The Stats Perform FCS Top 25 voting panel has been slimmed down for the spring season. I am grateful to still have a vote and will publish my Top 25 every week for everyone to see, and I’m sure rationally discuss with a clear lens.
I’ll also include team resumes, although it’s important to note what you see on paper doesn’t tell the whole story.
“Then-Ranked wins” are Top 25 wins at the time of the game. “Now-Ranked wins” are victories against opponents in the most previous Stats Perform Top 25.
Top 25 Ballot
Notes:
Weber State won, but I’m no longer convinced the Wildcats would beat NDSU or SDSU, which is why they go to No. 3 despite finishing 5-0.
Frankly, no team really deserves to be No. 1 right now. But there’s also no team that has more ranked wins than the Bison, so that’s why they are now the top team on this week’s ballot. The Dakota Marker game will tell us a ton and may decide the No. 1 seed.
I was prepared to move JMU up a few spots if it had a second-straight strong performance after the March 27 W&M win to prove it’s over its early-season struggles. But then their next two games got called off, so I haven’t really had a reason to move the Dukes past the teams ahead of them. The reality is we have no idea how good or mediocre the Dukes are. They could be the best team in the FCS. They could also lose to Richmond and bow out of the playoffs early. A solid showing/win over ranked Richmond on April 3 would’ve slid them into the Top 5. But that game has been pushed back to this Saturday now. This is a prove-it game for JMU.
It’s a good thing we have a 16-team bracket to figure out who the best team is.
1. North Dakota State
Record: 6-1
FCS Record: 6-1
D1 Wins: 6 (UCA, YSU, Mo State, ISUr, UND, UNI)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 16 SIU)
Then-Ranked wins: 4 (No. 11 fall UCA, No. 22 ISUr, No. 2 UND, No. 24 UNI)
Now-Ranked wins: 4 (No. 11 fall UCA, No. 15 Mo State, No. 6 UND, No. 24 UNI)
Massey SOS: 17th
2. South Dakota State
Record: 4-1
FCS Record: 4-1
D1 Wins: 4 (UNI, WIU, YSU, SIU)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 6 UND)
Then-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 3 UNI, No. 5 SIU)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 24 UNI, No. 16 SIU)
Massey SOS: 16th
3. Weber State
Record: 5-0
FCS Record: 5-0
D1 Wins: 5 (Idaho St, UC Davis, NAU, SUU, Idaho St)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 23 UC Davis)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 13 UC Davis)
Massey SOS: 28th
4. Sam Houston
Record: 5-0
FCS Record: 5-0
D1 Wins: 5 (SLU, Nicholls, Lamar, NW State, McNeese)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 18 SLU, No. 7 Nicholls)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 23 SLU, No. 18 Nicholls)
Massey SOS: 52nd
5. Delaware
Record: 4-0
FCS Record: 4-0
D1 Wins: 4 (Maine, SBU, URI, DSU)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 18 URI)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 22 URI)
Massey SOS: 60th
6. North Dakota
Record: 4-1
FCS Record: 4-1
D1 Wins: 4 (SIU, SDSU, USD, WIU)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 2 NDSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 3 (No. 24 SIU, No. 3 SDSU, No. 20 USD)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 16 SIU, No. 4 SDSU)
Massey SOS: 12th
7. James Madison
Record: 4-0
FCS Record: 4-0
D1 Wins: 4 (Morehead St, RMU, Elon, W&M)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 0
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 74th
8. Eastern Washington
Record: 5-1
FCS Record: 5-1
D1 Wins: 5 (NAU, Idaho St, CP, UCD, Idaho)
FCS Losses: 1 (Idaho)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 11 UCD)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 13 UCD)
Massey SOS: 26th
9. Jacksonville State
Record: 9-2
FCS Record: 8-1
D1 Wins: 9 (FIU, Mercer, UNA, TN Tech, TN State, UTM, SEMO, EIU, Murray)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 25 APSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 23 T-Tech, No. 17 Murray)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 17 Murray)
