FCS Top-25: Zach McKinnell’s Week 4 Ballot

A look at Zach McKinnell's Week 4 ballot for the FCS Stats Perform Top-25

I have the honor of representing FCS Football Central as one of the 56 voters in the FCS Stats Perform Top-25 for the 2023 season. Each week I will release my official ballot and provide some explanation for the biggest movers in our FCS Top 25 each week throughout the season.

Week 5 Top-25 Ballot

25. Austin Peay (2-2)

Week 4: 22-20 win against Stephen F. Austin

24. Central Arkansas (2-2)

Week 4: 52-17 win against Abilene Christian

23. Youngstown State (2-1)

Week 4: Bye Week

22. Chattanooga (3-1)

Week 4: 47-24 win against No. 20 Samford

21. UT Martin (3-1)

Week 4: 37-21 win against North Alabama

20. Florida A&M (3-1)

Week 4: 23-10 win against Alabama State

19. UC Davis (2-2)

Week 4: 27-24 loss against Eastern Washington

18. Villanova (3-1)

Week 4: 35-9 win against No. 17 Rhode Island

17. North Carolina Central (3-1)

Week 4: 45-3 win against Mississippi Valley State

16. Weber State (2-2)

Week 4: 40-0 loss against No. 3 Montana State

15. New Hampshire (2-2)

Week 4: 29-25 loss against No. 19 Delaware

14. Eastern Washington (2-2)

Week 4: 27-24 win against No. 15 UC Davis

13. Delaware (3-1)

Week 4: 29-25 win against No. 11 New Hampshire

12. North Dakota (2-1)

Week 4: Bye Week

11. Western Carolina (3-1)

Week 4: 77-21 win against Charleston Southern

10. Incarnate Word (3-1)

Week 4: 63-3 win against North American

9. Southern Illinois (3-0)

Week 4: Bye Week

8. William & Mary (4-0)

Week 4: 28-3 win against Maine

7. Furman (3-1)

Week 4: 38-14 win against No. 21 Mercer

6. Sacramento State (3-1)

Week 4: 36-27 loss against No. 7 Idaho

5. Holy Cross (4-0)

Week 4: 47-7 win against Colgate

4. Idaho (3-1)

Week 4: 36-27 win against No. 4 Sacramento State

3. Montana State (3-1)

Week 4: 40-0 win against No. 9 Weber State

2. North Dakota State (3-0)

Week 4: Bye Week

1. South Dakota State (3-0)

Week 4: Bye Week

Honorable Mentions: UAlbany (2-2), Fordham (3-1), Northern Iowa (1-2), Southeast Missouri State (1-3), Tennessee State (2-1)

Analysis On Week 5 Ballot

Dropped: Samford, Rhode Island, Montana, Southeast Missouri State

Added: Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Central Arkansas, Villanova

Villanova was one of the biggest risers in the rankings this week after a dominant 35-9 victory over No. 17 Rhode Island. The Wildcats are 3-0 against FCS competition and have won all three games by an average of 25 points per game. Villanova will face a difficult road test against UAlbany this weekend but should be favored in the next four games on the schedule. Road matchups against Delaware and New Hampshire loom ahead, but the Wildcats have shown the potential to be a real contender for the CAA championship.

Montana dropped just outside the Top 25 after a disappointing loss to Northern Arizona. The Grizzlies have failed to impress over the first four weeks despite playing the 90th-ranked schedule in the country. Outside of a 43-13 win over Utah Tech, Montana struggled with a non-scholarship program (Butler) and trailed for most of the game against a Division II program in Ferris State. The brand of the program kept the Grizzlies ranked until this point, but after losing to a winless Northern Arizona team the future of the season looks bleak for Montana with four ranked teams remaining on the schedule.

Delaware jumped from No. 24 to No. 13 after an impressive win over New Hampshire. The Blue Hens entered the season with multiple question marks, but have continued to compete at a high level throughout the first four weeks. Delaware faced arguably their toughest test of the season and set themselves up for a shot at the CAA championship.

UT Martin continues to rise in the rankings after a 3-0 start against FCS competition. The Skyhawks will have a tough test against Tennessee State in Week 5, but this team has shown potential to make a run to the FCS Playoffs. Central Arkansas may sit at 2-2 with losses to Oklahoma State and North Dakota State, but everything on film suggests this team is a Top-25 program. Running back ShunDerrick Powell continues to be one of the best players in the country and led the Bears to a dominant 52-17 win over Abilene Christian.

Eastern Washington makes another jump in the rankings after an impressive road win over UC Davis. The Eagles have faced three consecutive ranked FCS opponents and lost a close double overtime game to Fresno State. The streak continues as the Eagles host Idaho, which will be an excellent test of what the ceiling is for this program in 2023. Western Carolina sits just outside the Top 10 after a 77-21 rout of Charleston Southern. The Catamounts have silenced the doubters week after week and all attention will shift to a massive matchup against Furman on Oct. 21.

Southeast Missouri State sits just outside the Top 25 after back-to-back losses to Southern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky. The Redhawks have the talent on paper to be one of the best teams in the country, but I need to see this team win the big games on the schedule. The past two games were arguably the biggest tests on the schedule and SEMO did not find a way to escape with a win. At the end of the day, I have to take on-field performance into account and SEMO has not shown the ability to win the big games against the toughest teams on the schedule.