Fear The FCS 2025 Week 6 Media Ballot

For the first time, I was invited to vote in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 for the 2025 season. I was beyond thrilled to accept the invitation, and like many others, I take the opportunity seriously. As part of the weekly process, I will provide some thoughts and reasoning for my top 25. Below is the Stats Perform Top 25 poll submitted after the week 6 games. The week 5 submission can be found here.

General Thoughts

The top five teams all faced challenges to varying degrees in Week 6. Some teams got going late in the first half, others needed until the third quarter, and one needed the entire game. The positioning in the top six remained unchanged, but losses in the middle of the poll created a shakeup.

Week 6 Top 25

1. North Dakota State (5-0) – NDSU had quite the challenge from Illinois State for three quarters. The Bison lead 18-16 going into the fourth quarter, but it was a classic NDSU performance in the final frame to put the game away. NDSU had two long drives that resulted in touchdowns, suffocating Illinois State in the fourth quarter, and ended up winning 33-16. It was a huge road win and keeps NDSU atop the rankings. The Bison have another massive game next week against Southern Illinois (4-1), but this one will be in Fargo.

2. South Dakota State (5-0) – Like their archrival NDSU, the Jackrabbits had a tough road test this week. SDSU trailed 17-7 at halftime against Youngstown State, but some big pass plays set up four second half rushing touchdowns. SDSU won 35-30, but the Penguins did not make it easy. SDSU remains in the second spot and will take on Northern Iowa (2-3) at home next week.

3. Tarleton State (6-0) – For the first time against the FCS this season, Tarleton State struggled defensively against Southern Utah. Offensively, the Texans didn’t miss a beat, even without Victor Gabalis. Daniel Greek threw for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 of 21 passing. The run game saw Tre Page and Caleb Lewis score two TDs apiece. Defensively, Tarleton couldn’t stop the running game, allowing many long runs, and gave up over 8 yards per carry. That’s a big concern, one that is likely to be attacked as the season progresses. Next week, the Texans will go on the road to face Utah Tech (1-5).

4. Montana State (4-2) – The Bobcats needed a bit to get going against a potential stumbling block in Northern Arizona. NAU took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter, but Taco Dowler’s 90-yard punt return for a TD sparked MSU. The Bobcats outscored the Lumbersjacks 20-0 in the second frame and won 34-10. It was a good performance on the road and keeps MSU in the fourth spot. Next up is a home game against Idaho State (2-4).

5. Montana (5-0) – The Grizzlies needed almost the entire game to claw back from multiple double-digit second half deficits against Idaho State. The two teams went back-and-forth for much of the first half, with Idaho State holding a 24-18 edge at the break. Idaho State led 31-18 early in the second half, and then held a 38-28 lead at the end of the third quarter. Montana’s offense scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter while the defense made just enough plays for the 42-38 win. It was reminiscent of the North Dakota game, where Montana was outplayed for large parts of the game, but still came away with the win due to timely plays. The Grizzlies remain at fifth this week and will take on Cal Poly (3-3) at home next week.

6. Tennessee Tech (5-0) – It was back to the blowouts for Tennessee Tech this week, following the 66-20 win over Western Illinois. It was the third time TTU dropped 60+ points, but this was the first against FCS competition. Yes, the Golden Eagles haven’t faced the toughest teams, but there hasn’t been any cause for concern to reconsider a high placement. Next week will be a road game at Charleston Southern (1-5).

7. North Dakota (3-2) – North Dakota had a solid performance on the road in its 35-7 win over Northern Iowa. UND didn’t allow UNI to get inside the red zone until the final minute of the game, when the Fighting Hawks were already up 35-0. Jerry Kaminski was quite efficient, going 20 of 23 for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns. North Dakota is up one spot with Rhode Island tumbling and will take on Youngstown State (3-2) at home next week.

8. Southern Illinois (4-1) – The Salukis were too much for Indiana State in the 55-27 victory. DJ Williams had two passing and two rushing touchdowns before the break, as SIU held a 38-14 lead at halftime. One building concern is that SIU has given up a lot of yards for the second game in a row. These may be blowouts, but depth becomes an important factor as the season wears on. Nick Osho had 202 rushing yards in his first four games combined before the SIU game. Against SIU, he ran for 211 yards. I bring this up because next week is the biggest test of the season: at top-ranked, undefeated North Dakota State (5-0) in Fargo.

