THE FAVORITE: Nicholls -- The Colonels play the best defense in the Southland Conference, they have a stellar four-year starter back at quarterback in
Chase Fourcade, they do all the little things right (run defense, time of possession, red zone offense and defense, etc etc). And they have a senior core of players who have gotten a lot done in their careers. We think Nicholls may go from being a strong team coming out of the Southland to ansam FCS quarterfinalist or better in 2019. This is a good program that has been built from the ground up with a great recruiting philosophy. We think this year, this team becomes a national name in the FCS, potentially starting with its two FBS matchups (Kansas State and Texas State).
SUM IT UP: Anybody who follows college football can't help but appreciate what has gone on at Nicholls the past few years. The Colonels -- who in 47 years have won 40.1 percent of their ballgames -- have suddenly become a ranked commodity at the Division I level. They beat a Big 12 program last year (Kansas), have scared others the past three years (Georgia and Texas A&M) and have won 16 of their last 22 FCS ballgames and been in the playoffs twice. Not bad for a program whose previous winning season was 6-5 back in 2007. So something is stirring here, and there's no reason to believe it will end this year. That's why the Colonels hold a high perch at
No. 13 in the HERO Sports Preseason Top 25.
So what could be potential roadblocks to a stellar season? Well, we'll get to all the nitty gritty positives in a second, but one concern is certainly the offensive line. Nicholls had the No. 12 rushing attack in the FCS last year, and it started with a stellar and physical bunch of mostly local brawlers. Most of those guys have graduated, though there is still one starter back, 2018 All-Southland selection
P.J. Buckhalter. New names will have to emerge. It truly is interesting that most people nationally point to QB
Chase Fourcade as the big name in the Nicholls offense (well, he should be) but the run game was just as effective as what Fourcade did with his arm. This team was definitely balanced and explosive. If that line materializes quickly? It has four ball carriers (including Fourcade) who combined to rush for nearly 2,800 yards last year. And yes, we already know Fourcade can throw (ask the Manning family, who invite him to work with Archie, Peyton and Eli at the Manning Academy every summer).
So if you read the above paragraph, you may think this team is all about offense, and honestly, it's really an even better defensive program. That's why this program has flourished within the Southland the past few years. Six starters return and that doesn't even count a returnee like part-time LB starter
Allen Pittman, who has been a contributor for years. The leading tackler is back (
Khristian Mims), the leading TFL man returns (
Evan Veron), and the leading sack man (
Sully Laiche) and top statistical "pass disruptor" (
Darren Evans) are also back. This defense prided itself on run defense (No. 11 in the FCS) and not letting an opponent convert on third down (No. 7) last year. It's smothering, like the summer humidity in Thibodeaux (yes, I know I spelled it the old way ... don't care). The truth is, statistically this program does all the things a sound powerhouse should do -- it plays great defense, controls the clock (No. 12 nationally in time of possession) and runs the ball well on offense.
OUR TAKE: So everything above is pretty glowing, right? And it should be. But let's get down to a concern or two (beyond the O-line concerns written about above). The Abilene Christian loss last year and the SE Louisiana loss in 2017 made us scratch our heads. Yes, both were on the road and in conference, but it's hard to understand a team like Nicholls -- who can go toe-to-toe with P5s -- not being able to handle those two opponents (and yes, we know both of those opponents finished 6-5 and were hardly cellar dwellers in the league). The thing is, this year's group is full of senior leaders who have been around since the near upset "Between the Hedges" at Georgia back in Sept. 2016. This group must avoid those pitfalls to take their playoff berths the past two seasons to the level of a possible seed and guaranteed second-round home game. That's the goal.
This fall, Nicholls faces Kansas State -- the program in the state of Kansas that usually wins and just hired away North Dakota State's head coach
Chris Klieman -- and also FBS Texas State. Asking the Colonels to go to K-State and come back with a win is a tall order, but another FBS win may be on tap with Texas State, a G5 program that is rebuilding and ripe for the taking if the Colonels come in swinging. The SWAC's Prairie View A&M is the lone FCS team in the non-conference schedule, and while the Panthers are certainly one of the SWAC's top programs, that should be a win for the Colonels. In conference play, having two league front runners Central Arkansas and McNeese come to Thibodeaux (see, I did it again with the spelling -- much respect to the Acadians) is big. And the Sam Houston State contest was already discussed in the "game to watch" category above. There are landmines this year in the Southland schedule, but if Nicholls navigates them well and finds itself on the O-line? This could be a very, very special season.
