FCS Football Talk

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin dials up Samford head coach Chris Hatcher, as All-Americans Devlin Hodges and Kelvin McKnight prepare for a stretch run at the FCS Playoffs.

When will the upsets stop?! Brian McLaughlin, Sam Herder and Chase Kiddy sit down to discuss a tumultuous Week 8 schedule were there were more than a dozen upsets with FCS Football playoff implications. The guys go around the country and play a game of "Upset or No Upset?" They also discuss North Dakota State's Upset Alert fatigue and debate who the real No. 2 team in the country is before preview...

HERO Sports' CAA writer Chase Kiddy catches up with three key figures surrounding the James Madison football team -- quarterback Ben DiNucci, sixth-year senior tailback Cardon Johnson and head coach Mike Houston -- ahead of a critical conference game with Stony Brook. DiNucci and Johnson cover what's going well, and what can still be improved on, with JMU's (39.7 ppg) top-10 offense. Coach Houston...

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin talks with Wofford head coach Josh Conklin two days before a major SoCon showdown with first-place East Tennessee State.

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin interviews Murray State football coach Mitch Stewart, whose Racers team is undefeated in OVC play so far this season.

Brian McLaughlin, Sam Herder and Chase Kiddy tackle the toughest week of the season, as No. 4 Eastern Washington, No. 5 Elon, No. 6 Wofford and No. 10 North Carolina A&T all lost last weekend. Should Eastern Washington be forgiven because All-American Gage Gubrud didn't play? And after a blowout loss at the hands of North Dakota, does Montana have any shot at getting back in the playoff conversati...

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin chats with Illinois State head coach Brock Spack, who is preparing for a huge game against No. 1 North Dakota State in Fargo this weekend.

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin dials up East Tennessee State head coach Randy Sanders, who is fresh off securing the Bucs' first winning season since the program was restarted in 2015. ETSU is currently 6-1 and in first place in the Southern Conference.

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator talks with Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum following a massive upset win over Big Sky rival Montana in Missoula.

Brian, Sam and Chase reconvene for a lengthy, surprise-filled episode of the HERO Sports FCS Podcast. Week 6 of the FCS College Football Season featured plenty of shocking road warrior upsets; Elon and Portland State got most of the headlines, but Bryant, Georgetown and Dartmouth also scored big road wins as underdogs. The guys also revisit preseason predictions and admit where they were wrong. Ma...

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin dials up Gamecocks coach John Grass on the heels of a blowout road win at Eastern Kentucky.

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator talks with Nicholls head coach Tim Rebowe about what had made the Colonels program so successful over the last four years.

Brian, Sam and Chase reconvene for another episode of the HERO Sports FCS Podcast in the wake of some big rivalry games. After Brian starts the pod with an update on Christion Abercrombie, the guys talk about Missouri Valley Football and craziness on the coasts. They also clarify how they approach building a poll in the wake of South Dakota State's loss to NDSU. Mailbag: who would be ranked in the...

HERO Sports FCS Coordinator Brian McLaughlin jumps on the phone with Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon for a wide-ranging discussion about FCS football.

Brian, Sam and Chase are finally starting to see a clear top level to this year's FCS hierarchy. They discuss that and more in this episode of the HERO Sports FCS Podcast, including Samford's playoff hopes and Illinois State's place in the Missouri Valley pecking order. They also play the first of three waiver rounds in the 2018 FCS Fantasy Playoff game. Mailbag: Will JMU win every CAA game by thr...

James Madison head coach Mike Houston joins the FCS Podcast to discuss the season so far and more with Brian McLaughlin.

Brian, Sam and Chase get ready for conference play by recapping what they learned from some notable Week 3 upsets. Mailbag: Could all four Dakota schools really make the FCS Playoffs? What would be a more impressive conference run -- undefeated North Dakota State or undefeated James Madison? Also: South Dakota State apologized for scoring 90 points in a game. Mercer is the Pod's "Don't Sleep" Team...

Chase might have a serious problem, with Hurricane Florence bearing down on Virginia and the Carolinas. Either way, he uses the electricity he has for now to link up with Brian & Sam and talk about the upcoming Week 3 of the FCS Season. Sam breaks down the latest results in the MVFC-Big Sky Challenge, and all three guys pick their No. 3 team between Eastern Washington and South Dakota State. Brian...

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2018 Season! Brian, Sam and Chase react to a crazy Week 1 that featured plenty of meaningful upsets. The guys play Buy or Sell, debate whether NDSU deserves an FBS Top 25 vote and warn against overlooking UC Davis. Storytime: Chase reviews NC State's press box food and recaps his encounter with some drunk frat boys in Raleigh.

Following No. 2 James Madison's close loss at NC State, Head Coach Mike Houston discusses the four critical errors that led to the result. Starting quarterback Ben DiNucci and receiver Riley Stapleton offer thoughts, too.

Brian, Sam and Chase finally have games to talk about! The guys tackle the ugly (and not-so-ugly) parts of last Saturday's Kickoff Classic before looking ahead to an exciting Week 1. Closing segments: Sam asks the first mailbag question of 2018; Brian opines about the lack of an HBCU band in Montgomery; Chase's prop bet involves FCS-over-FBS upsets.

Our first "Extra Point" Interview! HERO Sports Lead Writer Sam Herder catches up with North Dakota State sophomore Jabril Cox, just days before the Bison begin their 2018 campaign against Cal Poly.

Montana State head coach Jeff Choate spoke to the media as his Bobcats prepare for Western Illinois next week.

There's college football on Saturday! Brian, Sam and Chase preview the Kickoff Classic between North Carolina A&T and Jacksonville State. The guys also offer guesses at who will win the Walter Payton Award, the Buck Buchanan Award and the Eddie Robinson Award. Ending Segment: Chase offers the podcast's first prop bet.

Brian, Sam and Chase have finished writing 125 team previews, so it's time for a bonus episode of the HERO Sports FCS Podcast. What did they learn, what will they remember and what's coming next? The guys offer answers while enjoying a celebratory drink (or three).