Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for FCS Semifinals (Cardinals Give Bison a Scare)

Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Game Info

2022 FCS Football Championship — Semifinals
Incarnate Word Cardinals (12-1) vs. North Dakota State Bison (11-2)
Date: Friday, Dec. 16, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome — Fargo, ND
Coverage: ESPN2

The 2022 FCS Championship has reached the semifinals and features a battle between the Incarnate Word Cardinals and North Dakota State Bison. Incarnate Word took down Sacramento State, 66-63, in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Cardinals racked up 242 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.

Meanwhile, North Dakota State defeated Samford, 27-9, in its quarterfinals matchup. Quarterback Cam Miller put together an efficient performance, completing 15 of his 18 passes for 194 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bison will be aiming to earn their fifth FCS finals appearance in the last six years.

Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Odds & Spread

All FCS betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: UIW: (+285) | NDST: (-365)
Spread: UIW: +8.5 (-110) | NDST: -8.5 (-110)
Total: 69.5 — Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

North Dakota State enters this contest as a clear favorite on the spread and moneyline. This semifinals clash also features a total of 69.5, which is the highest among this week's FCS totals. 

Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Prediction & Pick

Incarnate Word did what it does best on Friday and that is run the football. Running backs Marcus Cooper and Lindsey Scott Jr. each averaged over 8.0 yards per carry and found the end zone twice. The Cardinals finished the regular season ranked 15th in the FCS with 211.8 rushing yards per game.

North Dakota State relied on its defense to emerge victorious in the quarterfinals, just has it has all year long. The Bison allow only 17.4 points per game (No. 4 in FCS) and just 4.8 yards per play (No. 11 in FCS). There's no true advantage in this game, except the playoff experience NDSU possesses.

The Bison are know what it takes to success in the FCS Playoffs considering they have won the title in four of the last five seasons. There's no reason to fade them now.

Final Score Prediction: Incarnate Word: 34 | North Dakota State: 38

Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Betting Trends

- Incarnate Word is 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven away games.
- The total has hit the over in four of Incarnate Word's last six games.
- North Dakota State is 4-5 ATS in its last nine games.
- The total has hit the over in three of North Dakota State's last five games.

Incarnate Word vs North Dakota State Best Bet

Fading the Bison on the moneyline is not a smart move. However, fading them on the spread is. The Cardinals are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last seven away games and have lost one game outright this year. On the other side, North Dakota State is a measly 4-5 ATS in its last nine games.

Incarnate Word has the offensive firepower to keep up in this game considering it ranks first in the FCS in points per game (53.0). It also has the defenders to make life tough on North Dakota State given it has logged 42.0 sacks (No. 3 in FCS). This game screams nail-biter, so give me the points.

Bet: Incarnate Word +8.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.