FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's Week 5 Ballot

Zachary McKinnell | Sep 23, 2024

ETSU quarterback Jaylen King / ETSU 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 5 ballot for the 2024 FCS football season.

25. Wofford (2-1)
24. Florida A&M (2-2)
23. New Hampshire (3-1)
22. Weber State (2-2)
21. Rhode Island (3-1)
20. Lamar (3-1)
19. ETSU (2-2)
18. Incarnate Word (2-2)
17. Southern Illinois (2-2)
16. Tarleton State (3-1)
15. Illinois State (3-1)
14. UC Davis (3-1)
13. William & Mary (3-1)
12. Mercer (4-0)
11. SEMO (3-1)
10. Montana (3-1)
9. North Dakota (3-1)
8. Sacramento State (2-2)
7. Villanova (3-1)
6. South Dakota (2-1)
5. Central Arkansas (3-1)
4. North Dakota State (3-1)
3. South Dakota State (3-1)
2. Montana State (4-0)
1. Idaho (3-1)

Honorable Mentions: Chattanooga, Richmond, Western Carolina, Harvard, Abilene Christian

Analysis:

Dropped: Lafayette, Western Carolina, Elon, Chattanooga

Added: ETSU, New Hampshire, Weber State, Wofford

SEMO jumped from No. 16 to No. 11 after an impressive win over Southern Illinois. The Redhawks now have notable wins over UT Martin and Southern Illinois, with their only loss coming against New Mexico State. Southern Illinois drops to No. 17 after the loss to the Redhawks, which may be too high for the Salukis without quarterback DJ Williams. The Salukis will have to find a way to win at least one of their next three games, which feature three consecutive Top 20 opponents.

ETSU enters my ballot for the first time this season after a 34-14 win over Elon, which was ranked two weeks ago. The Bucs have been impressive the past two weeks, with a competitive loss against North Dakota State and a win against Elon this past weekend. In two weeks, we will know more about the potential of this program when ETSU hosts Chattanooga.

Idaho remains at No. 1 after another ranked win over Abilene Christian. The Vandals have two ranked wins and an FBS victory on their resume, all with a backup quarterback. It is the most impressive resume this season, and until the Vandals lose, I believe they deserve to be the No. 1 team in the nation.

New Hampshire move into my rankings after three consecutive wins, including a 38-17 victory over Bryant. Quarterback Seth Morgan has found his rhythm, throwing for almost 1,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. Wofford is another team that I should have had ranked last week, that enters the ballot this week. The Terriers hold wins over Richmond and Gardner-Webb, along with a competitive loss against William & Mary. Wofford has a chance for another ranked win against Mercer this weekend, which could propel the Terriers into Top 15 consideration.

After back-to-back FBS losses to start the season, Sacramento State has been dominant over the past two games. The Hornets have a ranked victory over Nicholls State and earned a shutout victory over Texas A&M-Commerce in Week 4. The Week 8 matchup against Weber State could determine if Sacramento State has a chance at the Big Sky title before late season games against Montana State and UC Davis.

We only get 25 spots for our ballots each week, but Chattanooga would sit at No. 26 if we were allowed to vote for honorable mentions. The Mocs are a Top 25 team on paper, but have failed to win a game on the field due to a difficult opening three games. The loss against Mercer in Week 3 was extremely competitive, but until the Mocs start to show the talent on the field, I was hesitant to include them over teams who have found ways to win.

Western Carolina is another team that dropped from my ballot this week. The Catamounts had an early 17-0 lead against Montana, but failed to capitalize on several opportunities to win the game. The loss against Campbell has aged poorly after the Camels lost to Stony Brook this weekend, while their win over Elon may be devalued after ETSU's upset win this weekend. After a bye week, the Catamounts will face Wofford and a win against the Terriers could elevate this team back into the Top 25.

This past weekend was not as chaotic as the start of the season, which is why not many changes were made to the Top 15 of my ballot. Next week will be an extremely important week with multiple games that will impact the Top 25 rankings. Idaho at UC Davis, Lamar at Central Arkansas, Mercer at Wofford, and North Dakota State at Illinois State are some ranked matchups to watch this upcoming weekend.

More FCS Football News

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Week 4 FCS Football Top 25 Scoreboard
Week 4 FCS Football Preview & Predictions
Behind The Numbers: Week 3 FCS Football Review

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