FCS Top-25: Zach McKinnell's Week 7 Ballot

Zach McKinnell's Week 7 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 7 Top-25 Ballot

25. UAlbany (4-3)

Week 7: 38-31 loss to New Hampshire

24. Youngstown State (3-3)

Week 7: 38-31 loss to No. 10 South Dakota

23. Austin Peay (4-2)

Week 7: 41-14 win against Gardner-Webb

22. Chattanooga (5-2)

Week 7: 22-10 win against Mercer

21. William & Mary (4-2)

Week 7: Bye Week

20. Villanova (5-2)

Week 7: 21-0 win against Elon

19. Florida A&M (5-1)

Week 7: Bye Week

18. Central Arkansas (5-2)

Week 7: 24-21 win against Stephen F. Austin

17. Holy Cross (4-2)

Week 7: Bye Week

16. Incarnate Word (5-1)

Week 7: 28-11 win against Texas A&M-Commerce

15. North Dakota State (4-2)

Week 7: 49-24 loss to No. 15 North Dakota

14. UT Martin (5-1)

Week 7: Bye Week

13. Southern Illinois (5-1)

Week 7: 27-6 win against Murray State

12. Delaware (5-1)

Week 7: 21-6 win against North Carolina A&T

11. Harvard (5-0)

Week 7: 48-7 win against Howard

10. North Carolina Central (5-1)

Week 7: Bye Week

9. North Dakota (4-2)

Week 7: 49-24 win against No. 6 North Dakota State

8. Sacramento State (5-1)

Week 7: 21-13 win against Northern Colorado

7. Idaho (5-2)

Week 7: 23-21 loss to No. 16 Montana

6. Montana (6-1)

Week 7: 23-21 win against No. 3 Idaho

5. Furman (5-1)

Week 7: 27-21 win against Samford

4. Western Carolina (5-1)

Week 7: Bye Week

3. South Dakota (5-1)

Week 7: 34-31 win against No. 23 Youngstown State

2. Montana State (5-1)

Week 7: 59-19 win against Cal Poly

1. South Dakota State (6-0)

Week 7: 41-6 win against Northern Iowa

Honorable Mentions: Tennessee State (4-2), Eastern Illinois (4-2), New Hampshire (3-3), Eastern Kentucky (3-3), UC Davis (3-3), Lafayette (5-1)

Analysis On Week 7 Ballot

Dropped: Eastern Washington 
Added: Villanova

Montana soared in the rankings after an impressive road win over Idaho. The Grizzlies have continued to improve despite some unimpressive performances early in the season. The defense continues to show flashes of dominance, while the offense seems to take a step forward each week behind quarterback Clifton McDowell. Back-to-back road wins over ranked opponents have helped the Grizzlies build a strong resume entering the final weeks of October. 

North Dakota made a major jump in the rankings. The Hawks dominated North Dakota State and picked up an important signature win for their resume. I was critical of this team prior to this week due to a lack of signature wins, but that changed this weekend against the Bison. 

North Dakota State now sits at 4-2 with zero signature wins and plenty of question marks about the future of this program. The Bison have one solid win against Central Arkansas, but the Eastern Washington win has aged poorly. The Bison have a tough three-game stretch against South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and Southern Illinois to end the season which may determine the true ceiling of this team in 2023. 

South Dakota is now 4-0 against FCS competition with two ranked wins after an impressive win over Youngstown State. Quarterback Aidan Bouman is developing into a young star at the FCS level, while the defense is filled with playmakers in the front seven. The Coyotes will have multiple chances to further solidify their resume, but right now I think this team is only scratching the surface of its potential.

Incarnate Word and Sacramento State both dropped in this week's rankings due to unimpressive performances against overmatched opponents. The Cardinals have continued to put together wins, but I need to see more dominant performances to consider this team a true Top-10 contender. Sacramento State has struggled for two consecutive weeks against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. The resume for the Hornets is solid, but the eye test tells me that Sacramento State is not a Top-5 team at this point of the season. 

This weekend showed the huge gap between South Dakota State and the rest of the country. The Jackrabbits dominated Northern Iowa in a 41-6 victory as the defense held the Panthers to only 264 total yards. The defense is dominant and the offense continues to be one of the most efficient in the country. It is hard to find many flaws with the Jackrabbits right now. Montana State is clearly the second-best team in the nation, but the Jackrabbits already have a win over the Bobcats.

FCS Football Recap: Week 7 Takeaways