There Were Three FCS Victories Over FBS Teams in 2019

There were three FCS victories over FBS teams in 2019.

The Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2019 National Championship is awarded to Central Arkansas for their win over Western Kentucky.

Here are the games at issue:

Central Arkansas 35 at Western Kentucky 28

College Football Notes/FCS Victories Over FBS: Central Ark

For this effort, Central Arkansas wins The Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2019 National Championship because Western Kentucky, after this slow start, ultimately turned-things-around and had an very good season, finishing 9-4, tied for second in the C-USA East, and becoming a bowl champion by winning the Servpro First Responder Bowl against Western Michigan.  Additionally, Central Arkansas tied for first place in the Southland Conference and earned a spot in the FCS playoffs as an eighth-seed.  The Bears finished the season with a 9-4 record.

Central Arkansas took advantage of Western Kentucky’s new coaching staff in the first game for each team in 2019.  This is a theme repeated in the other two FCS victories over FBS teams in 2019 as those games also featured new FBS coaching staffs in the early games of their first seasons.  The combination of a new staff taking-over a usually struggling FBS team provides games ripe for an upset.

Central Arkansas opens next season at Missouri.  The Tigers are coming off a 6-6 season in which they would have been bowl eligible if not for an egregious, and highly criticized, NCAA ruling.  However, there are questions as to just how well-stocked Missouri’s cupboard is as well as new leadership in the form of Eli Drinkwitz and a mostly new staff.  Missouri has never lost to an FCS team since the top division of college football was split.

Southern Illinois 45 at Massachusetts 20

Southern Illinois Adds-To FCS Victories Over FBS/Other Notes

Southern Illinois, of the Missouri Valley, whipped the independent Minutemen who had a terrible season, winning only one game which was at the expense of the even more abysmal Akron who managed to whiff on the entire season (also with a new coaching staff).  The Salukis finished the season at 7-5 and tied for third in The Valley.

The Evil Eye would like to point-out that deep within the notes of the above-linked, and extremely well-read, article was the following most prescient statement from the second full week of the 2019 season, “The clutch-play Joe Burrow to Justin Jefferson touchdown pass to seal the LSU win at Texas had a national championship look and feel to it.”  Ah, yes, The Evil Eye can feel, and, so it seems, see.

The Citadel 27 at Georgia Tech 24 OT

El Cid Adds-To FCS Victories Over FBS Teams/Other Notes

Normally, a Power Five victory would garner The Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2019 National Championship, but Georgia Tech struggled to implement a new scheme along with a coaching staff change, finishing 3-9 and last in the Coastal division of the ACC.  However, ignominy shall still shroud Georgia Tech as the only Power Five program to lose to an FCS team in 2019.  Changing from a triple-option scheme usually results in tremendous personnel issues.

The Evil Eye has also noted that the Yellowjackets’ boss, Geoff Collins, was also the victim of last year’s Mythical National Champion, Villanova, while presiding over Temple.  As much as The Evil Eye likes to rub-it-in, two years in a row seems a bit excessive and new victims are always welcome.  Plus, moving on from the wishbone, wingbone, flexbone, veerbone (everyone knows the veer was a bone), or whatever, normally results in just a well-gnawed bone for a year or two (hopefully).

There Were Seven FCS Victories Over FBS Teams in 2018

Because of all this, coupled with Western Kentucky’s strong finish to the season, The Citadel, which finished 6-6 overall, and 4-4 smack-dab in the middle of the Southern Conference, is left a bridesmaid as far as the coveted Mythical National Championship is concerned, albeit one with a win for the ages.  Certain wags in Charleston will no doubt argue about this slight, which, admittedly, is gaining traction with the august editors of this piece, but for now … no.  However, leaving open the possibility of fluidity in the selection of the national champion is in keeping with its mythical nature.

Thus, Central Arkansas, hold tight while you can and congratulations, you are The Mythical FCS Victories Over FBS 2019 National Champion.