FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's Week 11 Ballot

Zachary McKinnell | Nov 4, 2024

Western Carolina Athletics

I am honored to represent FCS Football Central as one of the 56 voters in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 for the 2024 season. As I have over the past few seasons, I will release my official ballot each week and explain my reasoning behind the rankings throughout the season.

Below is my Week 11 ballot for the 2024 FCS football season.

25. Central Arkansas (6-3)
24. South Carolina State (6-2)
23. ETSU (5-4)
22. Jackson State (7-2)
21. Harvard (6-1)
20. Chattanooga (5-4)
19. Western Carolina (5-4)
18. Illinois State (6-3)
17. UT Martin (6-3)
16. Stony Brook (7-2)
15. Abilene Christian (6-3)
14. Tarleton State (7-2)
13. Villanova (7-2)
12. Richmond (7-2)
11. Incarnate Word (7-2)
10. Montana (7-2)
9. Rhode Island (8-1)
8. Idaho (6-3)
7. Mercer (8-1)
6. SEMO (8-1)
5. UC Davis (8-1)
4. South Dakota (6-2)
3. South Dakota State (7-2)
2. Montana State (9-0)
1. North Dakota State (9-1)

Honorable Mentions: William & Mary, Duquesne, North Dakota, Tennessee State, Southeastern Louisiana

Analysis:

Dropped: Tennessee State, North Carolina Central, North Dakota
Added: Harvard, Western Carolina, South Carolina State

Rhode Island moves into the Top 10 for the first time this season. The Rams are 8-0 against the FCS with a Top 50 strength of schedule. After some unimpressive performances, the Rams have won their past four games by 10 points or more including a ranked win over New Hampshire. Rhode Island will have a chance to solidify its resume with a win over Delaware this weekend.

Montana returns to the Top 10 after a win over Cal Poly. The Grizzlies have won three consecutive games and have two ranked wins on their resume. They also have a win over Missouri State, which would be ranked if they were eligible for the media poll. The Grizzlies face must-win games against UC Davis and Montana State if they want to be in conversations for a potential Top 8 seed.

ETSU falls to No. 23 after a loss to Mercer, dropping the Bucs to 5-4 overall and 4-3 against the FCS. I understand that their losses have been one-score losses to North Dakota State, Chattanooga, and Mercer, but eventually this team is going to have to win these tough games to justify ranking them any higher.

Western Carolina defeated Chattanooga in a massive SoCon matchup, moving the Catamounts to No. 19 and dropping the Mocs to No. 20. Despite having the same record, the Catamounts get the edge over ETSU due to two ranked wins and a tougher strength of schedule (22 vs. 27). The Mocs are 5-2 against the FCS with a ranked win over ETSU and the No. 18 strength of schedule.

Central Arkansas plummets to No. 25 after a stunning upset loss to an 0-8 Utah Tech program. The Bears are 6-2 against the FCS with one ranked win but have the worst loss in the nation. They have started to trend in the wrong direction despite having outstanding talent at multiple positions. The Bears have three tough games to end the season and need to win at least two of the three to secure a spot in the postseason.

I know some fans hate when voters rank Ivy League teams due to the conference's stance on the FCS Playoffs. Regardless of people's feelings, Harvard deserves to be a Top 25 team at this point in the season. The Crimson have two ranked wins and have won five consecutive games since an upset loss to Brown. They are 6-1 against the FCS and have an excellent chance to win the Ivy League in Andrew Aurich's first season as head coach.

North Dakota drops out of the Top 25 after an upset loss to Indiana State. The Hawks have lost three of their past four games, including back-to-back losses to unranked opponents. They are 5-3 against the FCS with a ranked win over Montana but have looked like a team trending in the wrong direction. The Hawks will need to win two of their final three games to secure a spot in the postseason and show they belong in the Top 25.

South Carolina State enters the Top 25 for the first time this season after a win over North Carolina Central. The Bulldogs are 5-1 against the FCS with a ranked win over the Eagles on Thursday night. The Eagles dropped out of the Top 25 after the loss after falling to 5-2 against the FCS with no ranked wins.

Tarleton State drops to No. 14 after an upset loss to Eastern Kentucky. The Texans are 7-1 against the FCS, including wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Southern Utah. They can earn ranked wins against Abilene Christian and Central Arkansas, which will be critical if the Texans want to jump back into the Top 10 conversation.

More FCS Football News

Week 10 FCS Football Top 25 Scoreboard
Week 10 FCS Football Preview & Predictions
FCS Football Playoff Picture: Oct. 30 (Week 10)
FCS Playoff Committee Reveals Top 10 Ranking

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