Fear The FCS 2025 Week 7 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 7 games. The week 6 submission can be found here.

General Thoughts

I was already pretty high on North Dakota State, having called them the most complete team in previous weeks, but this week only solidified that further. Two through five are the next tier, but the gap between them and spots six through ten is closing. The real chaos this week was in the last 15 spots, with some teams tumbling out of the poll, dropping close to the bottom, or making a move up.

Week 7 Top 25

1. North Dakota State (6-0) – The Bison had another matchup against a ranked opponent and used a strong second half to put the game out of reach. Southern Illinois led 10-7 early in the second quarter, and trailed 17-10 at the break, but NDSU was too much in the final 30 minutes. Right now, North Dakota State is easily the best team in the FCS. Next up is a game at Indiana State (2-4) before the Dakota Marker game on October 25.

2. South Dakota State (6-0) – The Jacks defeated Northern Iowa 31-3 at home this week, but it wasn’t the greatest performance. The offense was gifted five turnovers, but only managed to score 7 points off of them. The offense looked out of sync and the rushing attack was subpar (3.1 yards per carry). In addition, special teams went 1 for 3 on field goal attempts. Obviously, the defense was fantastic by forcing 5 turnovers, but they also held UNI to 221 total yards and 2 of 11 on third downs. SDSU has a chance to get the offense back on track with a road game at Murray State (0-6) next week.

3. Tarleton State (7-0) – The Texans were in a battle with Utah Tech for about three quarters before putting them away to win 41-23. It wasn’t as efficient on offense, with the passing attack having 173 yards, but James Paige led the running attack. Paige finished with 114 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus he threw for a TD as well. The one big concern for Tarleton State is the injury bug. Quarterback Victor Gabalis has been out for nearly a month, but the top two rushers, Tre Page and Caleb Lewis, didn’t play in against Utah Tech. The Texans have a home game against West Georgia (5-2) next week.

4. Montana State (5-2) – The Bobcats had some competition in the first half against Idaho State. The Bengals trailed 20-14 early in the second quarter, but the remainder of the half and game belonged to MSU. The rushing attack was excellent, racking up 384 yards on 53 carries (7.2 average), while Justin Lamson had an efficient outing (17 of 21 for 184 yards and 4 touchdowns). On defense, the Bobcats gave up 368 passing yards and allowed several long drives that didn’t result in points for ISU. Overall, this was another good performance for Montana State, which has a bye next week and a tricky road trip to Cal Poly on Saturday, October 25.

5. Montana (6-0) – The Grizzlies defeated Cal Poly 28-9, but there is one repeating pattern for them this season. Montana is becoming a second half team, as noted by first half struggles against Central Washington, North Dakota, Idaho State, and now Cal Poly. Even against Idaho, the offense didn’t really get going until the second half. They won against Cal Poly after trailing 9-7 entering the fourth quarter. Looking at the teams above Montana, they can’t afford to struggle for an entire half if they want to compete for the FCS title. Next week is a chance to fix the first half disappearances as Sacred Heart (5-2) comes to town.

6. Tennessee Tech (6-0) – For the first time this season, Tennessee Tech looked… average against Charleston Southern in the 27-13 win. Kekoa Visperas threw two interceptions in this game after throwing for a total of one in the first five games. Perhaps it was the rainy conditions, or the CSU defense, or a combination of the two. The rushing attack looked good (240 yards on 43 carries) and the defense was solid once again. TTU won a conference road game, but not far behind are three teams that could vault them. Tennessee Tech will have another conference road game against Lindenwood (3-3) next week.

7. North Dakota (4-2) – North Dakota scored on its opening four drives to build a 28-7 lead over Youngstown State and never looked back. Overall, it was a strong performance against YSU, which had just played South Dakota State tough last week (35-30 loss). UND is a good team and they could easily be 6-0 had they finished against Kansas State and Montana on the road. I bring up the road losses because next week is a trip to Southern Illinois (4-2) and a possible chance to close out a road victory.

