FCS Top-25: Zach McKinnell's Week 9 Ballot

Zach McKinnell's Week 9 ballot for the FCS Stats Perform Top-25 after an exciting weekend of FCS football

I am honored to represent 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 explain the biggest movers in our FCS Top 25 each week throughout the season.

Week 9 Top-25 Ballot

25. Tennessee State (6-2)

Week 9: 43-20 win against Lindenwood

24. UT Martin (6-2)

Week 9: 38-34 loss to Gardner-Webb

23. Austin Peay (6-2)

Week 9: 49-39 win against North Alabama

22. Lafayette (7-1)

Week 9: 35-25 win against Georgetown

21. Mercer (6-3)

Week 9: 45-38 win against No. 10 Western Carolina

20. Villanova (6-2)

Week 9: 48-13 win against Stony Brook

19. Florida A&M (7-1)

Week 9: 45-7 win against Prairie View A&M

18. North Dakota (5-3)

Week 9: 36-33 win against Indiana State

17. Incarnate Word (7-1)

Week 9: 17-7 win against Lamar

16. Youngstown State (5-3)

Week 9: 44-28 win against Missouri State

15. Chattanooga (7-2)

Week 9: 24-23 win against VMI

14. Western Carolina (5-3)

Week 9: 45-38 loss to Mercer

13. UAlbany (6-3)

Week 9: 37-21 win against Maine

12. Northern Iowa (5-3)

Week 9: 24-21 win against Illinois State

11. North Dakota State (6-2)

Week 9: 38-6 win against Murray State

10. Southern Illinois (6-2)

Week 9: 63-0 win against Western Illinois

9. North Carolina Central (7-1)

Week 9: 62-28 win against South Carolina State

8. South Dakota (6-2)

Week 9: 37-3 loss to No. 1 South Dakota State

7. Sacramento State (6-2)

Week 9: 51-16 win against Idaho State

6. Delaware (7-1)

Week 9: 51-13 win against Towson

5. Furman (7-1)

Week 9: 16-8 win against ETSU

4. Montana State (6-2)

Week 9: 24-21 loss to No. 9 Idaho

3. Idaho (6-2)

Week 9: 24-21 win against No. 2 Montana State

2. Montana (7-1)

Week 9: 40-0 win against Northern Colorado

1. South Dakota State (8-0)

Week 9: 37-3 win against No. 4 South Dakota

Honorable Mentions: Central Arkansas (5-3), Holy Cross (5-3), Harvard (6-1), William & Mary (5-3), Richmond (6-3), Tarleton State (6-3)

Analysis On Week 9 Ballot

Dropped: Harvard, Central Arkansas
Added: Mercer, Tennessee State

Montana rises to No. 2 after facing extreme criticism throughout the first month of the season. The Grizzlies have one of the biggest wins of the season over Idaho, who upset Montana State this past weekend. The loss to Northern Arizona had aged poorly, but this team continues to improve every week and has picked up two wins over ranked opponents since that early season loss. The Griz will be able to solidify their ranking over the final three weeks of the season with huge games against Sacramento State and Montana State.

Idaho jumps to No. 3 after a massive victory over Montana State. The Vandals have one of the best resumes in the country with two Top-10 wins and an FBS upset over Nevada. A home loss to Montana prevents Idaho from earning the No. 2 spot because head-to-head results have to account for something when teams are this close in the rankings. This team should be favored in the final three games of the season, which puts them in a position for the No. 2 overall seed if the Griz lose another game. 

Montana State drops to No. 4 after a loss to Idaho in the Kibbie Dome. The Bobcats still have an impressive resume with two Top-10 wins and their only losses coming on the road against Idaho and South Dakota State in competitive games. This is still one of the best teams in the nation and has played one of the toughest schedules in the country (No. 7), which is why the Bobcats are still a Top-5 team despite multiple FCS losses. 

Mercer jumps back into the rankings after an impressive road win over Western Carolina. The Bears are 6-2 vs. FCS competition with losses to Chattanooga and Furman, which are both Top-15 teams. Mercer needed a signature win, which came this weekend and now this team controls its destiny for the FCS Playoffs. Wins over The Citadel and Samford will lock the Bears into the playoffs for the first time in school history.

Western Carolina falls to No. 14 after back-to-back losses as the Catamounts have struggled without running back Desmond Reid. The Catamounts are still 5-2 against FCS opponents with two ranked wins over Chattanooga and Samford. Chattanooga continues to rise in the rankings as the Mocs are now 7-2 against the FCS. The Mocs have impressive wins over Samford and Mercer with a chance to solidify their resume against Furman this weekend. 

North Dakota dropped to No. 18 after an unimpressive overtime win over 0-8 Indiana State. The Fighting Hawks have struggled since an upset win over North Dakota State on Oct. 14, including a 27-0 loss against Northern Iowa two weeks ago. I need to see more from this team as the win over the Bison looks like a "flash in the pan" rather than the true potential of this team. 

Incarnate Word continues to be one of the hardest teams to rank each week. The Cardinals are 7-0 against the FCS but have struggled against some of the worst teams in the country. UIW's strength of schedule is one of the lowest in these rankings (No. 83) and the Cardinals will end the season without facing a ranked opponent. At the end of the day, we may not know the potential of this team until the FCS playoffs begin next month.

Tennessee State makes the first appearance in these rankings after four consecutive wins. The Tigers are 5-1 against FCS competition and their only loss is against UT Martin on the road. This team has a chance to finish the season with nine wins and only one FCS loss, which would almost guarantee an at-large bid. Head coach Eddie George seems to be finding his rhythm in Nashville and his team is trending upwards at the perfect time for a potential postseason appearance.

FCS Football Recap: Week 9 Takeaways