North Dakota State has won the past two FCS national championships and seven of the last eight titles, making the Bison the team to beat once again heading into 2019.
However, this will be a different NDSU team. Gone is four-time championship coach Chris Klieman to Kansas State, and in is former assistant Matt Entz. The Bison lost 15 starters from their 2018 title squad, including Easton Stick, the all-time winningest FCS quarterback.
FCS CHAMP 2018: North Dakota State wins record seventh FCS title | Highlights | Final bracket
So, is the rest of the country smelling blood? These seven teams look to put an end to North Dakota State's dominance in 2019-20.
James Madison
James Madison, the team that squashed NDSU's five-year title run in 2016, tops our list of potential dynasty stoppers for the second straight year. Like the Bison, the Dukes have a new coach in Curt Cignetti, who replaces Mike Houston after the latter left for the ECU job. But unlike NDSU, JMU returns 19 starters in 2019.
Second-year starting quarterback, and Pitt transfer, Ben DiNucci is joined by all three of his top receivers and all five starting offensive linemen from last year. On defense, the conference's 2018 preseason defensive player of the year Rashad Robinson (seven interceptions in 2017) is back after missing all of last year due to turf toe.
James Madison was bounced in last year's second round of the FCS playoffs to close out a 9-4 year, double the amount of losses the Dukes had the previous two seasons combined. JMU is the only program to hand North Dakota State a playoff loss in the past eight years.
UC Davis
UC Davis lost two-time All-American receiver Keelan Doss but returns mostly everyone else in its explosive offense. That includes senior quarterback Jake Maier, who finished with 3,931 passing yards (third in FCS) and 34 touchdowns (second) in 2018.
The Aggies (10-3) won their first Big Sky conference championship and advanced to the national quarterfinals in their first taste of the FCS playoffs last year. UC Davis was outscored 20-8 by Eastern Washington in the final quarter of that crushing 34-29 loss.
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It's been a steady rise for the program, now a legitimate a national contender. The Aggies finished with just two wins in 2015, three in '16 and five in '17. After a double-digit win total and a deep playoff run last year, UC Davis' next step could be a first trip to Frisco to play for the national championship.
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington's hopes for a deep 2018 playoff run were thought to be crushed last year following record-setting quarterback Gage Gubrud's season-ending injury in September. But in stepped dual-threat redshirt sophomore Eric Barriere and the Eagles soared to a runner-up finish behind North Dakota State in the 2018 FCS championship game.
Barriere shattered the FCS playoff record with seven touchdown passes against Maine in the semifinals and finished with 21 total TDs in 14 games. EWU loses some key seniors from last year's squad, but with Barriere settling in as a full-time starter, the Eagles offense shouldn't miss a beat.
After all, offense has never been a problem for Eastern Washington (43.1 points per game in 2018). But the key to its 2018 title game run was a much-improved defense that cut its points allowed per game by nearly two touchdowns from 2017 to 2018. Linebacker Chris Ojoh (105 tackles) returns to lead this unit.
Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State hasn't made it past the second round since a 2015 runner-up finish, but the Gamecocks are as consistent as it comes. JSU has qualified for six straight FCS playoffs, has won four of the last five Ohio Valley championships and has only dropped one conference game in the past