The FCS is not supposed to win these games. That has always been the assumption behind September football. An FBS program schedules an FCS opponent, writes a check, gets a home game and expects a comfortable victory. The favorite uses the afternoon to work out early-season problems, play younger contributors, and move on to the games that are supposedly more meaningful.
Five FCS Wins Over FBS Teams in Two Weeks Prove College Football’s “Easy Games” Are a Lie
The first two weeks of the 2026 season have shredded that assumption. Five FCS programs have beaten FBS opponents already. Tarleton State defeated Bowling Green 20-13. The Citadel beat Charlotte 43-41 in triple overtime. Idaho State knocked off Utah State 29-17. Illinois State rallied past Northern Illinois 28-24. Montana State went to Nevada and won 20-7.
Those wins are not a random collection of strange Saturday results. They are proof that the best FCS programs are older, tougher, more organized and far more dangerous than FBS football often wants to admit. FCS teams are not just taking the checks. They are taking the wins.
Week 1 Showed the Warning Signs
The season opened with Tarleton State beating Bowling Green 20-13. That was not a one-play miracle. Tarleton State played the kind of disciplined football that allows an underdog to win on the road. The Texans showed physicality, played with poise, and made Bowling Green answer uncomfortable questions in its own stadium.
Charlotte’s loss to The Citadel was different in style but identical in meaning. The Bulldogs won 43-41 in triple overtime, turning a game that Charlotte was expected to control into a survival test. The Citadel was willing to play one more drive, one more down, and one more overtime period. Charlotte was not good enough to stop it.
Then Idaho State went into Logan and beat Utah State 29-17. The Bengals had not beaten an FBS opponent since 2017. That made the win even more significant, but the result was not just about ending a streak. Idaho State looked like a team that believed it belonged in the matchup. Utah State looked like a team that expected its classification to handle the hard work. That is the mistake.
An FBS label does not block. It does not tackle. It does not protect the quarterback on third down. It does not prevent an older, more cohesive, and more motivated opponent from walking into a stadium and taking control. Three FCS wins in Week 1 should have been a warning to every FBS team preparing for Week 2. Instead, the trend continued.
Illinois State and Montana State Made It Real
Illinois State’s 28-24 win over Northern Illinois was the kind of game that proves why strong FCS programs are so dangerous.
Northern Illinois held a 24-21 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Huskies had an opportunity to escape with the win, protect the FBS label, and avoid becoming another September upset story.
Illinois State did not let that happen. The Redbirds put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive and took the lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Gage Roy to Alex Herrera with 1:53 remaining. Northern Illinois drove to the Illinois State 20-yard line on its final possession, but the Redbirds ended the game with an interception. That is not luck. That is late-game execution.
Illinois State did not merely hang around until Northern Illinois made a mistake. It made the decisive offensive drive and then made the decisive defensive play. The Redbirds played like a mature team that understood the pressure had shifted to the FBS favorite. Montana State delivered an even clearer message at Nevada.
The Bobcats won 20-7, led 17-0 at halftime, and did not allow Nevada to score until the fourth quarter. Montana State did not just survive in a hostile road environment. It controlled the game against an FBS opponent and extended its winning streak to 17 games.
That is what elite FCS football looks like. Montana State entered the season as the defending FCS national champion. It had talent, continuity, confidence, and a program-wide belief that it could beat anyone on its schedule. Nevada had the home field, the larger classification, and the assumed advantage. Montana State had the better football team on that night.
The FCS Has an Identity Advantage
FCS wins aren’t happening simply because FBS teams don’t care. That explanation is too easy. The better explanation is that top FCS programs know exactly what they are. They recruit around a specific identity. They develop players over multiple years. They play older quarterbacks, experienced offensive linemen, and veteran defenders who understand their system. They are built for games where execution, toughness, and composure matter more than recruiting-star rankings.
FBS teams often have more resources. They often have deeper rosters. They often have larger stadiums, bigger budgets, and more attention. But none of those advantages matter if a team enters the game expecting its logo to do the work.
Tarleton State did not care what classification Bowling Green played in. The Citadel did not care that Charlotte had the FBS label. Idaho State did not care that Utah State was at home. Illinois State did not care that Northern Illinois had the supposed advantage. Montana State did not care that Nevada was an FBS program. They all played football. They all won.
That does not mean the FCS is better than the FBS as a whole. It means the gap between a strong FCS program and a struggling, disorganized, or unprepared FBS team is much smaller than the sport likes to acknowledge. Five wins in two weeks should settle one point. There are no automatic wins in college football. Only teams that prepare like the game matters and teams that learn too late that it did.
