I am grateful to have a vote in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll for the 2025 season. I’ll publish my ballot every week and provide some reasoning for my order.
Notes at the bottom.
FCS Top 25
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. Montana State
4. Tarleton State
5. Montana
6. Southern Illinois
7. Rhode Island
8. North Dakota
9. Abilene Christian
10. Idaho
11. Illinois State
12. UC Davis
13. Tennessee Tech
14. Northern Arizona
15. Monmouth
16. Lehigh
17. Jackson State
18. West Georgia
19. Austin Peay
20. Lamar
21. South Dakota
22. ETSU
23. Sac State
24. SFA
25. Youngstown State
My Top 5 stays the same. But Tarleton State and Montana had very impressive performances this weekend (Tarleton State beat Chattanooga 52-24, Montana beat Indiana State 63-20), while South Dakota State and Montana State had ho-hum wins in their last games played (SDSU in Week 3 vs Drake, MSU on Saturday vs. Mercyhurst). Were those just sleepy performances where they could play a C-level game and still win by 16-17 points? Or a sign of some concerns to come? That’ll get sorted out as more ranked opponents are coming.
Montana gets a Top 10 Idaho team at home in Week 5, a chance to possibly rise in the rankings if SDSU and/or MSU don’t look as sharp again. It’s also a prime opportunity for the Vandals, who are 2-2 with two one-score losses to FBS opponents.
Tarleton State, meanwhile, is 5-0 with an FBS win over Army highlighting its resume otherwise filled with unranked FCS competition. The Texans have scored 50+ points in three straight games. A concern is QB Victor Gabalis leaving Saturday’s game with an injury and then having a boot on his foot. That could be a major loss if he’s out multiple games. However, senior Daniel Greek stepped up and showed off a good arm, going 11/18 for 214 yards and two touchdowns vs. Chattanooga.
Southern Illinois rises from No. 9 to No. 6 after beating SEMO 59-31, its second-straight dominant road win to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 vs. the FCS. DJ Williams has been awesome, throwing for 988 yards, nine TDs, and two interceptions along with a team-high 316 rushing yards and seven scores.
Abilene Christian goes from No. 11 to No. 9 after its 45-31 win over No. 18 Austin Peay. ACU led 31-3 in the third before Austin Peay made it a more respectable final score. The Wildcats are now 2-2 with two FBS losses and two ranked FCS wins (beat then-No. 25 SFA).
Illinois State dropped out of my Top 10. The Redbirds needed two overtimes to beat North Alabama 38-36. It was a funky game that had two weather delays and didn’t end until six hours after kickoff. ISU did lead 17-0 early. But this result, coupled with not putting Eastern Illinois away more decisively in a 42-30 win, drops the Redbirds back for now.
Monmouth, Sac State, and Youngstown State enter my ballot. Monmouth beat No. 11 Villanova 51-33, a game the Hawks led 31-7 at one point. They are now 3-1 overall and 3-0 vs. the FCS. Derek Robertson has already thrown for 1,662 yards and 18 TDs with five interceptions in four games. Monmouth briefly left my ballot after being preseason ranked, but it is now firmly in my Top 15. That offense is a problem. Speaking of offense, Sac State is starting to get rolling. After an 0-2 start, the Hornets have defeated Mercyhurst 49-28 and Central Arkansas 45-16. YSU enters my ballot after beating Towson 31-28 on the road, improving to 3-1 overall and 3-0 vs. the FCS.
To make room for those three, Villanova, Nicholls, and Gardner-Webb exit my ballot. Nova, who I had ranked No. 19 last week, lost big to Monmouth and is now 1-2 overall and 1-1 vs. the FCS. Nicholls dropped to 1-3 overall after losing to FBS Texas State. Its lone win over then-ranked UIW got Nicholls onto my ballot, but UIW is now 1-3. I had Nicholls at No. 22 last week. Gardner-Webb goes from No. 25 to off my ballot. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are 2-2 overall and 2-0 vs. the FCS. However, their win over ranked Western Carolina that got them onto my ballot hasn’t aged as well, with WCU now sitting at 1-3. YSU has a stronger argument for the No. 25 spot at 3-0 vs. the FCS and a solid performance in a 41-24 loss at Michigan State.