8. Lehigh (7-0) – The Mountain Hawks’ defense is back once again following the 31-7 win against Columbia. Lehigh allowed only 39 rushing yards on 24 carries (1.6 average), while forcing two turnovers, and held the Lions to 2 of 14 on third down. The offense was methodical as usual, with contributions from the top playmakers in Hayden Johnson, Luke Yoder, and Geoffrey Jamiel. Lehigh has the right combination to be a real threat in the FCS playoffs, especially if the run defense continues to shut opponents down. Lehigh moves up a spot this week. Next week will be a bye, followed by a road game at Fordham on Saturday, October 25.

9. UC Davis (5-1) – UCD and Northern Arizona played a defensive first half with the Aggies holding a 10-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, it was all offense, particularly from UCD, which put up 35 points en route to a 45-24 victory. Caden Pinnick had his best game of the season, throwing for 348 yards and 5 TDs on 25 of 29 passing. The defense wasn’t overwhelming, but they showed up in the fourth quarter by forcing two fumbles and stopping NAU on a fourth down attempt. UC Davis moves up a spot and will be on a bye next week. They’ll play at Northern Colorado on Saturday, October 25.

10. Southern Illinois (4-2) – SIU had the unfortunate task of trying to stop North Dakota State in Fargo this week. It didn’t go well as NDSU won 45-17. The Salukis weren’t bad in the first half, but a fumble in the final two minutes in NDSU’s red zone led to a Bison TD and a 17-10 halftime deficit. After that, it was classic Bison ball and SIU didn’t help the cause with two additional turnovers that both turned into NDSU touchdowns. SIU goes as DJ Williams goes and NDSU showed the blueprint to stopping him. The Salukis are down two spots and have another big game next week at home against North Dakota (4-2).

11. Jackson State (5-1) – JSU needed a last-second stop against Alabama State to win 38-34 and take command of the SWAC East. The Tigers had strong success running the ball, tallying up 257 yards on the ground, but it was JaCobian Morgan’s 5 touchdown passes that capped the scoring drives. The defense was carved up by Andrew Body, but the goal line stop on the game’s final play was the difference between winning and losing. Jackson State moves up two spots following the win and will have a bye next week. The next game will be on Saturday, October 25, against Grambling in Las Vegas.

12. Abilene Christian (4-3) The Wildcats improved to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the UAC with an impressive 30-13 victory at West Georgia. I noted last week that ACU had won its three games at home and lost its three games on the road, but this ended the away loss trend. The Wildcats held UWG to just 53 yards rushing in the win and now own victories against Stephen F. Austin, Austin Peay, North Alabama, and West Georgia. ACU moves up three spots after the win and will face Southern Utah (1-5) on the road next week before a bye.

13. Harvard (4-0) – The Crimson continued their winning ways against Cornell, although it wasn’t overly impressive. Sure, the final score was 34-10, but two of those touchdowns were from the defense. The offense, which had looked really good in the opening three games, was not as sharp. Cornell surrendered 41 points against Colgate and Yale, with both teams scoring one defensive touchdown (each offense put up 34 points). Meanwhile, Harvard could only muster 20 points on offense. It was an underwhelming performance against a not-so-good Cornell team this year and the Crimson dropped two spots. Next week’s game is against Merrimack (3-4), which has given up more than 30 points only once this season.

14. Monmouth (5-1) – It was another typical Monmouth game with one caveat. The Hawks won a high-scoring affair 42-31 against Towson, but Derek Robertson didn’t have a monster game. Robertson didn’t have a bad game by any stretch of the imagination (26 of 31 for 244 yards, 2 TDs, and no INTs), but it was his “worst” passing performance. It didn’t matter as Rodney Nelson (152 yards and 1 TD) and Elijah Jennings (47 yards and 3 TDs) were running wild. As with every week when Monmouth is playing, the defense is a concern. For now, it doesn’t matter as the offense has put up at least 35 points in every game this season. As long as the defense makes a handful of plays each game, the offense can simply outscore anyone. Monmouth moves up one spot this week and next up is a home game against Stony Brook (3-3).

15. Villanova (4-2) – For the second time in three weeks, Ja’briel Mace helped the Wildcats to victory. Against William & Mary, he returned the opening kick of the second half for a score. Against Elon, he returned a fourth quarter kickoff for a touchdown. Villanova needed to come back from a 14-3 first half deficit as well against Elon. It was a good win against a team that had been tied atop the CAA standings and Villanova moves up three spots. Next week will be a different type of CAA matchup because the Wildcats will face a struggling Hampton (2-5) squad.

