FCS Roundup: Week 1, 2026

Welcome to our FCS Roundup, our weekly article which highlights all of the lower-level programs in action against the Mid-American Conference in one place.

We started this series last year at Hustle Belt and it was a hit, so we have brought it back this season over at By The Belt! In case you're new, let's catch you up on how it works.

Last season saw the MAC finish a collective 11-2 against lower-division opponents, with both the Eastern Michigan Eagles (vs. LIU) and UMass (vs. Bryant) suffering lossess to FCS foes in Week 2 last year while the other 11 programs (including the now-departed NIU) won their contests.

2026 is a new season, and with it, comes new and familiar challengers alike.

To open the MAC football season, we’ll see three FCS programs pop up to challenge the conference. With the state of transfers in the NCAA and the closing up of revenue gaps between the lower parts of the FBS and higher parts of FCS, you cannot underestimate your opponents nowadays.

In that spirit, we preview each team below in appearance order:

UAlbany Great Danes

• Who are they playing? Buffalo, on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
• Odds: Buffalo (-18.5), over/under 48.0-48.5 depending on book, per Covers.

The UAlbany Great Danes are undergoing a near-complete cultural reset after a 2025 season which saw them finish 2-10 under year-long interim coach Jared Ambrose. Their situation was fallout from the previous season, which saw the sudden resignation of 11-year head man Greg Gattuso, who left the team for an assistant coaching job at Penn State.

Overall, 62 of the team's 100 rostered players are brand-new from the year prior, including 38 incoming transfers. First-year head coach Rob Perkovich now heads the program after being hired on from Division III Susquehanna in Pennsylvania.

Perkovich was a winner with the River Hawks, compiling an 84-25 overall record, four consecutive conference championships, four-straight D-III Playoff appearances, two-straight NCAA Quarterfinal appearances (2024-25) and a Semifinals appearance in 2024. Perkovich's squad finished 15th in the D-III level at season's end in 2025.

Now he hopes to bring that same ruggedness to New York's capitol city, bringing with him Susquehanna standout halfback Rahshan La Mons. The dual-threat back was explosive in his two seasons, compiling 2,518 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground, while also hauling in an additional 67 receptions for 638 yards and four receiving scores.

UAlbany had one of the more shocking results of Week Zero. After finishing 2-10 last season, the Great Danes dominated 2025 FCS Playoff participant New Hampshire 28-14. The ground game spearheaded the effort. Albany ran for 374 yards, with four players accumulating at least 60 yards.

Running back Joey Koch led the group with an electrifying seven-carry, 144-yard performance. Rahshan La Mons was the steady workhorse with 19 attempts for 62 yards. Quarterback Kai Colon added 90 yards on 15 rushes. Beyond these three, the Great Danes found creative ways to move the ball on the ground last week.

Wide receiver BJ Norman had two carries for 60 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown. UAlbany also used quarterback Aidan Semo as a short-yardage specialist. Semo scored twice on six carries, gaining 27 yards. Last season, Semo ran for just 93 yards on 31 carries, but scored six times.

Despite the excellent performance by the run game, the Great Danes struggled passing the ball. Starting quarterback Kai Colon completed just seven of his 18 passes for 57 yards.

On defense, the front seven stifled New Hampshire all game. Albany sacked the quarterback four times and allowed 62 rushing yards. Shawan Lewis was an unmistakable presence around the edge, with 2.5 sacks. Linebacker Dillon Dunathan also got in the backfield to make two tackles for a loss and plucked a crucial turnover in the second half.

Despite this, the secondary showed some weakness for the Great Danes. New Hampshire completed 67 percent of its passes for 235 yards last week. UAlbany seemed to have no answers for Ja’Caree Kelly who caught six passes for 123 yards.

UB lost a lot of their front seven in the offseason, and will be put to the test right away against a team which wants to push you backwards early and often. That said, there are some vulnerabilities in the UAlbany defense which could be exploited if the opportunity presents itself.

– Omar-Rashon Borja

Tarleton State Texans

• Who are they playing? Bowling Green, on Saturday, Sept. 5th, at noon Eastern time
• Odds: Bowling Green (-2.5), over.under 48.5, per Covers.

This is the game which will likely have the most outside eyes on it due to the sportsbooks, which place this contest as essentially a "pick-em"– a sign the books don't have confidence in the home team, which usually gets a three-point buff.

