Year after year, the FCS is always a beautiful, unexpected mess. While the top of the subdivision has been predictable for quite some time now, there are always surprises and disappointments all across the country.
The preseason polls rarely get it right. And really, that's the case with most preseason polls for any sport.
Sixteen teams remain in the hunt for the FCS national title. Some of these squads are right where we expected them to be. Others? Not so much.
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Here are the preseason rankings for the 16 playoff teams from the STATS Top 25 poll:
| Team | Preseason Rk. |
|---|---|
| 1 seed NDSU | 1 |
| 2 seed JMU | 2 |
| 3 seed Weber | 8 |
| 4 seed Sac St | Unranked |
| 5 seed Mont St | 14 |
| 6 seed Montana | 25 |
| 7 seed SDSU | 3 |
| 8 seed UCA | Unranked |
| Nicholls | 12 |
| Monmouth | Unranked |
| Kennesaw | 10 |
| Austin Peay | Unranked |
| Albany | Unranked |
| SE Louisiana | Unranked |
| UNI | 18 |
| Illinois St | 15 |
Of the preseason unranked teams that are in the playoffs, Sacramento State, Austin Peay and Albany did not receive one vote in the poll.
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NEXT: FCS National Title Favorites
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