FBS Wins: 1 (FIU)
FBS Losses: 1
Massey SOS: 45th
10. Richmond
Record: 3-0
FCS Record: 3-0
D1 Wins: 3 (W&M, Elon, Elon)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 0
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 54th
11. Monmouth
Record: 3-0
FCS Record: 3-0
D1 Wins: 3 (CSU, G-W, KSU)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 7 KSU)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 7 KSU)
Massey SOS: 65th
12. Villanova
Record: 2-1
FCS Record: 2-1
D1 Wins: 2 (SBU, Maine)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 22 URI)
Then-Ranked wins: 0
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 34th
13. Missouri State
Record: 5-4
FCS Record: 5-3
D1 Wins: 5 (WIU, USD, UNI, SIU, YSU)
FCS Losses: 3 (No. 11 UCA, No. 11 UCA, No. 2 NDSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 3 (No. 21 USD, No. 10 UNI, No. 10 SIU)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 24 UNI, No. 16 SIU)
FBS Losses: 1
Massey SOS: 4th
14. VMI
Record: 5-1
FCS Record: 5-1
D1 Wins: 5 (Furman, WCU, Mercer, Samford, Wofford)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 21 ETSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 10 Furman)
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 56th
15. Mercer
Record: 5-5
FCS Record: 5-4
D1 Wins: 5 (El Cid, WCU, UTC, Furman, ETSU)
FCS Losses: 4 (No. 10 JSU, ACU, Wofford, No. 14 VMI)
Then-Ranked wins: 3 (No. 9 UTC, No. 17 Furman, No. 21 ETSU)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 21 ETSU)
FBS Losses: 1
Massey SOS: 44th
16. ETSU
Record: 4-2
FCS Record: 4-2
D1 Wins: 4 (Samford, The Citadel, WCU, VMI)
FCS Losses: 2 (Furman, Mercer)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 10 VMI)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 14 VMI)
Massey SOS: 57th
17. Rhode Island
Record: 2-1
FCS Record: 2-1
D1 Wins: 2 (Nova, Albany)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 8 Delaware)
Then-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 6 Nova, No. 18 Albany)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 11 Nova)
Massey SOS: 21st
18. UC Davis
Record: 3-2
FCS Record: 3-2
D1 Wins: 3 (Idaho, CP, Idaho St)
FCS Losses: 2 (No. 3 Weber, No. 9 EWU)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 19 Idaho)
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 19th
19. Austin Peay
Record: 4-5
FCS Record: 4-3
D1 Wins: 4 (TN State, SEMO, JSU, Murray)
FCS Losses: 3 (No. 11 UCA, TN Tech, UTM)
Then-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 7 JSU, No. 14 Murray)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 10 JSU, No. 17 Murray)
FBS Losses: 2
Massey SOS: 22nd
20. Southern Illinois
Record: 4-3
FCS Record: 4-3
D1 Wins: 4 (SEMO, NDSU, YSU, UNI)
FCS Losses: 3 (No. 6 UND, No. 4 SDSU, No. 15 Mo St.)
Then-Ranked wins: 3 (No. 25 SEMO, No. 1 NDSU, No. 4 UNI)
Now-Ranked wins: 2 (No. 2 NDSU, No. 24 UNI)
Massey SOS: 8th
21. Southeastern Louisiana
Record: 4-2
FCS Record: 4-2
D1 Wins: 4 (McNeese, NW St, Lamar, Nicholls)
FCS Losses: 2 (No. 5 SHSU, No. 19 UIW)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 18 Nicholls)
Now-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 18 Nicholls)
Massey SOS: 43rd
22. Kennesaw State
Record: 4-1
FCS Record: 3-1
D1 Wins: 3 (CSU, Dixie, RMU)
FCS Losses: 1 (No. 20 Monmouth)
Then-Ranked wins: 0
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 79th
23. Murray State
Record: 5-2
FCS Record: 5-2
D1 Wins: 5 (UT Martin, SEMO, Ttech, TN St, EIU)
FCS Losses: 2 (No. 25 APSU, No. 10 JSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 16 SEMO)
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 58th
24. Northern Iowa
Record: 3-4
FCS Record: 3-4
D1 Wins: 3 (YSU, ISUr, WIU)
FCS Losses: 4 (No. 4 SDSU, No. 16 SIU, No. 15 Mo State, No. 2 NDSU)
Then-Ranked wins: 1 (No. 15 ISUr)
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 15th
25. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Record: 3-0
FCS Record: 3-0
D1 Wins: 3 (Southern, Grambling, MVSU)
FCS Losses: 0
Then-Ranked wins: 0
Now-Ranked wins: 0
Massey SOS: 85th