The Texans have skyrocketed up the NCAA ranks after joining Division II from the NAIA in 1994, ascending to Division I in the 2020-21 season and eventually finding a home in the United Athletic Conference.

2025 saw the Texans put up a campaign for the ages, upsetting Army West Point in overtime in the non-conference season before winning the UAC title and advancing all the way to the FCS Quarterfinals– becoming the first team since Troy (1993) to advance to the quarterfinals in one of their first two years of eligibility– to finish 12-2.

Over the last few weeks, the university has made their intentions to jump to the FBS known as well, a shocking feat for a program which was D-II just six years ago. Their game against BGSU serves as an opportunity to vault into the national spotlight and show prospective conferences they deserve a seat at the table.

The team has five all-conference selections in Hines, offensive
lineman Aidan Moe, punter Charlie Mullen, return specialist DeAndre
Buchannon (unanimous) and defensive back Omar Emmons, as well as two FCS All-Americans in Moe and Buchannon.

Buchannon is of particular interest; the five-foot-10, 175 lb. senior ranked sixth in the country in kickoff returns at nearly 30 yards per return and scored a kickoff return touchdown in 2025 while at West Georgia, a fellow FCS powerhouse.

Tarleton State currently sits at #5 in the FCS Coaches Poll after a 49-30 victory against SWAC favorites Prarie View A&M, who played in the 2025 Celebration Bowl and received Top 25 votes, to open the season.

Wyoming transfer Kaden Anderson keyed in the victory, tossing four touchdowns and no interceptions on 15-of-21 completions for 224 yards. Tylan Hines led the rushing effort with 184 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense limited the Panthers to 7-of-16 on third down and 28 points on offense despite giving up 524 yards.

The Texans' electric offense will go up against an experienced defense in Bowling Green, but could find some advantages in the other two phases due to BG's lack of proven depth on special teams and offense. This has all the feel of a game where Tarleton will try to score more points than they give up, while Bowling Green will hope to dictate the terms early and win out with talent.

-- JH Jimenez

Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils

• Who are they playing? Sacramento State, on Saturday, Sept. 5th, at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time
• Odds: Sacramento State (-38.5), over/under 56.5, per Covers.

The Delta Devils’ opening game was a disaster, a 44-10 drubbing at the hands of Nicholls State.

Mississippi Valley is coming off a dismal 2025 season where they finished 2-10, securing wins against Florida A&M and the now-defunct Lincoln University. For the second straight season, they’re coached by Terrell Buckley, a former standout cornerback with the New England Patriots.

Dynamic fifth-year senior quarterback Josh Brown leads the offense for the Delta Devils, a two-way threat that’s seemingly more comfortable outside of the pocket than in it. He led MVSU in both passing and rushing yards last season, but will need to bounce back from a rocky outing against Nicholls where he threw three interceptions.  

Only two receivers managed more than one reception, with the standout being freshman tight end Jaylen King, who turned four catches into 27 yards. 

Junior running back Dezmond Ray and sophomore running back Norman Taylor split carries for the Delta Devils, combining for 83 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The pair, in addition to Brown, were by far the strong point of an otherwise stagnant Mississippi Valley offense. 

The offense struggled mightily against a Nicholls defense that allowed an average of 24.9 points a game last year, scoring just three offensive points on a late fourth quarter drive that only saw one completed pass. 

The Delta Devils’ only other points came from a 95-yard pick-six from freshman defensive back Tyrell Johnson, who took an errant pass from Nicholls’ third-string junior quarterback Chase Richardson to the house. 

Outside of the interception, high points from Mississippi Valley’s defense were few and far between. Junior outside linebacker Javiaene Stevens was a constant irritant, recording three and a half tackles-for-loss and a pair of sacks. 425-pound senior defensive lineman David Jones, the heaviest player in Division I football, will also be a name to watch. 

While she may not participate, junior kicker Nina Schiks is someone to keep an eye on; she could become the first woman to play in a Division I game since Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller in 2020 if she takes the field. (Kent State's April Goss kicked an extra point in 2015 against Delaware State.) Shenadoah defensive back Haley van Voorhis was the last woman to play at any NCAA level, participating in a D-III game against Juanita College in 2023.

– Jack Dann