I am grateful to have a vote in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll for the 2024 season. I’ll publish my ballot every week and provide some reasoning for my order.
Notes at the bottom.
Delaware and Missouri State, FCS-to-FBS transitioning teams, are not eligible to be voted on in the poll.
FCS Top 25
1. South Dakota State
2. Montana State
3. North Dakota State
4. South Dakota
5. Central Arkansas
6. UC Davis
7. Idaho
8. North Dakota
9. Mercer
10. Villanova
11. Montana
12. SEMO
13. William & Mary
14. ETSU
15. UIW
16. Abilene Christian
17. Northern Arizona
18. Southern Illinois
19. Sacramento State
20. Tarleton State
21. Illinois State
22. McNeese
23. Wofford
24. Lamar
25. Chattanooga
Leaving: Rhode Island, Western Carolina
Entering: Northern Arizona, McNeese
UC Davis gets the biggest win of the weekend, knocking off media poll No. 4 Idaho 28-26, who received five first-place votes last week, including from me.
The Aggies moved from No. 14 on my ballot last week to No. 6, sliding ahead of Idaho due to their head-to-head win and 4-0 record vs. the FCS (4-1 overall). Talent hasn’t been an issue for UC Davis in recent years, just week-to-week consistency as it has been left on the playoff bubble in 2022 and 2023. I went on a UC Davis podcast last week and said this program has everything it needs to be an FCS power when it comes to off-the-field factors. It just hasn’t reached its full potential. Maybe the tide has turned after Saturday’s game.
When it comes to Idaho, I don’t think we need an overdramatic “Was Idaho overrated” conversation. The Vandals looked the part through four weeks and had the resume to back it up – Competitive Top 10 FBS loss, FBS win, and two ranked FCS wins with six dominant quarters. I’m not too worried about Saturday’s loss — UC Davis is a good team, the Aggies have had Idaho’s number, it was Idaho’s fourth road trip in five weeks, Idaho was down to its third-string quarterback in the second half and still had a chance to tie it at the end of the game, and the Vandals left a lot of points on the board. It was a popular upset pick for a reason. The concern moving forward is quarterback health. Idaho slid back to No. 7 on my ballot for now, and we’ll see where things go from here.
Another notable team — Mercer moved into my Top 10 at No. 9, up from No. 11 last week. The Bears are playing suffocating defense and hold a 5-0 record with two ranked wins over Chattanooga and Wofford.
Moving into my ballot are Northern Arizona and McNeese. That bumped Western Carolina and Rhode Island out, a combination of making room for NAU and McNeese while also reevaluating WCU’s and Rhody’s overall body of work. Some wins and losses look different as we get more data points about teams.
Northern Arizona got the biggest upset of the weekend, beating media poll No. 10 Sac State 34-16. NAU is now 3-2 overall and 2-1 vs. the FCS. Its FCS loss is to UIW, which strengthens UIW’s resume.
McNeese is enjoying a great turnaround. After not winning a game last fall besides a forfeit victory, the Cowboys are now 4-2 overall and 4-1 vs. the FCS, beating media poll No. 25 Weber State on Saturday. Its lone FCS loss is to Tarleton State.
Elsewhere, Montana State continues to pass the eye test. North Dakota State, South Dakota, and Central Arkansas had statement wins over ranked opponents. And let’s see how sharp South Dakota State looks coming off of its bye week after an up-and-down non-conference. As we piece together resumes (and as we’ve learned, things can get real nit-picky when it comes down to playoff seeds), SDSU’s 45-24 win over ranked UIW has aged well. UIW beat NAU 38-14, who just beat media poll No. 10 Sac State 34-16.
The Jackrabbits have the highest ceiling in the FCS. I said that even when I had Idaho ranked No. 1 (I rank based on performances through this point in the season and don’t project ahead). SDSU still has a great defense and no shortage of talent offensively. But the race for an FCS title sure looks to be tighter than the SDSU vs. the field 2023 season.
And finally, a gentle reminder that instead of being singularly focused on your favorite team’s week-to-week movement, keep in mind that what happens around them also impacts that movement.
