Fear The FCS 2025 Week 13 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 13 games. The week 12 submission can be found here.

General Thoughts

The final week of the regular season gave us plenty of incredible games and scoreboard watching. There were losses and upsets all over the top 25. Now that the FCS Playoff bracket has been revealed, this allows some changes in the top 25 with another crucial data point to consider. One final note about the poll: just because a team is in the FCS playoffs, it doesn’t mean it’s automatically considered a “top 25” team. That may be common sense to most, but it needs to be reiterated.

Week 13 Top 25

1. North Dakota State (12-0) – NDSU took care of St. Thomas to end the season in a 62-7 win, but there are some concerns about Cole Payton’s knee after he left the game with an injury. Even without Payton, the Bison wound up with 665 yards of total offense. NDSU is the clear favorite to win the FCS title, although that depends on the health of Payton’s knee. The Bison were the top seed and #1 in my final regular season ballot.

2. Montana State (10-2) – The Brawl of the Wild went to Montana State, which won 31-28 on the road against Montana. The Bobcats led by 10 points on two separate occasions at 17-7 and 31-21, but the Grizzlies were never going away easily. The offense looked good and the final drive was masterful, taking the remaining 6:53 off the clock to seal the win. The Bobcats remain second on my ballot, are the second overall seed, and will have home-field advantage through the semifinals.

3. Lehigh (12-0) – It was not easy, but Lehigh completed the undefeated regular season by winning 42-32 on the road against Lafayette in The Rivalry. Luke Yoder had himself a day, rushing for 234 yards and 4 TDs on 19 carries (12.3 average). The defense had its issues, particularly stopping the pass. The rushing defense gave up 149 yards and 4 TDs to Lafayette, but the average yards per carry was 3.2. They definitely made the Leopards work for every yard. I bump Lehigh up one spot to fourth, while the Committee has them as the fifth seed.

4. Montana (11-1) – I’ve made frequent mentions of Montana’s offense not scoring for long stretches of games this year, but against Montana State, they played solidly. The two key drives were at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter. The pick six gave MSU the 24-21 lead, while the ensuing drive ended in a blocked field goal. The final score was 31-28. The Grizzlies will be a tough out during the playoffs and I dropped them one spot, while the Committee had them as the third seed.

5. Mercer (9-2) – The Bears were blown out by Auburn 62-17, but for most of the first half, Mercer went toe-to-toe with the Tigers. Braden Atkinson acclimated himself well against Auburn early, but two interceptions at the end of the first half and the start of the second half blew the game wide open. Good thing for Mercer is that they won’t be facing any SEC teams in the playoffs. The Bears are a dangerous team entering the playoffs. I keep Mercer in fifth, as the Committee has them as the sixth overall seed.

6. Tarleton State (11-1) – The Texans escaped the regular season finale with a 45-44 victory in OT. Austin Peay was the better team for much of the game, but couldn’t stop the Tarleton State offense when it mattered most. Austin Peay even had a chance to win in OT by going for two, but the pass sailed over the running back. The Tarleton State defense played terribly in this game, which has been a bit of a concern at times this season. On the overthrown pass in OT, the APSU running back was wide open. Still, I can’t ignore the entire body of work and keep them in sixth. The Committee put the Texans as the fourth overall seed for the FCS playoffs.

7. Tennessee Tech (11-1) – TTU needed almost the entire 60 minutes to finally take the lead against UT Martin. UTM made it very difficult for Tennessee Tech to get any rhythm, while neither team had great success rushing the ball. Ultimately, the Golden Eagles made just enough plays to win 20-17. TTU hasn’t looked as dominant to end the season, but if you want a silver lining, they’ve played and won close games. Compared to some teams this year, winning close games is not easy. I keep Tennessee Tech in 7th, while the Committee interestingly seeded them 13th.

8. Rhode Island (10-1) – This game was over after the first quarter. The Rams got out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the opening frame and went on to defeat Hampton 38-10. Rhody won the CAA AQ bid outright and is a very intriguing team heading into the FCS playoffs. The defense looks good and the offense is back on track. I moved Rhode Island up one spot to eight, while the Committee put them 9th in the bracket.

9. Villanova (9-2) – The Wildcats ended the season with a big win against a solid non-conference opponent. Sacred Heart took a 3-0 lead on its first drive, but it was all Villanova after that. Ja’briel Mace scored rushing TDs on the next two drives and caught a TD pass with seconds left in the first half to make it 21-3. Villanova wasn’t overly impressive to end the season, but I think the defense is strong enough to pull a surprise in the playoffs. The Wildcats move up a spot for me, while the Committee has them as the 12th overall seed.

