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FCS National Championship: North Dakota State vs. Montana State Picks, Predictions and Odds

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff has already delivered plenty of action and excitement in the FBS, but over in the FCS, there is still a massive matchup still to come.

It’s not being talked about much in the mainstream sports media sphere, but one of the biggest games remaining on the College Football schedule is the FCS National Championship game.

This features a matchup between the North Dakota State Bison and Montana State Bobcats in a showdown between two of the powers in the sport at the FCS level.

These teams will face off on January 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas and the Bison are looking to capture their ninth FCS title since 2011, which would improve their FCS playoff record to an astounding 47-5 as a program.

On the other side, this is a Montana State team that has been close to achieving its first FCS title since 1984 in recent seasons, but the Bobcats appear to finally have the right team in place to achieve the ultimate goal.  

Let’s get into the odds for this game, plus our expert’s betting picks and predictions for the FCS title game. 

North Dakota State vs. Montana State betting picks and predictions

Montana State -3.5 (-108)

Both of these teams have been extremely impressive throughout their respective runs to the FCS National Championship.

However, Montana State has been dominant against slightly more challenging opponents, which speaks well of the Bobcats and their focus, motivation and execution in the postseason. 

The Bobcats have the best quarterback in all of FCS football in Tommy Mellott, who is on a tear this season, posting 43 total touchdowns to just two interceptions on the season.

The senior gunslinger has been extremely efficient during these playoffs, with 11 touchdowns over the three games, all of which were convincing wins against quality competition. 

On the other side, this North Dakota State team is no stranger to the biggest stage, but this Bison team isn't quite as dominant as previous teams from this program.

North Dakota State does have a strong defense, ranking 10th in the nation in scoring defense, but the Bison have hardly faced a quarterback and offense of Montana State’s caliber to this point.

This is a spot where the Bobcats should be able to find success on the ground, particularly with Mellott using his legs, and our expert doesn’t foresee the Bison being able to keep up on the other side of the ball. 

With that in mind, let’s take Montana State -3.5 (-110) to cover and reach the top of the mountain for the first time in 40 years at the FCS level.

Under 56.5 Total Points (-110)

Generally speaking we lean toward backing the Under in games of this magnitude and this contest is no exception.

In fact, both of these defenses are in the upper echelon of all units across the FCS this season and we’d expect each of them to establish dominance at the line of scrimmage on key downs. 

Additionally, both of these coaching staffs can be expected to prioritize ball security, field position and not making mistakes in a game of this importance.

With that in mind, this is a game that could get off to a slow start before the offenses start to make plays in the second half.  

Our expert can’t see this game being a shootout. All things considered, let’s back Under 56.5 Total Points (-110) in this FCS title game.

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Football on site.

North Dakota State vs. Montana State odds

North Dakota State

+135 ML

Montana State

-160 ML

Spread

North Dakota State -3.5

Total Points

O/U 56.5

Read North Dakota State vs Montana State: How to watch, TV Channel, streaming start time, injury report and stats on site.

Read the latest College Football news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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