Going back and looking at FCS preseason rankings is always a joy.
Many things don’t age well, no matter how well thought out and researched they were. The unpredictability of sports, especially at the college level, is what makes it fun, though.
Here are the five biggest team surprises and five biggest disappointments of the 2025 season, taking into account their preseason media poll rankings and final rankings.
Biggest Surprises
Illinois State
Preseason ranking: No. 6
Final ranking: No. 2
The Redbirds entered 2025 with pretty high preseason rankings. They returned a veteran offense after a 10-4 campaign in 2024. But no one expected the run they went on. Illinois State reached the playoffs at 8-4, stumbling in after a 37-7 home loss to Southern Illinois. The Redbirds then put it all together at the right time, ripping off four straight road playoff wins as an unseeded team, including stunning No. 1 NDSU 29-28 in the second round. They were the first team in FCS playoff history to win four road games. And ISU very nearly added one more win at the end. The Redbirds lost a heartbreaker in the national championship game, 35-34 in OT to Montana State. A couple of sequences go differently in that game, and ISU caps off an improbable run to a national title win. It’s one of the most surprising playoff runs in FCS history.
Lehigh
Preseason ranking: No. 14
Final ranking: No. 10
Lehigh returned loads of talent after reaching the 2024 playoffs. The Mountain Hawks were viewed as a sleeper team, but they surpassed expectations in the regular season. Lehigh went 12-0, rising as high as No. 4 in the national media poll and earning the No. 5 playoff seed. It was rare air for a Patriot League member. The season came to a disappointing end, though. Lehigh lost 14-7 in the second round to Villanova, who then went on to reach the semifinals. The Mountain Hawks still make this list based on their regular season, but it was certainly a missed opportunity to go on a longer playoff run.
SFA
Preseason ranking: No. 23
Final ranking: No. 7
The Lumberjacks finished 7-5 in 2024. They returned a good chunk of their two-deep this season, leading to preseason rankings despite not making the playoffs the previous year. After a 0-2 start, SFA began to click and stack win after win, steadily rising in the polls. It finished 11-3 overall and 8-0 in the Southland Conference, including 11 straight victories to reach the quarterfinals, where the Lumberjacks lost 44-28 to eventual national champs Montana State. It was the first quarterfinal appearance for SFA since 2009.
Villanova
Preseason ranking: No. 13
Final ranking: No. t4
Villanova has been a consistently good football program. The Wildcats won the national title in 2009 and reached the semifinals in 2010. They have made the playoffs eight more times since 2010, including quarterfinal appearances in 2021 and 2023. Nova made it a round further this season, going on the road to knock off No. 4 seed Tarleton State 26-21 in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats, seeded No. 12, hosted a semifinal game, a very unexpected scenario at the start of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the season came to an end there with a 30-14 loss to Illinois State. But for a team that lost its starting QB, top two receivers, and half of its top tacklers from the previous year, it was an impressive run.
Yale
Preseason ranking: Unranked
Final ranking: No. 15
Yale did not receive preseason votes in the national media poll, and it was voted No. 3 in the preseason Ivy League poll. The Bulldogs went on to finish 8-2 in the regular season, winning the Ivy League with a 45-28 victory over rival Harvard. That clinched the Ivy’s first-ever auto-bid into the FCS playoffs. It was looking like a rough debut for the conference. Harvard was getting destroyed by Villanova in a 52-7 loss. Meanwhile, Yale trailed at No. 15 seed Youngstown State 42-14 midway through the third quarter. But then the comeback of all comebacks occurred. The Bulldogs came storming back, taking a 43-42 lead late in the fourth to win it, generating tremendous social media attention. The next week, Yale went out to the No. 2 seed and eventual national champs Montana State. The Bulldogs had a performance that drew even more national respect, giving MSU some trouble before losing 21-13.
Honorable mention: Tennessee Tech (Preseason ranking: No. 21, Final ranking: No. 16)
Biggest Disappointments
Idaho
Preseason ranking: No. 12
Final ranking: Unranked
Idaho took plenty of offseason hits when head coach Jason Eck left for New Mexico after three playoff appearances in three years, including back-to-back quarterfinals. The Vandals then lost about 20 transfers to the FBS. Still, Idaho came in with expectations to return to the postseason under first-year head coach Thomas Ford Jr. That did not happen. Idaho finished 4-8 overall, 4-6 vs. the FCS, and 2-6 in Big Sky play. Early warning signs were there after a narrow win over non-scholarship St. Thomas. But the wheels came off in mid-October, suffering back-to-back losses to Northern Colorado and EWU. The season ended with a rough 37-16 home loss to Idaho State.
NDSU
Preseason ranking: No. 1
Final ranking: No. t4
The Bison looked like a juggernaut for most of the regular season. NDSU was 12-0 with six ranked wins, earning the No. 1 playoff seed. It entered the bracket as the overwhelming favorite to win another national title with -250 odds. Montana State had the second-best odds at +550. But a woeful offensive performance in the second round led to a shocking 29-28 loss to Illinois State. It was labeled the biggest upset in FCS playoff history. For the first time since 2009, the Bison did not reach the FCS quarterfinals. What could have been a historic season for NDSU ended in a dud.
Sac State
Preseason ranking: No. 15
Final ranking: Unranked
Sac State came into the season with plenty of hype despite going 3-9 in 2024. Brennan Marion was a splash hire as head coach, and he and his staff brought in 40+ FBS/FCS transfers along with a highly-ranked recruiting class. The Hornets did improve their record to 7-5, but they missed the playoffs and lacked a needle-moving win. The high expectations weren’t helped by President Luke Wood tweeting at an FCS AD in June that they’d hang 50 points on them or telling Sac State fans to buy FCS championship tickets in early September despite an 0-2 record. It was a disappointing season based on the expectations set. But it was a step forward for the program compared to 2024. Unfortunately, Marion left after one season to be Colorado’s offensive coordinator, and 25+ players also exited, including many starters.
SDSU
Preseason ranking: 3
Final ranking: No. 13
One could argue that SDSU’s season wasn’t a disappointment, considering the team had no coaching staff at the start of last offseason and had no idea which players were coming back. But as a program, a 9-5 season, an embarrassing loss to Indiana State, and a second-round exit while giving up 50 points at Montana is not the standard. Especially after reaching the semifinals in five straight seasons, including two championship wins. A 7-0 start under first-year head coach Dan Jackson was very impressive. But injuries took their toll on a roster that lacked quality depth. With QB Chase Mason sidelined, the Jackrabbits lost four straight, starting with a rough 38-7 home loss to NDSU on national TV. They got themselves into the postseason after a win at UND in the regular-season finale. An early exit ended an up-and-down season and a tough second half of the year.
UIW
Preseason ranking: No. 5
Final ranking: Unranked
Following an 11-3 season and a quarterfinal appearance, UIW had massive expectations entering 2025. The Cardinals returned a pretty experienced defense, some of its top offensive weapons, and added multiple FCS all-conference-level transfers. The talent and recent playoff success suggested this team could make another deep postseason run. But a Week 0 loss at unranked Nicholls was a sign of things to come. UIW stumbled to a 2-6 record, including allowing back-to-back 50-burgers in losses against East Texas A&M and D1 newbie UTRGV. The Cardinals finished strong, winning three of their final four. The damage was already done, though, ending the season 5-7 and going from preseason Top 5 to unranked.
Honorable mention: Mercer (Preseason ranking: No. 11, Final ranking: No. 17)