10. Abilene Christian (8-4) – The Wildcats had a slow start, but came alive in the second half to defeat Central Arkansas 49-28 to win the UAC’s AQ bid. The Wildcats won a second straight road game, a notable feat because they had struggled on the road for much of the season. The Wildcats enter the FCS Playoffs on a four-game win streak and plenty of confidence. ACU moves up one spot and into the top 10 on my ballot, which is the same as where the Committee has them for the playoffs.

11. Stephen F. Austin (10-2) – The Lumberjacks overwhelmed Northwestern State from the start en route to an easy 62-14 victory. With the victory, SFA completed an undefeated Southland Conference campaign and was seeded 7th by the Committee. I moved SFA up one spot to 11th this week.

12. Youngstown State (8-4) – The Penguins built a huge 28-3 lead by halftime, but provided a nervous ending. Northern Iowa rallied from a 35-18 deficit at the start of the 4th quarter to cut it to 35-32, but couldn’t convert on fourth down inside YSU territory in the final two minutes. The Penguins held on as Beau Brungard put up 369 yards of offense and 5 total TDs in a performance that likely wraps up the Walter Payton Award. YSU moves up one spot to 12th on my ballot, while the Committee ranked them as the 15th overall seed.

13. South Dakota (8-4) – The Coyotes had a bye, while nearly every other FCS team played this week. USD is up one spot to 13th this week on my ballot and the Committee ranked them as the 11th overall seed in the bracket.

14. Yale (8-2) – Yale was clearly the better team against Harvard from the start. The defense forced a turnover, the offense turned it into a touchdown, and the entire team was far more intense than Harvard. Every time Harvard looked like it might close the gap to single digits, the Bulldogs answered and it led them to a 45-28 win and the Ivy League AQ bid. I moved Yale up 8 spots this week to 14th, while the Committee left them as an unseeded team.

15. Harvard (9-1) – The Crimson were behind the eight ball from the start with an early turnover, which Yale cashed in for a score. Harvard never matched the intensity that Yale brought and the defense put on a second straight disaster class. I mentioned two weeks ago that Columbia had success late against Harvard. Granted that the game was well in hand, but it was a clear warning sign to me that something wasn’t right. Last week, it was Penn moving the ball with ease, which was followed by Yale’s ability to do almost anything it wanted. The 45-28 loss cost Harvard the AQ bid and it’s been 2+ games of dreadful defensive performances. Harvard drops 7 spots this week to fall behind Yale, while the Committee placed them as an unseeded team and among the last four into the playoffs.

16. Jackson State (9-2) – The Tigers took a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and then held on for the 27-21 win over Alcorn State. It wasn’t a great game for JSU, but it was enough to win the SWAC East. The Tigers will host Prairie View A&M (9-3) at home on Saturday, December 6, in the SWAC Championship. JSU moves up three spots this week.

17. UC Davis (8-3) – The Aggies claimed the last scheduled Causeway Classic with a 31-27 victory against Sacramento State. It was a close game throughout, but two fourth quarter TD passes by Caden Pinnick saw them win the game. The Aggies’ defense struggled against the run, giving up 326 yards and 4 TDs, while only seeing 9 pass attempts. I moved them up 7 spots this week in the reshuffle, while the Committee placed them as the 8th overall seed.

18. South Carolina State (9-3) – The Bulldogs ended the season with two big road victories to win the MEAC title. They won at North Carolina Central 34-27 last week to set up this week’s showdown at Delaware State. The Bulldogs bested DSU 28-17, thanks to four turnovers by the Hornets. SCSU awaits the SWAC Championship Game winner in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday, December 16.

19. Lafayette (8-4) – It was a valiant effort by the Leopards in a must-win situation, but they came up short against Lehigh 42-32. Kente Edwards had a hard-earned 157 yards and 3 TDs rushing, but needed 41 carries to get it done. The difference was that the Lafayette defense couldn’t stop the Lehigh offense, especially the running attack. Lafayette didn’t make the FCS playoffs and will look ahead to the 2026 season. I dropped the Leopards three spots to 19th this week.

20. Southeastern Louisiana (9-3) – The Lions ended the season with back-to-back wins against Incarnate Word and Nicholls to finish second in the Southland. The three losses came against Louisiana Tech, LSU, and Lamar. I place the Lions in the top 20 this week, while the Committee ranked them as the 16th overall seed.

