The guys are joined by Keith Brake to break down who belongs, and who doesn't, in the FCS playoff field. Keith hosts "The BrakeDown" show every weekday from 4:00 - 6:00p on Bison 1660AM. The 24-team FCS playoff field will be announced this Sunday. Swany, Joe, and Keith tackle everything from why Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State should be seeded below North Dakota State, how the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Colonial Athletic Association are the heavyweight favorites in this year's bracket, and whether North Dakota State and James Madison are destined to collide in Frisco. The guys recap NDSU's big bounce back win over South Dakota, and Keith BrakesDown this weekend's matchup against Illinois State. Bracketology for the masses, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast.

North Dakota State suffered its first loss of the season against South Dakota State. Notwithstanding, the Bison stand alone atop the Missouri Valley Football Conference and control their destiny for FCS playoff seeding with two games left in the regular season. Swany and Joe are joined by HERO Sports columnist and Spotlight Media content strategist, Sam Herder, to breakdown what went wrong in Brookings. Swany sees a silver lining in the performance as the reports of NDSU's demise have been greatly exaggerated, while Joe and Sam have analysis of everything from QB play to how the loss impacts the Bison moving forward and whether it should drop them from the No. 2 line in the playoff bracket. The guys preview this week's matchup with a tough South Dakota team led by another dynamic duel threat quarterback. Don't get left in the cold without this key information you can only find on the Bison Illustrated Podcast.

Swany returns to the podcast in time for the annual Dakota Marker showdown between North Dakota State and South Dakota State. The Bison and Jackrabbits matchup, once again, has major conference and national implications as the FCS Playoffs approach. The guys discuss NDSU bringing the best defense in the FCS to Brookings to try to stop the Jackrabbits high-octane offense. Can the Bison offense shake its string of slow starts in the month of October, and how will the Bison defense deploy its attack? These are big questions that will determine who prevails. Swany gives a history on the beginnings of the Dakota Marker, and the guys explore how the rivalry has taken a sharper edge in recent years fueled in part by SDSU coaches saying some baffling stuff on Twitter. It's going to be an epic battle in Bunny Town and the Bison Illustrated Podcast has you covered as NDSU looks to bring the Marker back home to Fargo!

Joe Kerlin is joined by fellow FCS football lover Sam Herder to discuss NDSU's victory over Western Illinois and Carson Wentz. They also get into a FCS Playoff conversation. Smashed in between all of that Bison football goodness are two interviews with cornerback Jaylaan Wimbush and women's basketball coach Maren Walseth!

0:00 - Greeting, Bison football

14:17 - Is Carson Wentz the MVP?

21:21 - Interview with Jaylaan Wimbush

30:08 - Embrace the FCS Playoffs Debate

37:08 - Women's Basketball Coach Maren Walseth

Editor of Bison Illustrated Joe Kerlin is joined by host of the Bison Tailgate Show Brad Jones for the first annual Bison Illustrated Podcast Mid-Season Award Show.

The guys put to bed NDSU's thrilling overtime win against Youngstown State and discuss who should win the 10 mid-season awards. Did they get it right? If not, let them know! You can tweet at @bisonmag or comment on Bison Illustrated's Facebook Page who you believe should win the Mid-Season Awards.

Make sure you checkout Brad Jones every gameday on Bison 1660 three and a half hours before kickoff!

Don't forget to send the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season. Bison Illustrated subscriptions go for just $29.99/year. Follow the link for more information: https://checkout.subscriptiongenius.com/spotlightmediafargo.com/

The guys are joined by Ross Uglem, Senior Editor of Bison Report, to discuss No. 2 North Dakota State's 52-0 shellacking of Indiana State and the emergence of Easton Stick as one of the best passers in the FCS. With Swany and Joe both battling hurt through the podcast, Uglem helps pilot the ship, dissecting how the Bison offense has taken a different look with Stick's explosive play under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham. What concerns does Uglem have as the Bison head into a stretch of difficult games starting with Youngstown State, and why he thinks the Bison have the potential to ice the Penguins by a few touchdowns. The guys also talk about the best way to watch a game during wedding photos as Swany details his weekend wedding, and how the Bison vs. Penguins was only a play or two away from potentially hosting ESPN's College GameDay.