9. Lehigh (6-0) – It was a return to form for Lehigh this week, as the defense came alive against Yale. The Mountain Hawks held Yale to 2.9 yards per carry, but also forced three turnovers. The offense cashed two of those turnovers in for touchdowns. The Mountain Hawks are up one spot this week. Lehigh will face a third straight Ivy League opponent next week when it travels to face Columbia (1-2).

10. UC Davis (4-1) – The Aggies had their hands full with a pesky Cal Poly team, but they came away with a 34-27 road victory. All five scoring drives were 65 yards or longer for UC Davis and Caden Pinnick was excellent, throwing for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 of 26 passing. One issue from the game against Cal Poly was that the Aggies committed 10 penalties for 100 yards, which was the most in a game this season. Several of those penalties extended Cal Poly drives that resulted in points. Next week is a home game against Northern Arizona (4-2) in a chance to bolster the résumé.

11. Harvard (3-0) – Harvard makes the biggest leap this week, moving up 10 spots. The Crimson dusted Holy Cross 59-24, but two of the Holy Cross touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after Harvard called off the dogs offensively. Harvard is impressive on the field, but its biggest gain this week happened when Brown defeated Rhode Island 28-21 on Friday night. Harvard crushed Brown 41-7 in week five, giving them an even more impressive win. The Crimson is like Tennessee Tech in a lot of ways, with the schedule, impressive performances, and a very good team. Harvard is one of a dozen that could have been placed here. I have fewer questions about what I’ve seen from Harvard than I do about the teams behind them, but there’s a long way to go in the season. The Crimson will welcome Cornell (0-3) on Friday night next week.

12. Idaho (2-3) – Idaho had a bye week in week 6, but moved up one spot due to Rhode Island’s free fall. The Vandals will face Northern Colorado (2-3) at home next week in a possible defensive battle.

13. Jackson State (4-1) – There was no slow start for JSU this week as they throttled Alabama A&M 57-24. The offense put up 704 yards, led by the rushing attack. Four different players had 70+ rushing yards, including 120 yards and a TD from JaCobian Morgan. Morgan also threw for 314 yards and 4 TDs. Defensively, the Tigers shut down the AAMU run game (59 yards on 26 carries), but gave up 341 yards passing to the Bulldogs. JSU moves up four spots and has a SWAC showdown next week at home against Alabama State (4-1).

14. Illinois State (3-2) – Illinois State lost 33-16 against #1 North Dakota State, but they were tough for three quarters. Unfortunately for ISU, they couldn’t survive the two long fourth quarter drives from NDSU to make the score look worse than it actually was. There’s no shame in losing to the top team and they fall only two spots this week. Illinois State will face Murray State (0-5) on the road next week.

15. Monmouth (4-1) – Another week, another Monmouth shootout. The Hawks defeated Delaware State 49-38, with Derek Robertson throwing for 351 yards and 4 TDs. Robertson has had at least 340 yards and 4 TDs in each game this season. The concern continues to be Monmouth’s defense, which was always expected. The defense did allow “only” 393 total yards, the lowest amount of the season. Monmouth will play at Towson (3-3) next week.

16. Abilene Christian (3-3) – ACU bounced back from its 38-7 loss against UIW to defeat North Alabama 52-23. The Wildcats had no trouble whatsoever against UNA, although it’s worth noting that ACU is 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. I’m not losing sleep over UIW exclusion in the top 25, especially after a 31-17 loss to Stephen F. Austin, a team ACU defeated 28-20. ACU is up three spots this week. Next week puts the away versus home trend to the test as ACU will be at West Georgia (5-1).

17. Austin Peay (4-2) – The Governors defeated previously unbeaten West Georgia 44-30 at home this week. UWG led 30-23 midway through the third quarter, but Austin Peay came alive to shut the Wolves out for the last 22 minutes, while adding a pick-six. The offense did struggle in the fourth quarter after going up 37-30, putting up 8 yards on its final two drives. However, ASPU’s offense got the one first down it needed to put the game away. The Governors are up three spots and are currently tied to Abilene Christian due to the H2H loss, but that could change soon. Austin Peay faces Eastern Kentucky (2-3) on the road next week.

