FULL WED. SHOW - FCS Preseason Top 25 (HERO) released + an hour with HERO senior FCS analyst Sam Herder

Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Wednesday was a Christmas Day of sorts for Jackrabbit and Coyote football fans. They got to unwrap an anticipated present — well, stocking stuffer, at least — the FCS preseason Top 25 football poll, voted on by four respected FCS analysts at HERO Sports. Was it a present or a Pandora's box? Or a can of worms? Based off what many who follow the FCS thought in January, SDSU fans unwrapped a red rider BB gun while USD received a lump of coal in their stocking. The No. 3 Jacks are rated ahead of the No. 4 Yotes despite a wildly reconstructed SDSU roster and coaching staff. North Dakota State, the defending national champs, of course rated No. 1, getting all four first place votes. Montana State, the runner-up, is second. Happy Hour host John Gaskins breaks down why he'd rate the Yotes ahead of the Jacks, but also brings in the perspective of HERO Sports FCS senior analyst Sam Herder for an hour-long, deep dive FCS chat.

Herder discusses the proposal of Georgia coach Kirby Smart to scale back the number of portal windows in a year from two to one, with January making the most sense to him.

Presently, athletes can enter the portal either in December (Dec. 9–28) or after spring practices (April 16–25). Smart argues that this system creates year-round uncertainty for coaches and players alike.

This especially includes those who coach and play in the FCS. South Dakota, one of the top FCS programs in the nation, lost several players in that spring window — including five all-conference players — leaving the Coyotes to scramble into the portal and bring in replacements from both the FBS and FCS.

But how much would transfer portal reform in Smart's mold help FCS schools?

Herder tackles that question, plus so many more national and regional FCS issues that directly affect USD and South Dakota State. Topics covered:

• How do SDSU, NDSU, and USD stack up nationally now that most transfers are in place?
• Who will be the most immediately impactful transfers who just joined those schools?
• Which FCS team benefitted the most — quantity and quality — from FBS transfers?
• FBS transfers vs. FCS transfers to FCS teams — which tend to make a stronger impact?
• What is the latest in Sacramento State's bid to move up to FBS?
• Why is it difficult for FCS teams to be accepted into FBS conferences?
• Are NDSU and SDSU more likely to move up to FBS or stay put in FCS?
• What or who is impacted the most from the Missouri Valley Football Conference's new "partnership" with both the Missouri Valley Conference and Summit League?