FCS Football Talk

Note: This episode originally aired on March 9. Sam is currently on parental leave and will have new episodes out in early August. On this episode, Sam is joined by Timothy Rosario, co-host of The Bluebloods on FCS Football Central. The two discuss: -Most surprising offseason headline -Big-picture questions ahead of the 2026 season -Is it Montana State vs. the field? -Who are some dark horses? -Ca...

Note: This episode originally aired on April 8. Sam is currently on parental leave and will have new episodes out in early August. On this episode, Sam is joined by West Florida broadcaster Will Kennedy. The two discuss UWF’s move to the FCS from D2, the football program’s rapid rise, the school’s investment in football, and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on March 18. Sam is currently on parental leave and will have new episodes out in early August. On this episode, Sam is joined by KC Smurthwaite, HERO Sports writer and a college athletics consultant  The two discuss topics like future outlooks for conferences like the UAC and Summit League, future realignment dominoes, the college football landscape, and privat...

Note: This episode originally aired on March 4. Sam is currently on parental leave and will have new episodes out in early August. On this episode, Sam is joined by Craig Haley, the FCS Senior Editor for Stats Perform/The Analyst.  The two discuss: -FCS championship future -Private equity in the playoffs -Penn hiring Rick Santos, and Yale hiring Kevin Cahill -Future realignment -Where has the FCS...

On this episode, Sam breaks down his early FCS Top 15 teams heading into the 2026 season.

On this episode, Sam talks about Harvard branching out and scheduling tough non-conference games against FCS playoff contenders. He also discusses the Week 0 slate this year and how it was a missed opportunity for the FCS. The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit  HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for online betting odds.

On this episode, Sam breaks down his top 30 returning FCS linebackers. The ranking in article form can be found here . The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit  HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for online betting odds.

On this episode, Sam breaks down his top 25 returning FCS quarterbacks. The ranking in article form can be found here .

On this episode, Sam is joined by Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant. They discuss: -Multiple Southland players as 2026 NFL Draft prospects -Player retention and the transfer portal -FCS playoff committee emphasizing D1 opponents -FCS Kickoff status  -Autonomy subdivision discussions  -Update on private equity and the FCS playoffs  -Update on FCS championship game bid process -And more

On this episode, Sam breaks down his top 30 returning FCS running backs. The ranking in article form can be found here .

On this episode, Sam is joined by West Florida broadcaster Will Kennedy. The two discuss UWF’s move to the FCS from D2, the football program’s rapid rise, the school’s investment in football, and more.

What are the biggest offseason questions for the Montana, Montana State, UND, USD, and SDSU football teams? We discuss one big-picture question for each program, and one on-field question for the 2026 season.

On this episode, Sam goes solo and talks about changes to the FCS playoff at-large selection criteria, this season’s championship game date possibly being moved, an executive order protecting the Army-Navy game potentially impacting the FCS quarterfinals and Celebration Bowl, changes to the targeting rule, and a potentially new subdivision at the top of Division 1. The podcast is presented by HERO...

On this episode, Sam is joined by KC Smurthwaite, HERO Sports writer and a college athletics consultant  The two discuss topics like future outlooks for conferences like the UAC and Summit League, future realignment dominoes, the college football landscape, and private equity in the FCS playoffs. The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for...

On this episode, Sam is joined by Timothy Rosario, co-host of The Bluebloods on FCS Football Central. The two discuss: -Most surprising offseason headline -Big-picture questions ahead of the 2026 season -Is it Montana State vs. the field? -Who are some dark horses? -Can Illinois State keep its momentum going? -Who can take a step forward with impressive transfers? -And more The podcast is presente...

On this episode, Sam is joined by Craig Haley, the FCS Senior Editor for Stats Perform/The Analyst.  The two discuss: -FCS championship future -Private equity in the playoffs -Penn hiring Rick Santos, and Yale hiring Kevin Cahill -Future realignment -Where has the FCS improved over Craig’s time covering the subdivision, and where has it weakened? -Parity in the FCS -And more The podcast is present...

On this episode, Sam is joined by Tennessee Tech general manager and director of player personnel Justin McMullen. The two discuss: -The role of a college football GM -Recruiting the transfer portal  -Player retention -Revenue-sharing  -Communication with agents  -Tampering  -Transfer portal windows  -TN Tech program momentum -And more

On this episode, Sam is joined by Zach McKinnell of FCS Football Central and The Bluebloods. The two discuss: -NDSU going to the FBS, why it makes sense for the Bison, and what it means for the FCS -Bobby Hauck retiring as head coach at Montana, and then quickly coming out of retirement to take the Illinois DC gig -Travis Johansen stepping down as South Dakota’s head coach to take the Rutgers DC j...

On this episode, Sam is joined by Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill. The two discuss: -Bobby Hauck’s retirement -Montana State winning the natty -Nashville experience -Update on Sequence Equity’s pitch for the FCS playoffs  -Southern Utah and Utah Tech joining the Big Sky -Jersey patches -Scholarship caps in the House era -Collective bargaining in college football -Western Realignment -And more

On this episode, Sam is joined by FCS Nation Radio’s Stone Labanowitz. The former Southern Illinois quarterback turned FCS media member talks all things quarterbacks. Sam and Stone chat about the top returners in 2026, discuss why many of the top signal-callers returned, and talk about some risks of the transfer portal. The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit  HERO Sports for FCS...

On this episode, Sam is joined by FCS Fans Nation’s Jamie Williams. The two discuss the biggest surprises and disappointments of the 2025 FCS season. Which teams surpassed preseason expectations? And which teams did not live up to the hype? The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for online betting odds.

On this episode, Sam and Zach recap an epic FCS championship game as Montana State defeats Illinois State in overtime. They also talk about how ISU and MSU can reload for next season. And then they discuss the experience in Nashville, which made its debut hosting the game. The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for online betting odds.

Audio from Montana State's and Illinois State's FCS championship postgame press conferences.

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen met with the media in Nashville two days before the FCS championship game.

Illinois State head coach Brock Spack met with the media in Nashville two days before the FCS championship game.