16. Illinois State (4-2) – Illinois State took care of business against Murray State in the 46-32 win, but the defense is a major concern. Tommy Rittenhouse had 338 yards and 4 touchdowns on 21 of 25 passing, while the rushing attack was good (182 yards on 38 carries). Defensively, the Redbirds allowed Murray State to put up season highs in points (32; previous best was 24), total offense (471 yards; previous best was 380), passing yards (301; previous best was 259), and rushing offense (170; previous best was 123). If not for the offense’s 19-play, 88-yard drive that took 10 minutes off the clock, Murray State probably would have had over 500 yards of offense in this game. This is a big wake-up call for Illinois State defensively and I drop them two spots this week. Next week will be a home game against Youngstown State (3-3).

17. Presbyterian (6-0) – The Blue Hose remain undefeated following a 31-25 road win against Butler. Presbyterian had a strong game on the ground (7.5 yards per carry), although the passing attack didn’t look as strong. Collin Hurst went 12 of 16 for 175 yards and 2 TDs, with the second one going for 75 yards and padding the stat line. Thanks to some chaos above them, the Blue Hose move from 23rd to 17th this week. Presbyterian will face Stetson (3-4) at home next week.

18. Mercer (5-1) – The Bears won their fifth game in a row with a 38-14 road victory against Princeton. The move to Braden Atkinson at quarterback continues to make the offense look different than it did versus Presbyterian. Princeton’s inability to hang on to the ball aided Mercer as well and ended promising drives early. Mercer will want to work on the penalties (7 for 65) and some uncharacteristic drops in the fourth quarter. The game may have been in hand, but in a close game in November or December, that’s the difference between staying in the playoffs or going home. As with Presbyterian, the Bears are beneficiaries of chaos this week as they move from 25th to 18th. Mercer will have a bye next week before taking on VMI at home on Saturday, October 25.

19. Lamar (5-1) – Lamar may have won 33-23 against East Texas A&M, but that final score is deceiving. The Cardinals needed a touchdown with 3 seconds left to complete the comeback, but they scored another TD on the ensuing kickoff when a lateral was picked up and returned for a touchdown. The Lamar ground game had an uncharacteristically terrible game with only 66 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.1 average). Against FCS competition, they hadn’t been held below 135 yards entering this game. My feelings about Lamar were strengthened this week: the margin for error is small. Lamar will take on UTRGV (5-1) next week at home.

20. Brown (3-1) – The Brown Bears vault into the poll this week to #20. Brown trailed 12-0 at halftime, but a second half surge saw them win 29-19 over Bryant. James Murphy had his best statistical game this year, throwing for 336 yards and a touchdown on 29 of 44 passing. He did have an interception as well, but Bryant couldn’t capitalize on it. The Bears make the jump into the poll this week, thanks to the team right behind them. Brown will return to Ivy League play next week with a home game versus Princeton (2-2).

21. Rhode Island (5-2) – URI overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat New Hampshire 38-28. A pair of touchdown runs turned a 27-17 deficit into a 31-27 lead, but that was topped by Rohan Davy’s 45-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Neither team had a great game passing, but Rhody’s rushing attack proved to be the difference. This was a much-needed win after back-to-back losses. While Rhode Island did win, I drop them one spot to make room for Brown, which owns the head-to-head win over the Rams. URI will face a reeling Albany (1-5) team on the road next week.

22. Gardner-Webb (4-2) – Gardner-Webb had a very workmanlike performance against Eastern Illinois. GWU got out to a 21 lead before halftime and then just kind of cruised home. They won 21-10, but the offense couldn’t get anything going in the second half. The defense had one of its better performances this year, which is a good thing considering the offense’s woes in the final 30 minutes. If the Bulldogs can continue to play well on defense and get consistent offensive firepower, then it could be a dangerous team. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that in an entire game from them this year. GWU moves up two spots this week and will welcome UT Martin (2-5) next week.

