Northern Iowa Game Odds: Panthers Get The Saturday CFB, MBB Spotlight

The Northern Iowa Panthers have a big Saturday ahead, with an FCS playoff game at Eastern Washington. But don’t overlook a top 25 game on the hardwood. UNI is off to a 1-3 start including a 93-80 loss to then-No. 16 Arkansas a week ago. Now at 5-0, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies hold the No. 16 spot.

The Panthers are running out of major-conference chances to impress the NCAA Selection Committee for March Madness. The Bonnies certainly qualify as a quality opponent: They are on a roll after a Charleston Classic championship. St. Bonaventure’s wins came over Boise State (67-61), Clemson (68-65) and Marquette (70-54).

How to watch Northern Iowa at No. 16 St. Bonaventure basketball

• When: 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27
• Where: Reilly Center in St. Bonaventure, NY
• TV: ESPN+ subscription streaming platform

Northern Iowa begins FCS Playoffs journey

The Northern Iowa football team squeezed into the 24-team FCS Playoffs field as the only five-loss team. They’ll travel to Cheney, WA, for a 3 p.m. game Saturday, Nov. 27, on the red turf at Eastern Washington.

With the FCS Playoffs set, futures bets are becoming more widely available for the smaller-school contenders including Northern Iowa. Sportsbooks went live with some game point spreads Saturday as well. We put futures odds and game lines in the tables below.

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How to watch Northern Iowa at Eastern Washington in the FCS Playoffs

• What: Northern Iowa (6-5) at Eastern Washington (9-2)
• When: 3 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Roos Field in Cheney, WA
• TV: ESPN+ subscription streaming service

The UNI-Eastern Washington winner travels to No. 6 seed Montana for an 8 p.m. game Friday, Dec. 3 in the round of 16. The Grizzlies earned a bye and a home game as a top-eight seed.

The FCS Playoffs Selection Committee awards 11 spots to conference champions. The Missouri Valley and Big Sky conferences received nine of the 13 at-large spots.

A 6-5 record typically leaves an FCS program out of the playoff bracket, but FCS Committee Chair Thorr Bjorn told ESPN’s Matt Schick the Panthers got in because of three wins over other teams in the playoff field. One of UNI’s five losses came at Iowa State as well.

“When you lined them up next to each other we really felt good that they deserved to be in and they’re good enough to win a lot of games in the championship.”

Mercer (7-3), Eastern Kentucky (7-4) and Rhode Island (7-4) were the first three teams left out of the field. Southern Illinois (7-4) joined UNI as the last two teams in.

FCS Playoffs odds and pairings

• Nov. 27 games will trim the FCS Playoffs from 24 to 16 teams.
• Six of the eight second round games take place Saturday, Dec. 4.
• Quarterfinals take place Dec. 10-11.
• Semifinals are Dec. 17-18.
• The FCS Championship game is 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX.

Quarterfinal One

• Sam Houston (10-0) is the No. 1 seed.
  • Stephen F. Austin (8-3) at Incarnate Word (9-2)
• Montana State (9-2) is the No. 8 seed
  • UT-Martin (9-2) at Missouri State (8-3)

Quarterfinal Two

• Sacramento State (9-2) is the No. 4 seed
  • UC Davis (8-3) at South Dakota State (8-3)
• Villanova (9-2) is the No. 5 seed
  • Sacred Heart (8-3) at Holy Cross (9-2)

Quarterfinal Three

• North Dakota State (10-1) is the No. 2 seed
  • Southern Illinois (7-4) at South Dakota (7-4)
• East Tennessee State (10-1) is the No. 7 seed
  • Davidson (8-2) at Kennesaw State (10-1)

Quarterfinal Four

• James Madison (10-1) is the No. 3 seed
  • Florida A&M (9-2) at SE Louisiana (8-3)
• Montana (9-2) is the No. 6 seed
  • Northern Iowa (6-5) at  Eastern Washington (9-2)

This is UNI’s 22nd trip to the FCS Playoffs. Only Montana (25) has more appearances. The Panthers are 6-1 against Eastern Washington, including a 3-0 record in the postseason.