There hasn’t been a whole lot to be shocked by in the first games of 2024. The lone FCS over FBS win (Montana State over New Mexico) wasn’t really a surprise, and the rest of those games went about as expected.
The top FCS-vs-FCS matchups went about as expected too, and of course, some FCS teams opted to play a lower-division program.
My ballot vote with this week’s poll is broken up into three segments – the Top 8 (which would be playoff seeds/first-round bye teams), The Next 8 (seeds that host in the first round), and the rest of the top 25. But all-in-all, this is how I voted this week.
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THE PRESTIGIOUS TOP 8
NOTE: These are the schools that would receive a first-round playoff bye and host a second-round game.
NO. 1 – MONTANA STATE
LAST WEEK AT NO. 1: South Dakota State
WHY?: So why the leapfrog from No. 3 to No. 1 this week for Montana State? It’s simple: The FBS win in Week 0 is one key point, while another is a solid non-conference win over Utah Tech. What blows me away about the Bobcats so far is how well this program is running the ball. Not only can QB Tommy Mellott scoot, which we’ve all known for years now, but he has two youngsters who can pound it too – and we knew this was one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the FCS nation. I wrestled with the top four in the preseason poll, but I like MSU at No. 1 for now, and 7 other voters nationally agreed with me this week that the ‘Cats deserve top billing this week.
NO. 2 – NORTH DAKOTA STATE
LAST WEEK AT NO. 2: Montana
WHY?: Loss to Deion or not, I thought the Bison looked good against Colorado last Thursday. It was an entertaining matchup, we saw two unbelievable players for the Buffaloes in Shedeur and Hunter, and the contrast was? NDSU dominated the line of scrimmage. The Bison set the tone. Even though they lost, I thought they looked pretty good.
NO. 3 – SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
LAST WEEK AT NO. 3: Montana State
WHY?: Normally? I don’t drop a team that loses to a P5 or a P4 or a P-whatever. Since that’s the way the playoff committee looks at things, I roll with that. But the top four this year are an exception. SDSU is going to be a power again, we all know that, but the question is – who will nab those top seeds in the end? There are so many variables when this quartet is this good at the top. These spots will likely be down to splitting hairs in November.
NO. 4 – MONTANA
LAST WEEK AT NO. 4: North Dakota State
WHY?: Again, Montana didn’t really do anything wrong, though maybe a better showing against Missouri State would have helped here. The thing is, the top two just looked like better teams in their early-season games.
NO. 5 – SOUTH DAKOTA
LAST WEEK AT NO. 5: South Dakota
WHY?: We don’t know a whole lot about South Dakota just yet, thanks to a game against a lower-division opponent. Held them steady this week at No. 5.
NO. 6 – IDAHO
LAST WEEK AT NO. 6: Idaho
WHY?: With this situation, I’m sticking with my guns on not moving a team with a loss to a P4. Hey, with less than six minutes remaining at Oregon, the Vandals were within three points. That’s a sign of what is to come this fall, and nearly led me to bump them above South Dakota. Will be watching the No. 5 and No. 6 spots very carefully in the next few weeks.
NO. 7 – VILLANOVA
LAST WEEK AT NO. 7: Villanova
WHY?: Villanova’s win over Youngstown State was the best FCS-vs-FCS non-conference game of Week 1. The Wildcats had control the entire game and were up 24-3 with just two minutes left in the third quarter, but Youngstown State made it interesting late. This will be one of those key games we look at in November when we debate playoff seeds, etc.
NO. 8 – UC DAVIS
LAST WEEK AT NO. 8: UC Davis
WHY?: UC Davis’ game with nearby academic rival California was one of those typical FCS/FBS games where the FCS team does great for nearly three quarters but depth takes over late. The Aggies were within a point with eight minutes remaining in the third, and the Bears pulled away. Again, not a game that’s going to change a team’s ranking in my opinion.
FROM NO. 9 TO NO. 16
NOTE: This is the tier that would be seeded (if they participate in the playoffs), but would still have to play in the first round.
- Central Arkansas
- Sacramento State
- Southern Illinois
- Richmond
- Illinois State
- William & Mary
- UAlbany
- Weber State
WHY?: I didn’t move a whole lot of stuff here, with the exception of UAlbany and Central Arkansas. While the Great Danes got a win, I felt like its 6-point win over the NEC’s Long Island University warranted a drop down in this tier. UAlbany found itself down in the third quarter in a game it really should have run away with. But hey, it survived, so it’s still in the poll – but I moved it from No. 10 to No. 15 as one of those early-season ballot adjustments to reflect teams’ strengths. Also, I was really impressed with Central Arkansas having FBS Arkansas State on the ropes until falling by 3 points with three seconds left. Another early-season voting adjustment, moving the Bears up to No. 9 from No. 16. The rest stayed about in the same spots, no surprises.
FROM NO. 17 TO NO. 25
NOTE: This is the tier that would not be seeded, but would be battling for a spot in the playoffs (if they aren’t conference champions)
- Western Carolina
- Lafayette
- Elon
- Eastern Illinois
- Youngstown State
- Chattanooga
- Nicholls
- UIW
- Abilene Christian
WHY?: There wasn’t a ton of movement here either, really. Western Carolina bumped up one spot with its tough showing against N.C. State, while I did move Youngstown State down a few spots from No. 14 (at least for now). Also, Abilene Christian took Texas Tech and for the first time as a voter, I wanted them in my poll ballot.
