Entering the month of October, there appeared to be a clear pecking order in FCS Football. North Dakota State was No. 1; James Madison was No. 2; Eastern Washington and South Dakota State rounded out the top four in one way or another. Everyone else followed.
These days, the correct ordering of these teams isn't quite so clear. JMU got pushed around at home by Elon, snapping the Dukes' consecutive CAA wins record. Eastern Washington's offense was humbled by Weber State's defense. South Dakota State just scored nine points in a loss at Northern Iowa — its second loss to an FCS team in four weeks.
All the while, teams like UC Davis (6-1) and Kennesaw State (6-1) have crept into the conversation by continuing to chur out big wins.
We need your help. Of these six candidates, who deserves to be the chief challenger to North Dakota State's throne?
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Eastern Washington (5-2)
Pros: Dynamic Offense Ranks Top-10 in Both Scoring Offense (39.7 ppg) and Total Offense (524ypg); Loss to Weber partially excused by injury to QB Gage Gubrud
Key Win: @Montana State, 34-17 (BennettRank: 29)
Cons: Health of Gubrud; Eagles Rank Outside the Top 50 in Most Defensive Categories, T-90 in TO Margin (-4)
Losses: Washington State, 59-24 (FBS), @Weber State 14-6 (BennettRank: 22)
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James Madison (5-2)
Pros: Ranks Top-5 in both Scoring Defense (9.7 ppg) and Total Defense (252.6 ypg); Outstanding Special Teams; 32-2 Record against FCS Competition under Mike Houston
Key Win: @Villanova, 37-0 (BennettRank: 49)
Cons: Inconsistent Red Zone Offense (Ranks Outside Top 40)
Losses: NC State, 24-13 (FBS), Elon 27-24 (BennettRank: 18)
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Kennesaw State (6-1)
Pros: Lethal Option Attack Leads FCS Football with 377.0 RYPG; No FCS Losses; Outplayed FBS Georgia State in only Loss
Key Win: Samford, 24-10 (BennettRank: 44)
Cons: Weak Strength of Schedule Leaves Owls Unproven with Thin Resume
Loss: Georgia State, 24-20 (FBS)
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South Dakota State (5-2)
Pros: Great Team Balance — Ranks 2nd in Scoring Offense (48.4 ppg) and 20th in Scoring Defense (20.5 ppg); Played No. 1 North Dakota State to near-win in Fargo
Key Win: Montana State, 45-14 (BennettRank: 29)
Cons: Inconsistent — Scored 90 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 9 vs. Northern Iowa // Allowed 17 points to NDSU and 51 to Indiana State; Only Team on List to have Lost Two FCS Games So Far This Season
Losses: @North Dakota State, 21-17 (BennettRank: 1) and @Northern Iowa, 24-9 (BennettRank: 15)
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UC Davis (6-1)
Pros: Maier-to-Doss Connection Powers No. 2 Passing Offense in FCS (354.3 PYPG); No FCS Losses
Key Wins: @San Jose State 44-38 (FBS), Idaho State 44-37 (BennettRank: 4)
Cons: Ranks among Bottom 40 Teams in Total Defense, Passing Defense; Easy Schedule (including winless SJST) Leaves Room forTop-5 Doubt
Losses: @Stanford 30-10 (FBS)
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Weber State (5-2)
Pros: Ranks among Top 25 Scoring Defenses (24.0 ppg) in Conference Known for its Great Offenses; Outstanding Special Teams
Key Wins: Eastern Washington 14-6 (BennettRank: 9), Montana State 34-24 (BennettRank: 29)
Cons: Ranks in Bottom 10 Total Offense (266.3 ypg)
Losses: @Utah 41-10 (FBS), @Northern Arizona 28-24 (BennettRank: 60)
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Who Should Be the No. 2 Team in FCS Football?
