran team but qb Maier is gone. Offense has all other pieces though. Defense needs to toughen, especially against the run.
  Samford Southern 7/8, qb needs to step up. Team overall was -13 in turnovers, both sides contributing. Pass defense in particular needs a shot in the arm.
  The Citadel Southern 9/9, only missing pieces on offense are line. The triple option should flourish. Defense takes advantage of offense holding ball, look out.
  Virginia Military Southern 7/6, all the offensive weapons are there. The defense has been horrendous. Any improvement could lead to a inning record.
  Chattanooga Southern 8/9, a lot of returnees, so improvement from 6-6 seems likely. LB Boeck needs to lead defense. Finding a qb is utmost important.
  Eastern Kentucky Ohio Valley 9/6, even with a good numbers of returners, those lost were their best at many positions. Consistent qb play is a must.
  Jacksonville State Ohio Valley 7/5, qb Cooper needs to bring this team along with his level of talent. Defense was average in 2019. Improvement there will help.
  Houston Baptist Southland 7/9, the offense should be there. QB Zappe led conference in yds/td. If the defense can just get to avg, a winning record should follow.
  Incarnate Word Southland 7/4, similar to Houston Baptist. QB Copeland is very good. Defense is inexperienced and returnees underperformed.
  Sam Houston State Southland 5/7, offense is lagging behind the defense now. QB Schmid has to take the next step. 
  Charleston Southern Big South 7/8, offense should improve with most pieces together for another year. D-line is very good on the edges, as is the kicking game.
  Robert Morris Northeast 6/8, entire o-line returns. Can the weapons gel quickly? Defense returns experience but loses leadership.
  St. Francis Northeast 8/9, can the running game improve to get the offense to the next level? Defense might be best in NEC.
  South Carolina State Mid-Eastern 7/8, qb Davis enters soph season as MEAC ROTY in 2019. DT Perry causes havoc inside. Figures to be in the MEAC race all season.
  Florida A&M Mid-Eastern 7/7, despite ineligibility in 2019, Rattlers look strong again. New qb will have ample weapons, but need more rushing. 
  Drake Pioneer 8/9, most starters back in PFL. For most part, best team not named USD. Safety Warner is an INT machine.
  Princeton Ivy 6/8, wide open Ivu should be theirs with league’s best defense. O-line should protect new qb and rb Eaddy will benefit also.