18. Villanova (3-2) – Villanova looked more like the defense it was expected to be this week. In the battle of the Wildcats, Villanova held New Hampshire to 207 yards of total offense in the 37-7 win. The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter, but Villanova held UNH to 112 yards of offense for the last three quarters. I don’t have a good handle on the CAA’s pecking order yet, but I kept Villanova at 18th and ranked them above URI this week. Villanova will battle Elon (4-2) in a big CAA matchup.

19. West Georgia (5-1) – West Georgia finally lost its first game. UWG couldn’t find its offense late against Austin Peay in the 44-30 loss, but the defense is obviously a growing concern. Against ETSU and SUU, they found a way to win. Against APSU, the luck ran out when Will Middleton returned the interception for a touchdown and the offense was stymied on the final two drives. The Wolves drop five spots this week, but the road doesn’t get easier. They’ve already faced Southern Utah and Austin Peay, but Abilene Christian (3-3) is up next at home, followed by Tarleton State on the road.

20. Rhode Island (4-2) – No team had a worse week than Rhode Island, as the Rams lost 28-21 at home against Brown. The offense had four turnovers for the second straight week, and despite outgaining Brown 452-341, those were too much to overcome. I described URI as a tenuous 7th in last week’s ballot, and this performance is why. Had they come back and won, they’d probably have fallen to 11th. Instead, the loss drops them 13 spots because their margin for error has been small this year. Rhody is still positioned well for the CAA title and a possible at-large if they don’t get the AQ. Next week is a matchup at home against New Hampshire (3-3).

21. Northern Arizona (4-2) – NAU had a strong opening quarter and a half against Montana State. Unfortunately, the Bobcats put up 20 points in the second quarter and the NAU offense struggled to get much going in the second half. I called NAU an “interesting team” in last week’s ballot because they didn’t strike me as a top team. NAU falls six spots after the loss. This week’s game didn’t allay those concerns, but next week is a chance for redemption: Northern Arizona will travel to face UC Davis (4-1).

22. Lamar (4-1) – Lamar’s game against Nicholls started with some offense. The two teams battled in the first half to a 17-14 Lamar lead at halftime, but the second half saw the defenses shut the game down. Only one drive totaled more than 30 yards in the second half, and that was Nicholls’ second drive of the half, which resulted in a field goal. The game was decided by special teams when Kyndon Fuselier returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown to give Lamar a 24-17 lead it would not relinquish. Lamar feels a lot like Rhode Island: lots of close wins, but the margin for error seems small. Nevertheless, Lamar moves up a spot and will play at East Texas A&M (1-4) next week.

23. Presbyterian (5-0) – The Blue Hose had a bye this week and moved up one spot. Presbyterian will have a tough road test next week at Butler (4-2).

24. Gardner-Webb (3-2) – GWU needed a field goal as time expired to defeat Charleston Southern 30-27. The game didn’t really get going until the 4th quarter, as GWU led 10-7 after three quarters. The Bulldogs built up a 10-point lead at the start and in the middle of the quarter, but CSU kept battling. I don’t have any doubts about Gardner-Webb’s offense, but the defense has surrendered 400+ yards in four of its five games (two against FBS teams and two against FCS opponents). The only time it didn’t was against The Citadel, which isn’t exactly known for its high-powered offense. GWU falls two spots this week, but stays in the top 25. They’ll face Eastern Illinois (3-2) next week on the road in an OVC-Big South battle.

25. Mercer (4-1) – Mercer reappears in the top 25 after posting four straight wins. The latest was a 45-21 win over Samford, which isn’t that impressive considering the Bulldogs are 0-6. Mercer gets the 25th spot here because they’ve improved since the Presbyterian loss. Braden Atkinson has cured the offensive woes that plagued Mercer to start the season. We’ll see if it continues next week on the road against Princeton (2-1).

Teams That Dropped Out and Other Notables

One team dropped out of the top 25: #25 Youngstown State. The Penguins did receive consideration to remain in the poll because of their very good performance against South Dakota State. I opted to put in Mercer, but YSU is in the group just behind them, which also includes Alabama State, Brown, Elon, and Stephen F. Austin. The bubble behind #25 is always changing. Last week, it was Dartmouth, Mercer, Richmond, and Yale, but only Mercer posted a victory this week. Some weeks sort themselves out easily, but other weeks aren’t so straightforward.

Photo Credit to Harvard University Athletics