21. New Hampshire (8-4) – The Wildcats finally break into the top 25 after ending the regular season on a five-game win streak. UNH sat at 3-4 overall with losses to Ball State, Dartmouth, Rhode Island, and Villanova in a five-game span. New Hampshire is an unseeded team for the playoffs and was one of the last four teams in.

22. Prairie View A&M (9-3) – The Panthers crushed Mississippi Valley State 59-6. PVAMU had 500 yards of total offense, while holding MVSU to just 142 yards. The Panthers will play at Jackson State (9-2) on Saturday, December 6, in the SWAC Championship game. I moved PVAMU up one spot this week.

23. Southern Utah (7-5) – The Thunderbirds needed double overtime to get past North Alabama 36-34. SUU trailed 14-0 and 21-7 early in the game. At the start of the fourth quarter, they trailed 28-14 and needed a pair of Joshua Dye TD runs to send it to OT. SUU wasn’t selected for the playoffs as one of the first four teams out, but they moved up one spot on my ballot.

24. Illinois State (8-4) – Illinois State was tied with Southern Illinois 7-7 at the start of the second quarter, but it was all downhill from there. SIU outscored ISU 30-0 in the final 45 minutes as the offense played a horrendous game. Only 217 total yards of offense, 12 first downs, and 3 of 12 on third down. It was a shocking season finale for a team that had played pretty well over the previous month. The Redbirds fall seven spots in my ballot. The Committee included them in the playoffs as an unseeded team and one of the last four teams in.

25. West Georgia (8-3) – The Wolves didn’t play this week, but re-enter the top 25. West Georgia played very well in their second season in the FCS, although the three-game skid in October hurt. The Wolves weren’t eligible for the FCS playoffs this year due to the move up from NCAA Division II.

Teams That Dropped Out and Other Notables

The 15th through 25th spots in my ballot show notable divergence from the FCS Playoff Committee. I don’t have South Dakota State in my top 25, let alone anywhere near a top 15 seed. I don’t have Lamar or North Dakota as top 25 teams either. Those three aren’t top 25 teams for me, but that can change with how they perform in the playoffs.

North Dakota (7-5) dropped off my ballot this week after being 15th last week. The game versus South Dakota State was the embodiment of the season for North Dakota. They led 20-17 late in the third quarter, but saw their lead disappear at 21-20. They rallied to tie the game at 28 and force overtime… where they lost 31-28. The recurring theme for UND is that they had trouble winning close games, as noted by the 0-5 record in one-score games this year. Nevertheless, the Committee put the Fighting Hawks in the field as an unseeded team. I differ drastically with them as I drop UND from the top 25 and probably wouldn’t have included them in the bracket.

Monmouth (9-3) fell out of the poll after being 18th last week. I’ve been skeptical of Monmouth since Derek Robertson went out with an injury against Stony Brook on October 18. It didn’t help that the one good team they’ve played – New Hampshire – was a 34-13 loss. Then came the regular season finale against Albany. The Great Danes led 31-3 at halftime and held on for the 31-24 victory. I really don’t care to hear the excuses about injuries anymore, because this team found ways to beat Hampton, Bryant, and North Carolina A&T on the road. This game was at home against a one-win team that was averaging 15.5 points a game and announced the search for a new head coach earlier in the week. The Committee took a page out of my book and punished them for the loss so severely that they missed the bracket entirely. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think Monmouth would miss the playoffs with 9 FCS wins, even if I wasn’t sold on them.

Dartmouth (7-3) fell out of my poll after being at #20 last week. The Big Green were a long shot to make the FCS playoffs as an at-large team entering the week, but they removed all doubt by losing 35-28 to Brown. It was a back-and-forth game throughout, but the 74-yard pick six by Brown’s Alejandro Bello was the difference. Even if Dartmouth won the game, Yale’s upset of Harvard (along with other results) would probably have kept Dartmouth out of the playoffs.

Lamar (8-4) drops after being 21st last week. Lamar fans know what I’m about to say: the margin for error is small with the Cardinals and they showed it for the third time in four weeks. McNeese stunned Lamar on the road to win 21-19. The Cardinals led 13-7 after three quarters, but a McNeese TD and a pick six thrown by Lamar made it 21-13. The Cardinals scored a late TD and had a chance to get into field goal range, but were stopped on fourth down. Still, the Committee put Lamar in the field as one of the last four teams in. I personally don’t think Lamar passed the eye test of a playoff team or a top 25 team, but the Committee valued the wins against South Dakota and Southeastern Louisiana very highly.

Photo Credit to Yale University Athletics