23. Austin Peay (4-3) – Austin Peay lost 34-20 against Eastern Kentucky this week, but it was a very winnable game. APSU outgained EKU 473 to 350, had more first downs, and converted far better on third down. Unfortunately, two plays were the difference: a kickoff return for a touchdown and a pick-six. Both of those happened in the first half as well, so there was time to overcome them, but the Governors were shut out in the second half. Austin Peay has two FCS losses this year and both came on the road against UAC opponents. Even worse, the Governors have become inconsistent on both sides of the ball and are now down six spots this week. Next week is a bye to regroup, followed by a home game against North Alabama.

24. West Georgia (5-2) – The Wolves are on a two-game slide and the offense struggled again this week. UWG started well against Abilene Christian with two drives going 75+ yards, but neither resulted in a touchdown. When the offense finally put together another long drive, it was already a 24-6 ACU lead. West Georgia ended up losing 30-13 and they’ll need to find answers in a hurry. As a result, UWG drops five spots to 24th this week and the road doesn’t get any easier. They’ll have to play at Tarleton State (7-0) next week.

25. Lafayette (5-2) – The Leopards had an offensive outburst against Bucknell in the 62-24 win. It ended up being a rather balanced attack with 322 yards passing (316 and 5 TDs from Dean DeNobile), while the ground game had 348 yards rushing and 4 TDs. Three different players had 90+ rushing yards. The Leopards sit at 5-2 overall, but have the meat of their schedule remaining. Next up is a game at Oregon State (0-7) on a late Saturday night.

Teams That Dropped Out and the Final Spot Thought Process

Idaho fell out of the poll this week. I had them at #12 last week, but the game against Northern Colorado was too awful to ignore. I’ve long been skeptical about Idaho’s defense (here, here, and here), describing it as Dr. Jekyll (the good) and Mr. Hyde (the bad). Well, it was nothing but Mr. Hyde this week. UNC put up 49 in the game and had 35 in the first half. Entering the game, UNC’s highest point total was 26 for an entire game. Idaho has lost three straight games and the defense has looked horrendous for 2.5 of those.

Northern Arizona also fell out of the poll after being ranked 21st last week. NAU has lost its last two games to Montana State and UC Davis, but that’s not the reason they’re out of the poll. It’s because the teams they defeated aren’t any better than the teams joining the poll. NAU has wins over Incarnate Word, Portland State, Southern Utah, and Utah Tech, who are combined 4-20 this year. Compare that to Brown, who is 3-1 overall with wins against Bryant (2-5), Georgetown (3-3), and Rhode Island (5-2), while the lone loss is to Harvard (4-0).

Stephen F. Austin was another team considered for the 25th spot, but their wins are against Cal Poly, Incarnate Word, McNeese, and Sul Ross State (D-II). Those four teams have a combined record of 6-18. When I repeated the process for each team on the consideration list, it became clear that none of them had a good win or even a pair of decent wins.

Alabama State is 4-2 and has wins over Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Miles (D-II), and Southern. Those four teams are a combined 5-19. ASU also played well in its two losses against UAB and Jackson State.

North Carolina Central is 5-2 and has wins over East Texas A&M, Fayetteville State (D-II), Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, and Southern. Those five teams are a combined 8-23. The team with the best record among NCCU’s wins is D-II Fayetteville State at 4-3.

Southeastern Louisiana is 4-2 overall and has wins over McNeese, Mississippi Valley State, Murray State, and UTRGV. Those four teams are a combined 6-22 and half those wins came from UTRGV’s non-FCS opponents.

Ultimately, I went with Lafayette for the 25th spot as noted above. The Leopards have five wins against Bucknell, Columbia, Fordham, Georgetown, and Stonehill, while the losses were to Bowling Green and Princeton. Those teams are a combined 12-20, which isn’t great, but it’s still better than the other teams listed above. Obviously, W-L records aren’t the only factor. Common opponents, head-to-head matchups, injuries, and how the team is playing also factor in. The last spot in the poll is always one of the toughest to pick because there are more than a dozen teams that have reasonable arguments to be made. I’m not going to worry too much about the 25th spot in the poll at the midway point of the season.

Photo Credit to Brown University Athletics