Defenses around the FCS are on notice, the NDSU aerial attack should not be trifled with! The Bison turned in complete performances in all three phases of the game, including Easton Stick's 15-of-21 passing effort, to cruise to a 38 - 11 win over Missouri Valley opponent Missouri State to start conference play. Swany and Joe recap the victory, the big day from NDSU's passing game, and another lockdown performance by the best defense in the country that saw the return of the FCS's top defensive player, Nick DeLuca. The victory wasn't without setbacks, though, as the Bison lost Dan Marlette with a season-ending knee injury. The guys analyze the start of Valley play as Youngstown State flexed its muscles against South Dakota State, and South Dakota toppled Western Illinois, and preview this week's matchup versus Indiana State. Stay in the know and be the smartest fan at your tailgater by hopping aboard the Bison Illustrated podcast train!

Kickoff your Homecoming Weekend with the Bison Illustrated podcast! North Dakota State finished its non-conference portion of the schedule as the most dominant team in the FCS. Even better than James Madison? The Bison and Dukes come in at 1(a) and 1(b), but we dissect who’s on top. Swany, Joe, and regular contributor/great FCS mind Sam Herder recap the first month of action with the Bison set to open Missouri Valley Football Conference play this weekend in their homecoming game against Missouri State, and preview the upcoming meat grinder that is the Valley schedule. The guys talk about what has stood out to them as the Bison have outscored their first three opponents by a ridiculous 168-20 margin. Can the team keep that train rolling against the Bears, and with five conference teams rated in the FCS Top 10, which, if any of the MVFC teams will separate themselves from the pack. Swany shares his story of attending an NDSU Alumni Association watch party last weekend in Las Vegas, while Joe and Sam take us around the FCS. The guys even coined a stellar nickname for NDSU’s backfield trio of Dunn (best player in the FCS this year so far), Anderson, and Brooks that you won’t want to miss! It’s all here, and more, this week on the Bison Illustrated podcast!

So you think you know Bison Football and the FCS? Few people know the inside story of North Dakota State better than one of the actual "Insiders,” the “Voice of the Bison,” and co-host of “The Insiders” radio program on Bison 1660 AM, Jeff Culhane. Culhane joins Swany and Joe for a free-wheeling discussion on what it’s like to call games for one of the best teams in college athletics, dive into who will really challenge NDSU for the Missouri Valley crown, and is this the year a two-loss team wins the conference? Find out why Culhane, who came to Fargo after stops at the University of Nebraska and West Virginia University, was awake at 4:00 a.m. the morning NDSU beat the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium last fall, and where he came up with his signature call, “Horns up, Hawkeyes down!”

The Mitchell, S.D., native tells the Illustrated how he got his start in broadcasting, why he had a gut-feeling the game against Iowa would come down to the final drive, and how his call of the game-winning field goal was influenced by broadcasting legend Vin Scully, the longtime Hall of Fame announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Culhane and the guys preview the Missouri Valley Football Conference battle ahead, they also talk Bison hoops and who Culhane thinks will be an emerging standout on the hardcourt this winter. The trifecta tackles a cornucopia of topics, including marriage advice for Swany’s upcoming wedding, and why it’s never a good idea to spill chicken marinade before your fiancé tries on her wedding dress. Finally, the guys finish with a must-listen “Fire and Ice” breakdown of the HBO hit, Game of Thrones, and the related Bison Insiders weekly segment with friend of the podcast, Anish Shroff, the biggest GOT fan this side of Westeros, who is big into Bison football and the hottest show on TV. It’s audio you can only hear here this week on the Bison Illustrated Podcast.

It was a “Horns Up” kind of weekend for the Bison. Fresh off a 40-13 statement win over Top 10-ranked Eastern Washington in the “Inferno” at Roos Field, North Dakota State enters its bye week with momentum as one of the hottest teams in the country, spearheaded by the No. 1 rushing attack in the FCS. Swany and Joe are joined by Jeff Kolpack of the Fargo Forum, the dean of local sports scribes, to dissect NDSU’s demolition of the Eagles and the early season dominance by the Herd. The guys discuss how the Bison are coming up roses on preseason questions like depth, the offensive line, and the passing game; and dig into other areas like the emergence of the 2014 recruiting class, the strength of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and the Top 25 FCS rankings.

Kolpack, the author of "Horns Up: Inside the Greatest College Football Dynasty," also takes listeners behind the curtains of the Bison Media Zone, the popular interactive “all things Bison” website he runs with Dom Izzo, the Sports Director of WDAY Sports (with cameos by Eric “Big E” Peterson). Kolpack describes the evolution of the blog, how they put it together, and an NDSU media presence that rivals big-time FBS programs. And, of course, the guys recap former Bison Carson Wentz’s big Week 1 performance against Washington in a big NFC East matchup. It’s all here, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast.